Photo by Niagara, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
About Harris Tower
Climb into a 1929 Pennsylvania Railroad interlocking tower southeast of the State Capitol complex and work a Union Switch & Signal Model 14 machine yourself — 113 levers wired to a computer that simulates train movements from early-1940s PRR timetables, when traffic here was at its busiest. More than 450 model-board lamps glow overhead, and the tower doubles as a favorite railfan perch for the Amtrak and Norfolk Southern trains passing outside.
At a Glance
Verified daily- Type
- Heritage railroad & tourist attraction
- Location
- PA
- Rating
- 3.3 ★ 949 Google reviews
Upcoming Events
No ticketed events are currently listed for Harris Tower. Many heritage operators publish schedules seasonally or run on regular open hours instead of dated events.
Check the operator’s website for current hours and special runs, or subscribe to event alerts and we’ll email you when something is scheduled.
Plan Your Visit
- Parking
- Free lot · paid lot
- Accessibility
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance · accessible parking
- Hours
- Monday: Open 24 hoursTuesday: Open 24 hoursWednesday: Open 24 hoursThursday: Open 24 hoursFriday: Open 24 hoursSaturday: Open 24 hoursSunday: Open 24 hours
Find the Depot
The Trains
The working exhibit is the tower's original interlocking plant: a Union Switch & Signal Model 14 machine 24 feet 10 inches long, with steel bars that interlock to prevent conflicting routes and 113 levers across its front that once governed every switch and signal in Harris territory. Above it hangs a 4-foot-4-inch model board whose 450-plus indicator lamps show switch positions, train locations within the interlocking limits, and whether the overhead catenary is energized. Today the machine is connected to a computer simulating traffic from early-1940s Pennsylvania Railroad timetables, and visitors may operate it; the two-story Colonial Revival building itself, in Flemish bond brick, is part of the artifact.
History
See full history
Harris Switch Tower — HG Tower in Pennsylvania Railroad telegraph parlance — went up in 1929 at 7th & Walnut Streets in Harrisburg, replacing three towers built in 1889; the consolidation cut the staff needed to control 15 sets of tracks across 3,300 feet north of Pennsylvania Station from 21 to 12 when the tower entered service on April 26, 1930. By then Harrisburg funneled all PRR freight and passenger traffic from New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington heading west, and after the 1938 electrification to Philadelphia, Harris's territory marked the western end of the PRR's electrified passenger lines, where an engine terminal swapped electric locomotives for steam or diesel. The tower passed to Penn Central in 1968, Amtrak in 1971, and saw Conrail's 1989 centralized traffic control consolidation shrink its duties to four Amtrak trains a day; Amtrak folded its functions into nearby State Tower and closed it on November 15, 1991. The Harrisburg chapter of the National Railway Historical Society bought the tower from Amtrak on July 24, 1992 and opened it as a museum, and it joined the National Register of Historic Places on August 30, 1994.
Around the Depot
Getting There & Staying Nearby
Optional trip extras from our travel partners.
Rent a Car
Most heritage railroads sit well off the interstate. Picking up a rental at the nearest airport is usually the easiest way in.
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Tours & Activities Nearby
Tours
Guided tours, day trips, and things to do around the area, bookable in advance through Viator.
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