There’s a certain satisfaction waking up in a comfortable bed trackside. I’ve always liked being near the railroad overnight. Growing up atop a hill in Monson, Mass, a mile and half from the Central Vermont Railway’s Palmer Subdivision, I’d listen to its freights ascending State Line Hill on the run south of Palmer, Mass., and count the crossings as train climbed dreaming that I lived by the tracks.
Today, trackside bed and breakfasts offer that experience for guests interested in railroads.
The Tunnel Inn
My wife Kris plans most of our travel accommodations, and I was delighted when she suggested a visit to The Tunnel Inn at Gallitzin, Pa. What a perfect place for railroad enthusiast accommodation!
My father had brought our family to Gallitzin in 1981 as part of a railroad-themed vacation centered on a visit to The Horseshoe Curve, and I’ve been making pilgrimages to this area ever since.
The Inn is situated in the village at milepost 248, seven miles timetable west of the Curve, and immediately west of the Allegheny Tunnel where Norfolk Southern’s busy Pittsburgh Line — the former Pennsylvania Railroad Main Line — crosses the Allegheny Divide.
Accommodations at the Inn consist of four suites, each with a railroad-themed name, three of which offer views of the tracks and are appropriately decorated with railroad art and photographs. A comfortable common room has a selection of railroad books and literature. We met the proprietor, Bob Elder, and enjoyed conversations about the railroad and our travels.
The Inn has a balcony (with bright LED lights for night train watching) that overlooks the two main tracks that pass through the Allegheny Tunnel that carry lion’s share of railroad traffic through Gallitzin. A 10-minute walk to the south is NS’s third main track that runs on a separate alignment via the New Portage Tunnel. Owing to its steep grade, this line primarily handles eastward trains.
The Inn is central to other area railroad attractions. Across the tracks is The Tunnel Park and Museum where PRR N5C cabin car (caboose) No. 477852 has been nicely preserved. The Iron Horse Bar & Grille in open Wednesday-Sunday and decorated with local historic photos. The Horseshoe Curve National Historic Landmark is only an 11-minute drive. This is administered by the Railroaders Memorial Museum, itself located in the city of Altoona (historically home to PRR’s vast shops and extensive yards), about a 20-25 minute drive from the Inn. Closer is the National Park Service’s Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site at Blairs Run Gap that interprets the historic Main Line of Public Works — an incredible precursor to the Pennsylvania Railroad built in the 1830s to connect Philadelphia and Pittsburgh using a network of steam railroads, canals and steeply graded portage railroads. Another area track-side B&B is the popular Station Inn at Cresson, a few miles to the west.
The Trainmasters Inn
Not far from where I grew up is another great railroad B&B. The Trainmasters Inn in Palmer, Mass, is managed by the Lamothe family, who for 20 years have run the popular Steaming Tender railroad-themed restaurant (See March 2024 Trains) that is located in the old Palmer Union Station (a short walk/drive from the Inn). The Inn itself is a quaint B&B, decorated with an excellent selection of railroad artifacts, art and photographs, many relating to local history. A beautiful Victorian style wrap-around covered porch faces South Main Street, and a classic upper quadrant semaphore is displayed out front. While not as busy as Gallitzin, Palmer is a local railroad nexus and has long been a popular train watching location, so having a room near the tracks a real pleasure.
Three railroad routes come together here. Immediately west of the old station CSX’s Boston Line (the former Boston & Albany route) crosses at grade with Genesee & Wyoming’s New England Central (NECR)—the former Central Vermont. Mass-Central’s former B&A Ware River Branch comes in from the north running parallel to NECR and connecting with both routes via an interchange track leading to CSX’s Palmer yard (east of the South Main Street overpass). The back of the Inn abuts NECR’s Palmer Yard, which is hub for the railroad’s freight service and locomotives are often parked there between runs.
The Boston Section of Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited operates daily over CSX, passing Palmer before 3pm westbound, and about 6:25pm eastbound, when running on schedule. CSX runs about a dozen freights every 24-hours, and serves Palmer with a local from its West Springfield yard. Listening to freights roll though at night is one of pleasures of a Trainmasters stay.
