A slim bit of good news amidst all the grousing and nattering over limited access to the Norfolk Southern ex-PRR line between Altoona and Johnstown for the pass-through of Union Pacific Big Boy 4014:

The Railroaders Memorial Museum held a ribbon-cutting and dedication today for both the re-opening of the long-out-of-service funicular between the trackside and parking lot, as well as a new 80-foot flagpole sporting a large U.S. flag--just in time for the upcoming festivities.....

Photos of the events also show the extent of recent trimming of foliage along the tracks to offer more of a vista for passenger train riders and Curve visitors.

https://www.facebook.com/worldfamouscur ... rYuLwkJDtl

How long has the funicular been OOS? I was at the curve shortly after it opened in the Fall of 1992 (hard to believe that was almost 34 years ago). It's a fairly simple one as they go, straight and not all that long. I remember you bought a token and used it to ride the cars. I can't imagine that in this age of ADA, that this nationally famous attraction has not had an accessible way to get to the top of the curve for years.

Decades.

EDIT: News reports are officially saying this is the first time it's operated "since 2019." It's been operated sporadically before then, to my recollection, due to parts not being available.

It worked the last time I was there back in about 2015 (It was out of service the previous year when I visited).

The funicular was running when I visited in May of last year (2025). I recently saw a report that it ran for a short period of time last year, so I guess I got lucky.

Correct on the parts not being available. I know that there was a parts shortage that occurred around 2020. After that, the biggest problem was that while it did operate, the limit switches that made it stop safely were not available.

People wining about the funicular not working was the driving force behind purchasing a side-by-side utility vehicle to take people to the top of the cuve that couldn't do the steps.