Nostalgia & History > "Mountain" Monday

A cold Pennsylvania day finds us at perhaps the greatest railroad engineering marvel, the"World Famous Horseshoe Curve".

Every superlative that's been said about this monumental U-shoe has already been stated, so no need to rehash them.

An all EMD Penn Central lashup (GP40-GP40-GP38 & GP35) is climbing the mountain Westbound with a Flexi-Van.

If you look bottom right, that's the access road leading into the area. During WWII it was guarded round the clock against saboteurs.
The road continues a bit further and then passes under the Curve in a short tunnel and away from the tracks.

When this shot was taken, the only way to get from the bottom to the trackside park was to climb about a million steps up.
The headend is about to pass the park with it's huge concrete horseshoe on the hillside.
There's a few benches scattered about and the flagpole sits empty.

Things were a little tough back then. The United States was finishing up in Vietnam.

Shiny K4s 1361 sits behind a high chainlink fence. A gift from the PRR to the city of Altoona.
Got to make sure the bell, builders plates and other parts remain intact. (they where stolen anyway).

The tree line is much, much lower than now as those PRR steamers kept the vegetation low with their constant cinders.

The trackside park was built in 1879 and had to have been the first in the US specifically built to watch trains from.

Altoona, Pennsylvania.
March, 1973


 
 

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overniteman Wrote:
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> A cold Pennsylvania day finds us at perhaps the
> greatest railroad engineering marvel, the"World
> Famous Horseshoe Curve".

Ever been to the "World Famous Tehachapi Loop?"

Kent in CArmel Valley

Yes, waited and waited many hours for one train. Slightly disappointed.
Cajon is better, however, the Horseshoe Curve is the best of the three,

The curve was much better before they built the visitors center!!!!

Odd you say that, I was there before the vistor venter when it was still the PRR and it was crap. The trains were great, the park wa scrap. I've been back twice, once as CR and again as NS. It is miles better, user friendly. And I walked the steps new and old but had to let the kids ride the inclined plane. did I mention flush toilets and running water?
Gonut