RAILWAY AGE SEPTEMBER 2025 ISSUE: Repairing and rebuilding locomotives in Altoona, Pa., has been a blue-collar activity for a very long time, and Norfolk Southern’s Juniata Locomotive Shop—a 21st century facility that builds on its 19th century roots—continues that tradition, which dates back 175 years.

Situated in the heart of the Allegheny Mountains, where NS’s Pittsburgh Line main line snakes up and over a 2,100-foothigh summit via the renowned Horseshoe Curve landmark, the 70-acre complex stands as the railroad’s sole heavy repair shop. It handles scheduled engine and truck overhauls, wreck repairs, and capital-upgrade programs that turn out rebuilt and updated units at half the cost of buying new locomotives. It is largest locomotive repair facility in America, and many observers say it is also the most complete and most modern such shop on any Class I carrier.

“The team at Juniata Locomotive Shop plays a vital role in keeping our operations running safely and efficiently,” said NS Chief Operating Officer John Orr. “Their ability to effectively maintain and rebuild locomotives gets engines back on line faster, which keeps freight moving. What’s equally impressive is the legacy behind their work. Some families there are fifth-generation railroaders. That deep history and pride in their craft make Juniata a cornerstone of our railroad.”

The complex consists of one main building, the E&M (Erecting & Machine) Shop, housing 27 tracks, supported by 15 other buildings devoted to specialty functions such as welding, machining, blacksmithing, painting, emissions testing, and inventory storage. In all, they total 1.3 million square feet of working area, with about 30 acres under roof. Some of the buildings date to 1889, when the Pennsylvania Railroad expanded its shop facilities from downtown Altoona, which began repairing equipment almost as soon as rails reached the area in 1850.

Opened in 1924 with a footprint measuring 340 feet by 680 feet, the E&M shop was designed to build and overhaul steam and electric locomotives in four bays, “A” through “D,” which remain in use today. It was converted to handle diesel-locomotive work in the 1950s and further updated in the 1960s. When PRR merged with the New York Central Railroad in 1968, the resulting Penn Central closed some facilities in Altoona, such as the former Test Department, but retained the heavy repair work.

When Conrail took over from the bankrupt PC in 1976, it centered all of its systemwide heavy locomotive work at Juniata. As part of its investment, Conrail added an “E” bay to the west end of the E&M shop in 1980, enclosing an open space between that building and the 1889 Juniata Shops buildings.

NS acquired its share of Conrail in 1999, including Juniata, and, like Conrail, concentrated all heavy repairs and capital programs there.

The shop currently employs around 430 skilled workers in seven trades, a shadow of the 16,000 shop workers PRR employed across a 218-acre complex during the ’teens and 1920s. But that was when the PRR—then the largest railroad in America—designed, built, tested, updated, and overhauled everything that moved—locomotives and passenger and freight cars—and much that didn’t. Between the Juniata shops and the older Altoona Machine Shops, PRR built 6,587 steam locomotives, 283 electric units, and three gas/diesel units for a grand total of 6,873 in that era.

Even very large railroads no longer build their own locomotives and cars, but the tradition of expertise in locomotive design, technology and construction remains strong at Juniata. From traction motors to prime movers, from trucks to cab interiors, from frames to emissions testing, the shop handles all aspects of maintaining, repairing, and modernizing NS’s fleet of motive power. That fleet comprises 3,149 locomotives (with 700 more listed in storage), running throughout the road’s 19,500-mile, 22-state system in the East, South and parts of the Midwest.

Employees at Juniata are represented by seven crafts: boilermakers, carmen, clerks, electricians, firemen and oilers, machinists, and sheet-metal workers.

PARTS DISTRIBUTION HUB

Juniata might be called the “mother ship” for a half-dozen other NS shops that handle light and running repairs. Its distribution center takes in and sends out components needed to carry out routine locomotive and car maintenance, both to and from the shops and to and from suppliers. Each with its own long history, these system shops are situated at Enola and Conway, Pa. (former PRR), Bellevue, Ohio (former Nickel Plate Road), Chattanooga, Tenn. (former Southern Railway), Elkhart, Ind. (former NYC), and Shaffer’s Crossing (Roanoke), Va. (former Norfolk & Western). The center also serves smaller regional shops.

In addition to overhauling road and yard units as they come due, Juniata has long been a center for capital, or total rebuild, programs.

AC44C6M CONVERSIONS

The most recent of these projects is converting older DC-traction General Electric/Wabtec Corp. six-axle road units (Dash 9-40C and Dash 9-44CW models) into AC-drive AC44C6M locomotives in a joint program with Wabtec. NS’s current-year budget calls for a total of 79 conversions (NS Nos. 4881-4939), of which 20 are being completed at Juniata (NS Nos. 4940-4959). By the end of 2025, NS will operate a fleet of 1,000 AC-converted units, including Electro-Motive Diesel/ Progress Rail SD70M-2s converted to SD70IAC units.

Each unit in this program gets a new Model FDL-A (FDL-Advantage) diesel engine, which Wabtec has supplied since 2023. Earlier, Juniata rebuilt FDL engines for the AC44C6M conversions handled there.

According to NS, the process takes about nine weeks: two weeks to dismantle and prepare a locomotive, four weeks to rebuild it with new and reconditioned components, including a new cab; a week to test it in the Juniata Test Shed, and a week to paint it (two weeks for specialty paint schemes).

As a result, NS reports a 25% greater fuel efficiency, 40% greater availability/ reliability (cutting delays), and 55% increase in hauling capacity. Among the upgraded features are energy management systems such as Trip Optimizer software, an Automatic Electronic Start Stop system to conserve fuel, improved emissions controls, and advanced diagnostics.

SD40-2 TO SD40-3

A second capital upgrade project under way is life-extension overhauls to yard and local power, converting Electro-Motive Diesel, formerly Electro-Motive Division, SD40-2 units (six-axle former road locomotives dating to the 1980s) to SD40-3s. This involves installation of new microprocessor control systems, truck overhaul, engine overhaul, and installation of Positive Train Control if needed for the assigned territory. It also incorporates the addition of a Juniata-designed “Admiral” low-nose short-hood cab, so named for an inward slanting windshield design that mimics that of a naval vessel. It was suggested as a means of reducing glare by a retired admiral, Paul Reason, who was a member of the NS board of directors at the time.

The cab superstructure also incorporates crashworthiness standards to protect the crew in the event of a collision. The low nose is built with one-inch-thick steel, compared to the quarter-inch used by the original manufacturer, EMD. Cabs are built by a fabricator, Curry Rail Services, in nearby Hollidaysburg, Pa, which occupies part of the former NS Hollidaysburg Car Shop.

Since 2021, Juniata has completed upgrades on 50 of these units (NS Nos. 6400-6449), with several more under way.

Of the two programs, Jennifer Bailey, Director Mechanical Operations, said, “These are substantial capital projects that extend the life of the asset.” Bailey, who oversees the entire Juniata Locomotive Shop operation, added: “Understanding the capabilities of shops on the NS system and the need to balance our assets and workload across the system gives me an even greater appreciation for the valuable work performed at Juniata by the skilled employees here.”

Bailey has been at Juniata since 2017. While an engineering student in college, she worked in a co-op program with NS before hiring on in 1999 as a management trainee in the Mechanical Department. She has stayed in that department ever since, working at locomotive shops at Chattanooga, Tenn.; Shaffer’s Crossing, Va.; Bellevue, Ohio; and Birmingham, Ala.

Kevin Kelly, Senior General Supervisor responsible for the Juniata Capital Line, said, “I’m a fan of this program. We can extend the life of these locomotives—it’s much cheaper than [buying] a new locomotive.” The cost of a new road unit can range from $3 million to $4 million. “We’re doing work here that nowhere else on the [NS] network can do,” he said. “No one else can fly the locomotives (lifting engines from one workstation track to another with one of two 200-ton cranes in “A” and “D” bays) the way we do.” As a result, he said, “The guys have a lot of pride in their work.”

Besides these capital programs, other major projects Juniata has handled for NS are:

• GP50 to GP38-3 conversions (NS Nos. 5801-5836).
• GP59E mothers and slugs (NS Nos. 6649-6661).
• SD50 to SD40E conversions (NS Nos. 6300-6358).
• SD60 to SD60E rebuilds, including NS-designed wide-nose “Crescent” cab (NS Nos. 6900-7035).
• Four- and six-axle ECO locomotives and slugs (partially governmentfunded projects).
• Cab upgrades (with the “Admiral” cab) to GP38-2 and SD40-2 units.

VARIETY OF SKILLS

Among the tasks handled at Juniata:

• Carrying out wreck repairs and heavy overhauls.
• Overhauling diesel prime movers (88 of them for 2025).
• Rebuilding alternators and generators. • Rebuilding prime-mover power assemblies.
• Rebuilding traction motors and wheelsets to provide “combos” for the entire NS system.
• Rebuilding locomotive trucks (36 of them in 2025), which includes axle work, wheel replacement, and reprofiling treads and flanges to meet tolerances.
• Straightening wreck-deformed cast-iron trucks in an 1,800-degree furnace.
• Cutting steel plate up to 7 inches thick with plasma technology.
• Producing signage and decals for the NS system.
• Designing and manufacturing spare parts.

PAINT SHOP

The paint shop is the last stop after a locomotive has been overhauled or rebuilt. A standard NS black-and-white Thoroughbred paint scheme, featuring Topper the NS horse mascot on the locomotive nose, takes about a week (five shifts) to complete. The job includes preparation, sanding, applying primer, masking, painting the finish coat, and drying. It takes twice that amount of time and labor—as much as 750 hours—to apply a specialty paint scheme with decorations, striping, logos, and an array of colors. These include NS’s popular heritage schemes, which honor 23 of the predecessor railroads that formed the present-day NS. Among those painted by Juniata are Pennsylvania, Nickel Plate Road, Norfolk & Western, Conrail, Lehigh Valley, Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia, and Delaware & Hudson.

Others include a unit that honors military veterans (NS SD60E No. 6920), two First Responders units (SD60E No. 9-1-1 and GP38-2 No. 5642) and a “Thank You to Our Railroaders” unit (AC44C6M No. 4822). No. 5642 travels with NS’s safety training train, which each year offers classroom and hands-on instruction in dealing with hazmat incidents to first responders at dozens of stops around the NS system.

EMISSIONS TESTING

NS conducts locomotive exhaust emissions testing for units in its own fleet; most other Class I’s except Union Pacific; the Association of American Railroads; and the two major manufacturers, Wabtec (GE) and Progress Rail (EMD). The department assesses gaseous and particulate (soot) emissions and measures opacity of exhaust, all according to a carefully spelled-out procedure, with results rigorously tabulated. In collaboration with AAR, the federal Environmental Protection Agency determines which types of units each railroad will test in a given year at Juniata.

“We are the only Class I railroad that has its own indoor test facility,” said Mike Reindl, a gang leader for emissions testing.

NS devotes nearly all its resources at Juniata to its own fleet. In the past, Conrail and later, an NS subsidiary, Thoroughbred Mechanical Services TMS), operated an insourcing program that solicited locomotive mechanical work from other Class I roads, passenger and commuter carriers, short lines and regional roads, and leasing companies. Among its clients were Amtrak, MTA Metro-North Railroad, New Jersey Transit, Florida East Coast, GATX, Helm Leasing, Railpower Technologies and Union Pacific. NS later ended the TMS program.

Juniata also assembled locomotives from kits supplied by GE and EMD— some for Conrail and NS and some for other railroads. For a brief period, November 1998 to June 1999, both programs were under way at Juniata, the only time in American history that new locomotives of GE and EMD—traditional competitors—were built under the same roof, according to the history website Altoonaworks.info.

As a demonstration of NS’s commitment to the future of Juniata, the company about 10 years ago undertook a $53 million project to replace a coal burning generating plant with a gas-fired system. The company estimates that it saves $4 million annually in fuel costs and cuts carbon-dioxide emissions by 29,000 tons per year. It normally supplies all the shop’s electrical needs, but the complex can rely on a commercial utility when the gas-fired plant is off line for maintenance or repair.

PASSENGER CAR SHOP

Although not considered motive power, NS’s office car passenger fleet is housed and maintained on the Juniata Locomotive Shop complex.

Workers prepare the cars for Office Car Special trains, when NS officials inspect the railroad or entertain shippers, public officials, and railroad families. Painted in a deep red with gold striping that recalls the colors of former Norfolk & Western passenger trains such as the Pocahontas and Powhatan Arrow, the cars represent an amazing variety of styles and pedigrees. Employees assigned to the long building where they’re kept, Miscellaneous Shop No. 2, must look after not only mechanical parts such as brake shoes and couplers but also window glazing; upholstery; interior decorating; plumbing, heating and air conditioning; head-end power; and bedroom and kitchen furnishings.

A few of the 20-some cars began life as heavyweight 1920s-era open-platform observation cars, while others are more modern, from the lightweight streamlined-car era of the 1940s and 1950s. The oldest dates from 1911; the newest was built in 1954. Most are named for states through which NS operates. Some are configured with sleeping compartments and office workstations; others are set up with dining or lounge space, a gym, or a crew room. In addition to inspection-trip duty, the Office Car Special train makes a journey each April to the Masters golf tournament at Augusta (Ga.) National Golf Club, where it serves as a stationary reception area for NS officers entertaining guests.

Out on the road, the most popular cars are Nos. 23, Buena Vista, and 24, Delaware. Buena Vista is a theater car, with tiers of rearward-facing seats arranged in an inspection gallery that allows passengers to look back at the track as it recedes behind the moving train. Originally built by the Budd Co. for Santa Fe Railway’s San Francisco Chief passenger train, Delaware is a full-length dome car, with lounge seats and tables arranged along the length of the elevated viewing cabin.

HERITAGE LEGACY

As Director Mechanical Operations, Bailey reflects on the long history of the facility she manages this way: “Leading the shop is such a privilege and extremely rewarding. I’m constantly amazed by the level of skill, dedication, and pride the team brings to their work. Every day, I see incredible craftsmanship, creative problem-solving, and a deep commitment to doing things the right way. Because our work matters. It’s inspiring to see how much ownership each person here puts into what they do.”

Generations Build on Railroad Family Heritage

It’s not unusual to find Norfolk Southern employees in Altoona, Pa., with four, five, six or more generations having worked on the railroad. Here are just two of them who work at Juniata Locomotive Shop.

Dave Yingling

Dave Yingling, 54, a machinist team leader on the Juniata locomotive overhaul line, is part of a six-generation string of Altoona railroaders. He’s the fifth generation, and his twin sons Josh and Jacob, 22, are freshly hired as machinists and thus become the sixth.

Hired by Conrail in 1993, Yingling worked first at nearby Hollidaysburg Car Shop as a wheel shop machinist, then transferred to the Hollidaysburg reclamation plant, which scrapped obsolete locomotives and cars. Later, he moved to Juniata Locomotive Shop, where he’s worked in the wheel shop, truck shop, traction motor shop, Capital Line and back shop. For six years, he worked with Thoroughbred Mechanical Services, which insourced work for Juniata from other railroads and manufacturers, and in the process it became a profit center.

Currently, Yingling works on the overhaul line, which strips and rebuilds engines, trucks and traction motors, and tests locomotives after they’ve been reconditioned. He proudly cites his family’s railroad lineage:

• (Great-great-grandfather) William J Yingling, carman, Westbound car shop, retired 1947.
• (Great-grandfather) Howard E. Yingling, carman, Altoona roundhouse, retired 1967.
• (Grandfather) Clair William Yingling, carman painter, Hollidaysburg Car Shop, retired 1989.
• (Father) David Yingling, Sr., carman, Hollidaysburg car shop, reclamation plant, and Juniata business car shop, retired 2007.
• David Yingling, Jr., machinist and boilermaker, Hollidaysburg car shop, Juniata Locomotive  Shop, planning to retire in 2030. (Brother) Steve Yingling, boilermaker, Juniata Locomotive Shop.
• (Son) Joshua Yingling, machinist, Juniata Locomotive Shop.
• (Son) Jacob Yingling, machinist, Juniata Locomotive Shop.

Of his and his family’s careers, Yingling says: “I’m extremely proud. The railroad is vital to our country, and that makes me want to make sure that we’re doing it right. History has a big part in making sure you’re filling up your facility with quality people.”

Mike Reindl

Mike Reindl, 42, a sheet metal worker with 20 years at NS, is a gang leader responsible for locomotive emissions testing. He’s a fifth-generation employee who counts scores of railroad-employed relatives, when figuring in direct ancestors, uncles and cousins on both sides of his parents’ and grandparents’ families. A short roster reads like this:

• (Great-great-grandfather on great-grandmother’s side) Alois Schactner, blacksmith, Juniata Shops.
• (Great-grandfather) Frank Reindl, boiler wash, East Altoona.
• (Grandfather) Francis Reindl, tender repairman, East Altoona.
• (Father) Thomas Reindl, machinist welder, (Uncle) Bill Reindl, machinist and management.
• Mike Reindl, sheet metal and emissions test gang leader.

Reindl cites “countless others,” in the related Bott, Heintel, Hermansky, Hrzic and Rimbeck families. Among the jobs they filled are patternmakers and molders at South Altoona Foundries, Middle Division (Harrisburg, Pa., to Altoona) track gang/maintenance-of-way, carman, Juniata passenger car shop, Middle Division chief claims agent, laborer, boilermaker, storehouse employee and locomotive engineer.

“It’s a family thing,” he said. “For the most part, for more than 100 years, that’s what the family has been doing, working for the railroad—all four of them, PRR, Penn Central, Conrail, Norfolk Southern—and who knows, maybe Union Pacific.”

“At family events, that’s all they want to talk about: ‘What’s going on in your department?’ The older people, they didn’t say what’s going on in the railroad, they’d say, ‘What’s going on in the shops?’ They knew what you were talking about, it was the terminology.”

With his dad often working second shift, Reindl spent a lot of time with his grandfather Francis, who “worked for the Pennsy during steam locomotive days. He had a lot of old manuals, and we’d sit down and he’d go over the different classes of locomotives.”

One of the locations where his grandfather took him to watch trains was the turntable outside the Juniata Locomotive Shop, where he’d see his dad and uncle working. “Seeing Dad down there, he would wave, and all the other guys would wave. My uncle was a gang boss, shifting the locomotives around the shop. You’re kind of like a big family, all the guys waving to a little kid. It stuck with me to this day.”

Years later, when Reindl was shifting engines on the same tracks, he would “be sure to blow the horn, ring the bell [to acknowledge kids watching him]. Because I can remember being the little kid on the other side of the fence.”

Reindl volunteers at the Altoona’s Railroaders Memorial Museum, located on part of the former PRR Altoona Machine Shop property. “I do it because of my heritage, and I do that for the kids,” he said. “There are so many things that kids can get into today. I want to lead them down a good path.”