Virtual Railfan camera debuts at Johnstown Train Station

(JOHNSTOWN, Pa.) – Virtual Railfan is a streaming platform that offers live views of trains all over the world – and now, its 30 million monthly users will be able to watch trains coming through Johnstown.

Two cameras – one static, and one remote-controlled – have been installed on the roof of the Johnstown Train Station, which is owned by the Johnstown Area Heritage Association (JAHA), to broadcast the Virtual Railfan livestream. The $8,000 project was made possible through the efforts of the Train Station Capture Team of Johnstown’s Vision Together 2025.

“The rail fan community is huge, and we see this as a great opportunity to capitalize on rail tourism and get people to visit Johnstown,” noted Craig Saylor, who chairs the Train Station Capture Team. “The remote-controlled camera zooms down the track toward the stone bridge and the steel works – there’s so much history there, history that will be very appealing to people interested in trains.”

Approximately 40 trains pass over Norfolk Southern’s Pittsburgh Line through Johnstown every 24 hours. The remote-controlled camera is operated by Virtual Railfan to give the best view of trains as they move past the station.

“We’ve long been aware of the appeal of trains – we see it in how quickly our annual train tours to Altoona sell out,” said Patty Carnevali, JAHA’s president and CEO. “So we were thrilled when Craig and his team came to us with this idea, and are excited to see what it will mean for area tourism and the train station as we move forward with its development.”

The cameras were made accessible to the website’s members on November 25, and on the first day had already received 4,000 views and 400 “likes.”

According to Virtual Railfan, the camera’s livestream will be rolled out further on the following schedule:

• December 2: both cameras open for Virtual Railfan’s YouTube members
• December 9:  both cameras open for all on YouTube (public)
• December 16: the static camera will remain free on YouTube for the public

After December 16, JAHA plans to embed the YouTube livestream of the static camera on the portion of its website dedicated to the train station.

“Virtual Railfan gave us the cameras, and private donors provided the funding,” Saylor explained. “There is a cost to providing the internet service, and we have enough funding to sustain the livestream for the first couple of years. We’re confident that having the livestream in place will create a great impact, and that Johnstown will want it to continue.”

The Train Station Capture Team, which has been active since 2018, has been working on the camera project since 2021. Its other projects have included beautifying the station’s exterior with plantings, removing litter, putting up holiday decorations and more. Saylor noted that the Capture Team, which meets the second Saturday of the month at 10:00 am, is actively recruiting new members. To express interest, email craigsaylor60@gmail.com.

Virtual Railfan is a streaming platform that offers live views of trains from all over the world. The service is used by 30 million people who consume an average of 1.2 million hours per month, and includes features like chatrooms. Virtual Railfan offers a variety of subscription levels, as well as free streams, and has an active social media presence with 484,000 subscribers on YouTube and 31,000 fans on Facebook. More than 100 cameras are part of its network, including a camera at the Horseshoe Curve National Historic Landmark in Altoona (other Pennsylvania locations are Paradise, Strasburg, and Greencastle). Visit www.virtualrailfan.com for more.

About JAHA

JAHA is a non-profit, membership-based organization that preserves and presents Johnstown’s nationally significant stories to the nation. It operates the Johnstown Discovery Network, which includes the Johnstown Flood Museum and the Heritage Discovery Center, and the Wagner-Ritter House and Garden, as well as the Johnstown Children’s Museum. JAHA also produces various special events throughout the year, including the AmeriServ Flood City Music Festival, Last Friday at the Ethnic Social Club and more. For more information on JAHA, its museums and special events, visit www.jaha.org.