Horseshoe Curve (Pennsylvania)

Coordinates: 40°29′51.5″N 78°29′3″W / 40.497639°N 78.48417°W / 40.497639; -78.48417
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Horseshoe Curve
A March 2006 aerial photo of Horseshoe Curve
Horseshoe Curve (Pennsylvania) is located in the United States
Horseshoe Curve (Pennsylvania)
Horseshoe Curve (Pennsylvania) is located in Pennsylvania
Horseshoe Curve (Pennsylvania)
LocationLogan Township, Blair County, Pennsylvania
Nearest cityAltoona, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates40°29′51.5″N 78°29′3″W / 40.497639°N 78.48417°W / 40.497639; -78.48417
Built1851–1854
Built byPennsylvania Railroad
ArchitectJohn Edgar Thomson
NRHP reference No.66000647[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 13, 1966
Designated NHLNovember 13, 1966

The Horseshoe Curve is a three-track

railroad curve on Norfolk Southern Railway's Pittsburgh Line in Blair County, Pennsylvania. The curve is roughly 2,375 feet (700 m) long and 1,300 feet (400 m) in diameter. Completed in 1854 by the Pennsylvania Railroad as a way to reduce the westbound grade to the summit of the Allegheny Mountains, it replaced the time-consuming Allegheny Portage Railroad, which was the only other route across the mountains for large vehicles. The curve was later owned and used by three Pennsylvania Railroad successors: Penn Central, Conrail
, and Norfolk Southern.

Horseshoe Curve has long been a tourist attraction. A trackside observation park was completed in 1879. The park was renovated and a

National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark
in 2004.

Location and design

A topographic map of the area around the Horseshoe Curve

Horseshoe Curve is 5 miles (8 km) west of Altoona, Pennsylvania, in Logan Township, Blair County. It sits at railroad milepost 242 on the Pittsburgh Line, which is the Norfolk Southern Railway Pittsburgh Division main line between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Horseshoe Curve bends around a dam and lake, the highest of three Altoona Water Authority reservoirs that supply water from the valley to the city.[2] It spans two ravines formed by creeks: Kittanning Run, on the north side of the valley, and Glenwhite Run, on the south.[3][4] The Blair County Veterans Memorial Highway (SR 4008) follows the valley west from Altoona and tunnels under the curve.[5]

Westbound trains climb a maximum grade of 1.85 percent for 12 miles (19 km) from Altoona to

minutes, with the entire curve totaling 220 degrees.[10][8]

The rise of a westbound train through the curve can be described in several ways. One measurement is from the point where the rails north of the curve start to bow out to a point on the line directly south, across the original Kittanning Reservoir: across this north–south distance of 1,119 feet (340 m), a train rises from 1,601 feet (490 m) above sea level to 1,660 feet (510 m). Another measurement is from the point at which the rails coming west out of Altoona make their first detour north to the curve, to a point across Lake Altoona where the rails are on their one mile straight run south before turning westward to the Gallitzin Tunnels; this measurement encompasses the entire Curve structure, including both reservoirs built in its bounds to protect the curve from flooding: across this north–south distance of 1,006 feet (310 m), a westbound train rises from 1,473 feet (450 m) to 1,706 feet (520 m).[11] This latter rise—133 vertical feet in 1,006 linear feet—is a 13.2% grade, completely unascendable by conventional railroads, which usually stick to grades of 2.2% or less.[12]

Each track consists of 136 pounds per yard (67.5 kg/m),

dieselization and the introduction of dynamic braking and rail oilers, the rails along the curve were transposed—left to right and vice versa—to equalize the wear on each rail from the flanges of passing steam locomotives and rail cars, thereby extending their life.[13]

History

Four trains on four tracks passing each other on Pennsylvania Railroad's mainline near Horseshoe Crve, c. 1907

Origin

In 1834, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania built the Allegheny Portage Railroad across the Allegheny Mountains to connect Philadelphia and Pittsburgh,[10] as part of the Main Line of Public Works. The Portage Railroad was a series of canals and inclined planes and remained in use until the mid-19th century. The Pennsylvania Railroad was incorporated in 1847 to build a railroad from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh, replacing the cumbersome Portage Railroad.[10]

Using surveys completed in 1842,[14] the state's engineers recommended an 84-mile (135 km) route west from Lewistown that followed the ridges with a maximum grade of 0.852 percent.[15] But the Chief Engineer for the Pennsylvania Railroad, John Edgar Thomson, chose a route on lower, flatter terrain along the Juniata River and accepted a steeper grade west of Altoona. The valley west of Altoona was split into two ravines by a mountain; surveys had already found a route with an acceptable grade east from Gallitzin to the south side of the valley, and the proposed Horseshoe Curve would allow the same grade to continue to Altoona.

Construction

A stereo card of a train on the curve, c. 1907

Work on Horseshoe Curve began in 1850.

cut the point of the mountain between the ravines, and filled in the second ravine, formed by Glenwhite Run.[9] The 31.1-mile (50.1 km) line between Altoona and Johnstown, including Horseshoe Curve, opened on February 15, 1854. The total cost was $2,495,000 or $80,225 per mile ($49,850 /km).[13]

In 1879, the remaining part of the mountain inside the curve was leveled to allow the construction of a park and observation area—the first built for viewing trains.[16] As demand for train travel increased, a third track was added to the curve in 1898 and a fourth was added two years later.[13][17]

From around the 1860s to just before World War II, passengers could ride to the PRR's Kittanning Point station near the curve.[18][19] Two branch railroads connected to the main line at Horseshoe Curve in the early 20th century; the Kittanning Run Railroad and the railroad owned by the Glen White Coal and Lumber Company followed their respective creeks to nearby coal mines.[20] The Pennsylvania Railroad delivered empty hopper cars to the Kittanning Point station which the two railroads returned loaded with coal.[20] In the early 1900s, locomotives could take on fuel and water at a coal trestle on a spur track across from the station.[21]

A reservoir was built at the apex of the Horseshoe Curve in 1887 for Altoona; a second reservoir, below the first, was finished in 1896.[22] A third reservoir, Lake Altoona, was completed by 1913.[23] A macadam road to the curve was opened in 1932 allowing access for visitors, and a gift shop was built in 1940.[18]

Horseshoe Curve was depicted in brochures, calendars and other promotional material; Pennsylvania Railroad

conductors were told to announce the Horseshoe Curve to daytime passengers—a tradition that continues aboard Amtrak trains.[17]

Panorama of the curve with Kittanning Point station in the distance in 1934

World War II and post-war

A 100th anniversary celebration of Horseshoe Curve in 1954

During

saboteurs were quickly apprehended by the Federal Bureau of Investigation after one, George John Dasch, turned himself in. All but Dasch and one other would-be saboteur were executed as spies and saboteurs.[29]

Train count peaked in the 1940s with over 50 passenger trains per day, along with many freight and military trains.[26] Demand for train travel dropped greatly after World War II, as highway and air travel became popular.[30]

During the 1954 celebration of the centennial of the opening of Horseshoe Curve, a

7048 that was repainted into a Pennsylvania Railroad scheme.[18]

Starting in June 1990, the park at the Horseshoe Curve underwent a $5.8 million renovation funded by the

National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2004.[41]

Current operations

Norfolk Southern
freight trains pass each other on the curve in 2006

The curve remains busy as part of Norfolk Southern's Pittsburgh Line: as of 2008[update], it was passed by 51 scheduled

EMD SD70ACU locomotives are used.[43][44][45] In 2012, Norfolk Southern said annual traffic passing Horseshoe Curve was 111.8 million short tons (101.4 Mt), including locomotives.[7] Amtrak's Pennsylvanian between Pittsburgh and New York City rounds the curve once each way daily. Maximum speeds for trains at Horseshoe Curve are 30 miles per hour (48 km/h) for freight and about 35 miles per hour (56 km/h) for passenger trains. [46]

Trackside attractions

The Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona manages a visitor center next to the curve.[47] The 6,800-square-foot (632 m2) center has historical artifacts and memorabilia relating to the curve and a raised-relief map of the Altoona–Johnstown area.[38] Access to the curve is by a 288-foot (88 m) funicular or a 194-step stairway.[18][47] The funicular is single-tracked, with the cars passing each other halfway up the slope; the cars are painted to resemble Pennsylvania Railroad passenger cars.[38] A former "watchman's shanty" is in the park.[48]

Horseshoe Curve is popular with

deadheading to and from Harrisburg as part of Norfolk Southern's 21st Century Steam program.[50] NKP 765 returned to the curve in May 2013 with public excursion trains from Lewistown to Gallitzin.[51]

A panorama of the observation park inside Horseshoe Curve, including the watchman's shanty (left), Locomotive 7048 (center), and the funicular (right) in October 2011

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Horsheshoe Curve". NPSGallery. National Park Service. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  2. ^ Seidel 2008, p. 18.
  3. ^ a b Hollidaysburg Quadrangle (Map). 1 : 24,000. 7.5 Minute. United States Geological Survey. 2013.
  4. ^ Altoona Quadrangle (Map). 1 : 24,000. 7.5 Minute. United States Geological Survey. 2013.
  5. ^ Act of Dec. 4, 1992, P.L. 775, No. 120.
  6. ^ a b Borkowski 2008, p. 112.
  7. ^
    Atlanta, Georgia
    : Norfolk Southern Railway. p. 026. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  8. ^ a b Greenwood 1975, sec. 7, p. 1.
  9. ^ a b c Greenwood 1975, sec. 8, p. 2.
  10. ^ a b c d Howe, Ward Allan (February 14, 1954). "A Century-Old Wonder of Railroading". The New York Times. p. X25.
  11. ^ "Horseshoe Curve Region". Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  12. ^ "Grades and Curves". Trains. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  13. ^ a b c Greenwood 1975, sec. 8, p. 3.
  14. ^ Brown 2015, p. 43.
  15. ^ Greenwood 1975, sec. 8, p. 1.
  16. ^ "Marvel of engineering celebrating milestone". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. June 30, 2004. p. B10.
  17. ^ a b Woods, Claire (Spring 2010). "Up and Down 'Round and 'Round and Back Again". Literary Map of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Center of the Book, Pennsylvania State University. Archived from the original on August 1, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
  18. ^
    Kalmbach
    : 53.
  19. ^ Seidel 2008, pp. 18–19.
  20. ^
    Government Printing Office. p. 367.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link
    )
  21. ^ Seidel 2008, pp. 19, 25.
  22. ^ Knight, Charles W (September 21, 1899). "Flood Water Channel of the Reservoirs of Altoona, Pa". Engineering News and American Railway News. XLII (12): 200.
  23. ^ "Altoona Has Solved Its Water Problems". Municipal Journal. XXXV (23): 771. December 4, 1913.
  24. ^ Seidel 2008, p. 43.
  25. ^ Ely, Theo N; Watkins, J. Elfreth (1893). Catalogue of the exhibit of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company at the World's Columbian Exposition. Chicago: Pennsylvania Railroad. p. 13.
  26. ^ a b Seidel 2008, p. 113.
  27. ^ Cohen 2002, p. 47.
  28. ^ Cohen 2002, pp. 46–47.
  29. ^ Cohen 2002, p. 53.
  30. ^ Michelmore, David L (February 19, 1991). "Railroaders remember glory days, downside". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 7.
  31. ^ "Horseshoe Centenary". Life. Henry Luce. November 1, 1954. p. 37.
  32. ^ Staufer & Pennypacker 1962, p. 161.
  33. ^ Staufer & Pennypacker 1962, p. 159.
  34. ^ "List of National Historic Landmarks by State" (PDF). National Historic Landmarks Program. National Park Service. October 2014. p. 83. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  35. ^ "Horseshoe Curve Park is Approved". The Daily News. Huntingdon and Mount Union, Pennsylvania. May 28, 1957. p. 3.
  36. ^ For a description and photos of the curve when it still had four tracks, see "Rail Guide to the Horseshoe Curve." (1976, PC Publications).
  37. ^ "Half century of change". Trains. 64 (8). Kalmbach: 56. August 2004.
  38. ^
    Observer-Reporter. Washington, Pennsylvania
    . March 1, 1992. p. F5. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  39. ^ "Horseshoe Curve's 150th: Fireworks and Flashbulbs". Trains. 64 (6). Kalmbach: 14. June 2004.
  40. ^ "Horseshoe Curve's bright birthday party". Trains. 64 (10). Kalmbach: 16. October 2004.
  41. ^ "Horseshoe Curve Designated a Civil Engineering Landmark". ASCE News. 29 (4). American Society of Civil Engineers: 10. April 2004.
  42. ^ Borkowski 2008, p. 109.
  43. ^ Borkowski 2008, pp. 112–113.
  44. ^ Seidel 2008, pp. 31, 108.
  45. ^ "With a proud legacy, Juniata plays a key role in NS' future" (PDF). BizNS. 3 (6). Norfolk Southern Railway: 5. November–December 2011. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  46. ^ Pittsburgh Division Timetable (2012 ed.). Norfolk Southern Corp. 2012.
  47. ^ a b c Wrinn, Jim, ed. (2009). Tourist Trains Guidebook (2nd ed.). Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach. p. 199.
  48. ISBN 0-8117-2622-3
    .
  49. ^ Barry, Dan (November 3, 2009). "Awesome Train Set, Mr. Buffett". The New York Times. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
  50. ^ Kibler, William (August 18, 2012). "Steam engine passes through Altoona". Altoona Mirror. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  51. ^ Kibler, William (March 4, 2013). "Locomotive set for more visits". Altoona Mirror. Retrieved June 23, 2013.

References

External links

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