Horseshoe Curve - Altoona, PA
Posted by: 
uccacher
N 40° 29.883 W 078° 29.146
17T E 713057 N 4486075
The "World Famous" Horseshoe Curve was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 2003.
Waymark Code: WMFCY0
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 09/30/2012
Views: 19
Horseshoe Curve is a 3,485-foot (1,062 m), triple-tracked, railroad curve on the Norfolk Southern Railway's Pittsburgh Line in Logan Township, Blair County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is close to 1,300 feet (400 m) in diameter and has a grade of almost 2 percent. As a train travels west from Altoona, it ascends almost 60 feet (20 m) in the 0.66-mile (1.06 km) segment that makes up the curve and rotates 220 degrees.
The curve was completed in 1854 by the Pennsylvania Railroad as a means of lessening the grade to the summit of the Allegheny Mountains by increasing the distance. It was built as alternative to the time-consuming Allegheny Portage Railroad, the only other method of traversing the mountains. It has formed an important part of the region's transport infrastructure since its opening, and during World War II was targeted by Nazi Germany in 1942 as a part of Operation Pastorius. The curve was later owned and used by the Pennsylvania Railroad's successors—Penn Central, Conrail, and Norfolk Southern. Horseshoe Curve was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966. It was also designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 2004.
Since its opening, Horseshoe Curve has been a tourist attraction. A trackside observation park for visitors was completed in 1879. The park was renovated and a visitor center constructed in the early 1990s. The center is managed by Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona and contains exhibits pertaining to the curve.
A plaque erected by the American Society of Civil Engineers to commemorate the 2004 dedication reads:
"Completed in 1854, the Horseshoe Curve was designed and built under the direction of the Pennsylvania Railroad chief engineer and, later, company president, J. Edgar Thomson. Horseshoe Curve opened in 1854. It was 366 meters across and 1310 meters long with a 1.8 percent grade. Eliminating the Portage Railroad's 10 incline planes greatly encouraged east-west trade across the Allegheny Mountains."
There is a $6.00 admission fee to access the observation platform.
Location:
3.5 miles west of Altoona, PA
Type of structure/site: Railroad curve
Date of Construction: 1854
Engineer/Architect/Builder etc.: J. Edgar Thomson
Engineering Organization Listing: American Society of Civil Engineers
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Web Site: [Web Link]
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