AKA Pennsylvania Railroad, Altoona Machine Shops, Altoona Car Shops, South Altoona Foundries, East Altoona Enginehouse, Juniata Shops, Juniata Locomotive Shop (JBS), Norfolk Southern, Altoona Terminal, Altoona, PA

Jobsite

At one time the largest railroad shop complex in the world, Altoona Works is a railroad industrial complex now operated by Norfolk Southern.  The first buildings were built in the late 1850s along the 12th Street area of Altoona. Various expansions occurred over time, including the addition of the Juniata Shops.  By the 1920s, the site encompassed 125 buildings on 218 acres.

Address or general location

12th Street area of Altoona, PA, and the Juniata section of Altoona.  

Detail

Built by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in the late 1800s, Altoona Works comprised several facilities including the Altoona Machine Shops, Altoona Car Shops, Juniata Shops, South Altoona Foundries, and the East Altoona Enginehouse.  By the 1920s, the site consisted of 125 buildings on 218 acres and was, for many years, the largest railroad shop complex in the world.

Altoona Works served as the PRR’s railroad maintenance facilities where locomotives were built and repaired.  In the 1920s, Altoona Works employed over 16,000 workers.  

The Juniata facilities are now owned and operated by Norfolk Southern.