By Railfan & Railroad Staff

The public will have a chance to get up close and personal with Pennsylvania Railroad K4 1361, currently being restored at the Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona. On Saturday, the museum is hosting roundhouse tours at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Tours are $10 and will give visitors a chance to get behind the scenes of the restoration and see other historic pieces of equipment. For more information, visit railroadcity.org. 

PRR 1361 was built at the railroad’s Altoona Works in 1918 and ran until 1956 when it was put on display at Horseshoe Curve. In the late 1980s, the locomotive was restored to operation but a series of major mechanical failures sidelined it after just two years. In the 1990s, the locomotive was sent to Steamtown National Historic Site for another restoration, but that effort eventually fell apart. The locomotive returned to Altoona in pieces. In 2021, the museum hired FMW Solutions to lead a renewed restoration effort.