Home2024 Annual Meeting - Main

2024 Annual Meeting

(our 56th)

Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Saturday, May 11, 2024

Altoona, Pennsylvania

Hosted by Altoona Works Chapter, PRRT&HS

The Altoona Works Chapter welcomes you to the PRRT&HS 56th Annual Meeting. The event site is the Blair County Convention Center located in the Railroad City… Altoona, PA! The event location is near numerous restaurants, local attractions and within 15 minutes of down town Altoona. We have put together programs with topics ranging from the PRR around the Altoona area, unique modeling ideas, and branch line operations, as well as a unique tour opportunity to the most modern narrow gauge railroad… that interchanged with the mighty PRR! Come and Join us in Altoona – where the Heart of the Pennsylvania Railroad still lives.

Registration

As of April 30, 2024, registration for the 2024 annual meeting is closed. You will still be able to register at the venue beginning Wednesday afternoon, May 8, 2024. If you want to register at that time, be advised that we can accept payment by check or cash only.

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PRRT&HS Members and Families

We welcome any member of PRRT&HS and your family members. Here are directions on how to register and links to online registration or a form that you can download and mail in.

To register, you must be a member of PRRT&HS. You may also register up to five members of your family for no additional registration fee. You will have to pay the appropriate charge per person for each optional activity in which they may want to participate.

Note that in order to register a member of your family, you must first make them a Family Member under your membership account. Follow these instructions to add them to your membership:

If you have not already done so, log into your PRRT&HS online account in the normal manner.
Hover the mouse pointer over your name in the upper right corner of the window, then click on the "Profile" item that appears in the menu that will drop down.
In the bottom left corner of your profile that comes up, click on the "Additional Members in Your Account" link in the "More Membership Options" group.
In the "Additional Members in Your Account" page that comes up, click on the "Add" button (the green circle with a white plus sign in it).
Fill out the information in the boxes that are presented. Note: If a box has a red dot next to it, it is required information and must be filled in.
Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each family member you wish to add.
Then click on the "Save" button at the bottom of the pop-up panel. Note: You may have to scroll down the panel in order to find the "Save" and "Cancel" buttons.

Both online and offline registration for the 2024 annual meeting are now closed, however, you may still register at the registration desk onsite beginning the afternoon of Wednesday, May 8, 2024.

We will accept both cash and checks for payment, but not credit cards.

If you have any questions or need further information, send an email to: annualmeeting@prrths.net.

We look forward to seeing you in Altoona!

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Conrail or Penn Central Historical Societies or Friends of the East Broad Top Members

We welcome our friends in the Penn Central Historical Society, Conrail Historical Society, and the Friends of the East Broad Top. We would love to have you join us for the fun and activities at our annual meeting in Altoona, PA this year.

Any member of any of these organizations may register as such a member at the registration desk at the venue beginning the afternoon of Wednesday, May 8, 2024. Please note that we will be able to accept payment by check or cash only.

You may bring up to five family members as well, just be sure to indicate this in the appropriate places on the registration form.

We look forward to seeing you in Altoona!

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Not a Member of Any of the Above Organizations

If you are not a member of either PRRT&HS or Penn Central or Conrail Historical Societies or a Friend of the East Broad Top, you are still welcome to attend our 2024 annual meeting once you have joined PRRT&HS.

To join PRRT&HS:

Hover over the "Join Us" menu item near the top of any of our web pages, then click on the "Membership Types" item in the menu that drops down.
Read about our various membership types and then click on the "Join" button to begin the registration process.
Follow the Join Wizard to register, then make your payment. You may use either a credit card or check for payment. Instructions for either method of payment are displayed during the join payment process.

Once you have joined PRRT&HS, you will be able to register for the meeting at the venue beginning the afternoon of Wednesday, May 8, 2024. Please note that we will be able to accept payment by check or cash only.

Activities Schedule

Click on date below to expand it to see what is happening on that date.

Each swim lane in a day's schedule represents one of our rooms and is color-coded to the coloring of the rooms on the Convention Center Floor Plan, so that you can easily determine the location of the room for your desired activity.

Schedules are subject to change, so check back on a regular basis.

Activity Descriptions

Click on an activity below to expand it to see more about it.

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2024

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THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2024

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FRIDAY, MAY 10, 2024

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SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2024

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Convention Center Floor Plan

Click here to see bigger schedules suitable for display on mobile devices or if you just want to see a bigger image.

Hotel Information

There are so many hotels available at group rates that we can't list them all in this space.

Additional hotel information can be found here.

Expenses

To help you to plan your finances for the meeting this year, here are the costs of some of our activities:

Annual Meeting registration - $65 per family (family members free)
Breakfast before annual meeting on Saturday - $26 per person
Saturday afternoon Barbecue dinner - $55 per person
East Broad Top regular (passenger train) excursion - $75 per person
Vendor Tables (8 ft w/skirt) - $35 each

Check the individual sections for details.

The Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum is undertaking a very extensive and professional restoration of 1361 that will ensure many years of operation. But the effort is not inexpensive. They have provided our open house at the museum free of charge, and have provided support for the barbecue. Please give serious consideration to including a donation to the restoration when you register for our meeting. 100% of your donation will go to 1361’s restoration.

Thank-you, Dave Evans, President PRRT&HS

EAST BROAD TOP RAILROAD TOUR

PRESENTATIONS

MODEL ROOM

MUSEUM OPEN HOUSE AND BARBECUE DINNER

VENDORS

SPOUSES

THINGS TO DO

MEETING & ELECTION

LAYOUT TOURS

East Broad Top Railroad Tours

Thursday, May 9, 2024

The East Broad Top will present all PRRT&HS tour attendees with an exclusive trip back in time on the oldest operating narrow gauge railroad. Buses will depart in the morning from the Blair County Convention Center and travel east to Broad Top Coal country. The buses will be leaving the convention center promptly at 8:00 am, so you may want to consider making reservations at your hotel in Altoona for Wednesday night, May 8th.

Upon arriving at the Orbisonia, PA depot, we will be provided a quick orientation of the EBT complex. Our group will be split into several smaller groups for two-hour tours of the EBT shops and roundhouse, and an additional tour of the Rockhill trolley museum and trolley ride. A mid-day break will provide an opportunity to buy lunch from one of several food trucks, and then take a one hour excursion ride behind EBT's 55-ton GE diesel built in 1964, departing northbound from the historic Orbisonia Station along the narrow-gauge mainline, originally constructed in 1872.

The EBT shops are world famous as one of the oldest preserved AND operational railroad shops dating back to the 1800's to include belt driven machine tools. Also, presentations will be provided by the Friends of the East Broad Top and the East Broad Top Foundation on how they are restoring and keeping this historic railroad alive. Hopefully we can get an update on how they plan to repair the cracked driver on steam locomotive #16, a 1916 Baldwin built 2-8-2 Mikado.

Click on the picture below to learn more.

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JACK CONSOLI - UTILIZING CAD AND 3-D PRINTING IN YOUR MODELING

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DAN CUPPER - RIDING A FREIGHT TRAIN, PITTSBURGH TO HARRISBURG: AN NS CONDUCTOR’S VIEW OF THE PRR MAIN LINE

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MIKE CROSBY - TRACKING THE T1 S PART 2

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JOSEPH DEFRANCESCO - K4 UPDATE

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ROBERT EMERSON - COILED ABOUT THE HILLS: A HISTORY OF THE BELL'S GAP RAILROAD

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BRAD ESPOSITO – WHERE THE EBT MET THE PRR

Brad Esposito – Where the EBT MET THE PRR

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JOHN FRANTZ - THE PRR'S STEEL FLATCAR FLEET

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MIKE FROIO - FROM THE MAIN LINE | REIMAGINING THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD

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MIKE FROIO - THE BLUE JUNIATA - A PICTORIAL JOURNEY OF THE JUNIATA RIVER & THE FABLED MIDDLE DIVISION OF THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD

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LUTHER GETTE - THE TYRONE AND CLEARFIELD

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AARON HEVERIN - TURNING A HOBBY INTO A LIFELONG LEGACY: HOW JOHN M. PROPHET III LIVED WITH STEAM

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MATTHEW HURST - PRR OPERATIONS AROUND HUNTINGDON PA IN THE 1940'S... A MODELER'S PERSPECTIVE

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BOB JANS - WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR PRR COLLECTION

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JASON JOHNSON - THE T1 TRUST

The PRR T1 #5550 Steam Locomotive trust will present a past, present and future update on progress of building the World's newest mainline steam locomotive. We will dive deep in the complicated frame construction and engineering.

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DOUG NELSON - FOCUS ON JOHNSTOWN

With abundant coal and mineral resources nearby, Johnstown became an early iron and steel production center. Johnstown was the western terminus of the Allegheny Portage Railway, and with the arrival of the PRR in 1854, the city blossomed into a major steel producer. We will look at Johnstown’s history, facilities of the PRR and other railways serving the city.

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JOHN POGUE - MODELLING THE PRR IN AND AROUND BELLEFONTE, PA

The operations of the PRR’s Bellefonte and Snowshoe Branches and the Bellefonte Central Railroad in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s are the focus of a planned HO scale layout. The hub of operations will be Bellefonte’s Sunnyside Yard. The importance of the region’s lime industry and local industries, including Penn State, as sources of traffic will be discussed.

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LEE RAINEY - BRANCHLINE OPERATING PATTERNS

A hundred years ago, branchline railroads – of any gauge – were an integral part of the life of their on-line communities. Residents relied on the local railroad to allow them to visit larger communities for shopping, jury duty, courthouse business, and much more. This clinic discusses principles of branchline scheduling, using examples drawn from two PRR-owned lines, the W&W and OR&W, and the EBT, a PRR feeder.

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BRANDON SLIKO - THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD & THE GREAT JOHNSTOWN FLOOD OF 1889

An in depth look into the Pennsylvania Railroad during the famous 1889 Johnstown Flood. Initially presented 5 years ago, additional research has been added along with photos and new mapping to help one visualize the events of the Flood. The presentation will explore the timeline of movements on the day of the flood (May 31, 1889) and the rebuilding efforts after the disaster.

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BRANDON SLIKO - THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ALLEGHENY PORTAGE RAILROAD & THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD…IT’S COMPLICATED

Learn about the complicated relationship between the Allegheny Portage Railroad (the first railroad to cross the Alleghenies) and the Pennsylvania Railroad. Explore the unique operations between the two railroads with newly created mapping to help visualize the multiple rail routes built over the Allegheny Mountains during the near decade long transition occurring over the 1850s.

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BRUCE SMITH - MODELING MAINTENANCE OF WAY

This clinic will cover a wide variety of Maintenance of Way cars, both in prototype and model form. In honor of the coming of Spring to central PA, examples will include snow-fighting equipment. Both detailing and weathering will be covered.

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DAVE WILSON - MODELING A PENNSY N1S IN BRASS

Learn about the changes that need to be made and the techniques to make the changes to make a brass N1s more accurate.

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MATTHEW WOLFF - HORSESHOE CURVE

This presentation will review the history of Horseshoe Curve and its importance to the Pennsylvania Railroad and the city of Altoona. There will also be a discussion of the Railroaders Memorial Museum’s mission and goals in working with the staff at Horseshoe Curve to jointly enhance the experience of all visitors.

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MATTHEW WOLFF - THE ALTOONA WORKS

This PRR complex provided the railroad with locomotives, freight and passenger cars, and various railroad technologies. This presentation will give a general history of the Works, including its importance to tens of thousands of employees and impact on the City of Altoona. The current status of the complex will be reviewed as well as an update on the Railroaders Memorial Museum’s mission toward the Juniata Shops.

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JACK CONSOLI - PRR'S SOUTHWEST PA WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM

Part of by far the most elaborate and comprehensive system of water works ever undertaken for a like purpose was put into operation in the early 1900’s along the Pennsylvania Railroad lines between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. This presentation details the Indian Creek Water Supply System serving the lines of the Pittsburgh, Southwest and Monongahela Divisions of the PRR in Southwest PA.

Model Room

Rooms 202 - 204

PRRT&HS is so fortunate to have so many excellent modellers who like to bring examples of their work to our annual meetings for our enjoyment. The room is open all day Friday and Saturday morning, so come on down and feast your eyes on the wonderful expressions of our railroad in miniature.

Shall we take a look at some prior years' models to whet our appetite? Also click on the button to find out more information about the Model Room.

Museum Open House and Barbecue Dinner

Starting at 1 PM on Saturday, Altoona's Railroader Memorial Museum will be opened for our private event. Your annual meeting registration badge (members, family members and our guests) will enable your admittance. The museum building will be open, along with the yard and the footbridge over the PRR's mainline. And for a limited time, the restoration shop where the work on the K4s is being performed will also be opened. You will be able to examine the all-new firebox under construction using funds from member's previous donations.

Because our Annual Meeting is on mother's day weekend, in response to legitimate complaints from some members, we have decided to wrap up our annual meeting schedule by 6 PM so that members who want to return home before Sunday morning can do so (and save a night's hotel charge.) Introductions and announcements will start at 4:30 PM with our guest of honor to provide a talk starting at 5 PM as our last scheduled event.

In order to support an earlier departure, instead of our traditional Saturday evening banquet, starting at 3:30 PM we will be offering a barbecue dinner (extra fare of $55, plus cash bar) in the museum's newly refurbished court yard, with tables and seating under tents just in case.

For those wanting to hang out longer, the yard and foot bridge over the tracks will remain open as late as 10 PM for rail-fanning and socializing under the tent and hopefully under the stars (Sunset will be 8:20 PM EDT). With a little luck NS will treat us to some heavy power heading upgrade towards the summit.

Guest of Honor and Keynote Speaker

We are honored to have Henry Posner III as our guest speaker following dinner.

A graduate of Princeton University (BS-Civil Engineering), Mr. Posner also holds an MBA (Finance) from the Wharton School. Mr. Posner entered railway service at Conrail, serving the Operating, Marketing, and Sales departments in Detroit, New York, and Philadelphia.

He serves as Chairman of Railroad Development Corp.; Iowa Interstate Railroad; RDC-Deutschland; RégioRail; and The Hawthorne Group. He also serves as a director of Eurorail; and a director of Vivarail. In addition to serving as Chairman of the EBT Foundation, he is also serving as Iowa Interstate’s alternate director at the Association of American Railroads; a member of Advisory Council of Princeton University’s Institute for International and Regional Studies (PIIRS); a board member of the Independent School Chairpersons’ Association (ISCA); and as an Emeritus Trustee and former President of the Winchester Thurston School.

He teaches an undergraduate course on rail deregulation at Carnegie Mellon University and has lectured and published extensively on railway matters. He was a contributor to the book Railway Transformation, published in 2010 by Eurail Press under the auspices of the Community of European Railways.

Vendor Room

Blair County Convention Center Lower Level Exhibit Hall

Looking for that rare car kit or locomotive? How about a rule book or employee timetable? A nice piece of art? A lantern or station sign?
Hundreds of things like these will be available in the Vendor Room. One or more modular layouts may also be on display. Raffle prizes will also be displayed in the vendor room, with tickets sold at the PRRT&HS table. The Raffle will start at 1:30 PM Saturday. Check the Main Program Outline to the left for location and times.

Vendors

We will have 150 8 foot tables, with skirts, available at $35 each. The first setup only window will be Wednesday 10 AM through 6 PM, with initial sales from 6 to 10 PM, and then another setup only window from 7 to 9 AM Thursday, with sales resuming at 9 AM. Tear down is on Saturday afternoon starting at 1 PM. Check the Main Program Outline to the left for times.

24 hour security will be provided from 3 PM Wednesday until 3 PM Saturday. Vendor room will be closed for dinner 5-7 on Thursday and Friday

Purchase your tables at the registration page on our website, or use the registration form. You can also write any special requests on there as well.

Alternate Tour

For those wanting something different, we are offering an alternative trip, visiting popular establishments in and around Altoona. We will leave the Convention Center on Friday at 9:45 AM and will return around 4 PM with stops at Boyer’s Chocolates, Duncansville Antique Mall, a lunch stop at Marzoni’s Italian Restaurant and lastly, a stop at Oakhill Winery. Best Wine in Blair County featuring their famous Horseshoe Curve and 1361 wines. Transportation will be provided.

Jewelry Making Get-together

Last year's interest in jewelry prompted a jewelry-making get-together for this year. Carol Trunzo will lead a fun time in which you will make some earrings to take home with you. This will happen on Thursday from 7 - 9 pm in the Hospitality Room (Lounge). Please bring $4 with you to cover the cost of materials. Also, jewelry-making tools will be available, but if you have your own, feel free to bring them.

Here are some things to do in and around Altoona:

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MUSEUMS

Railroaders Memorial Museum
1200 9th Ave, Altoona, PA 16602
(814) 946-0834
railroadcity.org

Castle Halloween Museum
2028 Broad Ave, Altoona, PA 16601
(814) 940-1031
haunts.com

Baker Mansion History Museum
3419 Oak Ln, Altoona, PA 16602
(814) 942-3916
blairhistory.org

Portage Station Museum
400 Lee Street, Portage, PA 15946
(814) 736-9223
https://explorealtoona.com/trip/portage-station-museum/

Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art
www.sama-art.org
1210 11th Ave, Altoona, PA 16601
(814) 946-4464

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AMUSEMENT PARKS

Lakemont Park
700 Park Ave, Altoona, PA 16602
(800) 434-8006
www.lakemontparkfun.com

DelGrosso’s Amusement Park
4352 E Pleasant Valley Blvd, Tipton, PA 16684
(814) 684-3538
mydelgrossopark.com

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NATIONAL & STATE PARKS

Canoe Creek State Park
205 Canoe Creek Rd, Hollidaysburg, PA 16648
(814) 695-6807
dcnr.pa.gov

Fort Roberdeau
383 Fort Roberdeau Rd, Altoona, PA 16601
(814) 946-0048
fortroberdeau.org

Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site
110 Federal Park Rd, Gallitzin, PA 16641
(814) 886-6150
nps.gov

Chimney Rocks Park
401 Blair St, Hollidaysburg, PA 16648
(814) 695-7543
hollidaysburgpa.org

Gallitzin Tunnels Park & Museum
411 Convent St Ste 20, Gallitzin, PA 16641
(814) 886-8871
gallitzin.info

Horseshoe Curve National Historic Landmark
1500 Glenn White Rd, Altoona, PA
(814) 941-7743
railroadcity.org

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RESTAURANTS (NEAR THE BCCC)

Jethro's American, Italian, Steak
417 Parkview Lane, Altoona, PA 16601
(814) 942-2178
www.jethrosaltoona.com

Primanti Bros. Restaurant and Bar
2550 West Plank Road, Altoona, PA 16601
(814) 204-2949
locations.primantibros.com

Texas Hot Dogs
101 58th St, Altoona, PA 16602
(814) 942-9992
www.texashotdogs.com

El Campesino Mexican, Tex Mex
206 E Plank Rd, Altoona, PA 16602
(814) 944-3121
elcampesinopgh.com

Marzoni's Brick Oven & Brewing
164 Patchway Rd, Duncansville, PA 16635
(814) 695-2931
marzonis.com

The Dream Restaurant
1500 Allegheny St, Hollidaysburg, PA 16648
(814) 696-3384
thedreamrestaurant.com

Little Tokyo
2720 Plank Rd, Altoona, PA 16601
(814) 317-5635

Outback Steakhouse
100 Sheraton Drive, Altoona, PA 16601
(814) 941-0555

Applebee's
110 Logan Valley Mall, Altoona, PA 16602
www.applebees.com

Denny's
220 Park Hills Plaza, Altoona, PA 16602
locations.dennys.com

Annual Business Meeting and Election

Annual Business Meeting

The society's annual business meeting will be held on Saturday morning, May 11, 2024, at 9:00 am in Ballrooms 3 and 4 at the Blair County Convention Center, One Convention Center Blvd, Altoona, PA 16602. Being the day before Mother's Day, we have compressed our normal Saturday schedule and moved our traditional evening banquet up to an afternoon Barbecue during an open house at the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum. For those who want to attend more presentations, modeling forums, and the raffle before heading to the museum, but will not have time to break for lunch, we will be offering an optional Extra Fare full breakfast served from 8 to 9 AM in one side of the business meeting Ballroom that will include scrambled eggs, Pancakes, and made to order Omelettes, plus bacon and sausage, along with juices, coffee and hot tea.

Annual Business Meeting Proxy

If you cannot attend the annual business meeting, please complete a proxy. Details can be found at the bottom of this page.

Annual Election

On the agenda this year is the re-election of three directors to normal three year terms and the election of three new directors to fill recent vacancies - two for one year terms , and with the passing of Bill Neale, one for two years to complete his term. Their biographies will be provided soon.

Proxy

It is important not only for you, but also for the society, that you submit a proxy vote if you will NOT be attending the business meeting itself. Not only can you vote on the directors up for election, it will also help us reach the quorum requirement for the Annual Business Meeting, which is necessary to satisfy state requirements.

Any active member who will NOT be attending the annual business meeting and would like to vote on the director candidates may do so by completing the Proxy. You can do this electronically on-line by clicking the On-Line Proxy button below, or you can mail-in the proxy form that can be downloaded below. Please note that if you received a registration packet in the mail, you will find a proxy form enclosed within it.

Filled out proxy forms should be mailed to this address:

PRRT&HS
P.O. Box 640515
Pittsburgh, PA 15264-0515

Submit ONLY an online proxy OR a mailed-in proxy form.

IF YOU WILL BE ATTENDING THE ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING, DO NOT SUBMIT A PROXY VOTE OF EITHER TYPE.

Layout Tours

Some of our members will be graciously opening up their layouts for those who are interested in viewing their layouts. Click here to see some descriptions and pictures of these layouts.

There will be two layout tour sessions, Wednesday from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm and Friday from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. The Wednesday tours will all be in the State College, PA, area and include some layouts that will be worth the travel time. Local Altoona-area layouts will be open for view during Friday's session. Click on the button below to see detailed information on the layouts.

Car pooling is requested so that we don't fill up the street with all of our cars.

Important Information

(The fine print)

There are some things that are important for you to know, so please take a moment to read through the next few lines.

To attend any of the functions, events or meals at the Annual Meeting, one must be a member of the PRRT&HS or the Penn Central and Conrail historical societies, or Friends of the East Broad Top. Members of a member's family can easily become a Family Member at no cost, which qualifies them. This must be done before they can register for the Annual Meeting. You can do this yourself by visiting your Profile in your online account, clicking on the Add family member link and filling in the appropriate information.
Members of the Penn Central and Conrail Historical societies, and the Friends of the East Broad top that are not also members of the PRRT&HS will need to register by mail. Those forms will be available for download when registration begins.
One may not buy a ticket for either of the East Broad Top Railroad Tours unless they are a registered and paid attendee of the Annual Meeting. The previous note applies here as well. If you want to take this tour, you would be well-advised to take care of getting any guest you plan to bring along entered as one of your Family Members sooner rather than later as the number of tickets available is small and the tour is likely to sell out quickly, especially for the Exclusive Photo Freight Tour.
If you plan to take the East Broad Top Railroad Tour, we must inform you that it is a working railroad and, therefore, they require that you wear comfortable closed-toe shoes.
You may view our cancellation policy for our Annual Meeting registration here.

If you have any questions or need help, send an email to annualmeeting@prrths.net.