This is my second trip to the Altoona area. So I thought it would be fun if I could get one of the twenty Norfolk Southern Heritage Units. So I downloaded the HeritageUnits.com app. I started to check the app every so often to see if anything would be passing through Keystone Corridor over the weekend. I’ve seen two NS Heritage Units on the Horseshoe Curve webcam but never one in person.
I was able to get my first NS Heritage Unit on Labor Day Monday, September 4th, 2017. I followed the updates on the app as #1069 Virginian Railway was making its way westbound. I thought the most ideal location for this first Heritage unit would be Cassandra Railroad Overlook with its awesome curve approaching the overlook for trains making their way westbound. My dad, and I made our way to this spot. We spent a few hours there waiting for the Virginian’s arrival. I set up my tripod so I could record it passing with my video camera I also had my DSLR to capture still shots. Truly I was quite happy to get my first Heritage Unit.
Later that day we spotted our second Heritage Unit #8103 Norfolk and Western parked in Cresson in front of The Station Inn. We were traveling there to change up our railfanning location, and we struck gold. Not bad two Heritage Units in one day!
On Tuesday we thought we would spend the day railfanning in downtown Altoona and we were able to get two more eastbound Heritage Units only a few hours apart #1074 Delaware, Lackawanna & Western and #8025 Monongahela Railways.
