The morning mist is still burning off on a Sunday morning as Conrail's PIAL ( Conway-Allentown) behind a pair of “Altoona builts” comes whistling through Huntingdon, PA with 135 cars in rapid succession. In Conrail's prime, this was fast-paced highball railroad.
The PRR-era Hunt Block Station, that has graciously been preserved, gives a hint to an earlier era. There were open offices all over the land and many employees didn't mind occasional company. Thus one could enjoy the ambiance of one of these block stations (known on other roads as towers). It was a fascinating environment with lanterns and flags, bundle of twine and train order hoops, the control apparatus with its attendant relays, the model board depicting the track layout and indicating approaching traffic and an excellent vantage point as trains passed all day and night beyond one's own picture windows. All the while the loudspeaker would echo the voice of the train dispatcher talking to other operators: always asking questions, directing traffic around some delay down the line or concerned about who's out in front of the first class. And for 146 years, at the time of this photo, the trains have rolled by the side of the Juniata River along this wonderful stretch of railroad.
