Horseshoe Curve (Pennsylvania)

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Horseshoe Curve
An orthophoto of Horseshoe Curve. Trains headed counterclockwise around the curve are ascending.
Horseshoe Curve (Pennsylvania) is located in Pennsylvania
Location: Logan Township, Blair County, Pennsylvania
Nearest city: Altoona, Pennsylvania
Coordinates: 40°29′51.5″N 78°29′3″W / 40.497639°N 78.48417°W / 40.497639; -78.48417Coordinates: 40°29′51.5″N 78°29′3″W / 40.497639°N 78.48417°W / 40.497639; -78.48417
Built: 1851–1854
Architect: John Edgar Thomson,
Pennsylvania Railroad
Governing body: Norfolk Southern Railway
NRHP Reference#: 66000647[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP: November 13, 1966
Designated NHL: November 13, 1966

Horseshoe Curve is a 2,375-foot (724 m) railroad curve on the Norfolk Southern Railway's Pittsburgh Line in Logan Township, Blair County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As a train travels west from Altoona, it ascends 122 feet (37 m) in the 0.45-mile (0.72 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. Horseshoe Curve's importance in the transporting of goods and passenger lead it to be targeted by Nazi Germany in World War II as a part of Operation Pastorius. The curve was later owned and used by the successors to the Pennsylvania Railroad—Penn Central, Conrail, and Norfolk Southern. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966. Horseshoe Curve was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 2004.

Although Horseshoe Curve has been a tourist attraction since its opening, a trackside observation park was completed for visitors in 1879. The park was renovated and a visitors center constructed in the early 1990s. The center is managed by Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona and contains exhibits pertaining to the curve. Access to the park is provided through either a 10-story stairway or a funicular.

Contents

[edit] Design

Horseshoe Curve is a 2,375-foot (724 m) segment of the Pittsburgh Line, the Norfolk Southern Railway's main east–west route in its Pittsburgh Division between Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The curve is located 5 miles (8 km) west of Altoona in Logan Township, Blair County at railroad milepost 242. The Blair County Veterans Memorial Highway (SR 4008) parallels the valley west from Altoona and crosses under the curve via a tunnel.[2] The Altoona Water Authority's Kittanning Reservoir is located within Horseshoe Curve and supplies water for the city of Altoona.

Horseshoe Curve has 9 degrees and 15 minutes of curvature and a central angle of 220 degrees.[3][4] At its widest, the curve is approximately 1,300 feet (400 m) across.[5] Horseshoe Curve descends at rate of 91 feet per mile (17 m/km), or grade of 1.73 percent, from an elevation of 1,716 feet (523 m) on the southern side to 1,594 feet (486 m) on the northern.[3][4] Three sets of 140-pound-per-yard (70 kg/m), continuous welded railroad tracks make up the curve.[6] Prior to dieselization and the introduction of dynamic braking, the rails along the curve would be transposed—left to right and vice versa—to equalize the amount of wear on one side of the rail from the flanges of passing locomotives and rail cars thereby extending its lifespan.[6]

[edit] History

In 1834, the state of Pennsylvania constructed the Allegheny Portage Railroad across the Allegheny Mountains to connect Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.[3] The Portage Railroad consisted of a series of canals and inclined planes and remained in use until the mid nineteenth century. The Pennsylvania Railroad was incorporated in 1847 and was tasked with building a railroad from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh, bypassing the cumbersome Portage Railroad.[3]

[edit] Construction and sabotage

Stereo card of a train rounding the curve, circa 1907.

Using surveys done several earlier, the state's engineers recommended a route from Lewistown that followed the ridges, keeping the maximum grade over the entire 84-mile (135 km) line at 0.852 percent.[7] The Chief Engineer for the Pennsylvania Railroad John Edgar Thomson, however, opted to construct a line from Lewistown following lower, flatter terrain along the Juniata River and having the steep grades only on a 9.8-mile (15.8 km) stretch of track west of Altoona. It was discovered that the valley west of Altoona was split into two ravines by a mountain. Surveys done east from the Gallitzin Tunnel at the summit had already determined a suitable route on the opposite side of the valley that would keep the grade managable. Traversing the valley using a bridge would have created a grade of 4.37 percent, which was too steep for most trains. To reduce the grade by the increasing the distance between the points, engineers constructed an earth fill over the first ravine, cutting the point of the mountain, and another fill over the second ravine.[5]

The curve took three years to complete and was constructed without heavy equipment, using only men "with picks and shovels, horses and drags".[3] The entire line, including Horseshoe Curve, was opened on February 15, 1854. The total cost to lay the 31.1 miles (50.1 km) of track between Altoona and Johnstown was $2,495,000 or equivalent to $80,225 per mile ($49,850 /km).[6] The remaining part of the mountain inside the curve was leveled in 1879 to allow for the construction of a park and observation area—the first specifically built for viewing trains.[8] The Pennsylvania promoted the scenery of Horseshoe Curve to rival New York Central Railroad's "Water Level Route" in 1890s.[9] A third set of tracks was added to the curve in 1898 and a fourth was added two years later. From around the 1860s to just before World War II, Horseshoe Curve was served by the Kittanning Point station.[10][9] A macadam road to the curve was opened in 1932 allowing access for visitors, and a gift shop was constructed in 1940.[9]

During the war, Horseshoe Curve became an important lifeline for the Allied war effort and, subsequently, was placed under armed guard.[3] The military intelligence arm of Nazi Germany, the Abwehr, plotted to sabotage important industrial assets in the United States in a project code-named Operation Pastorius.[11] In June 1942, four men were brought by submarine and landed on the coast of Long Island. They were tasked with destroying such sites as the curve, the Hell Gate Bridge, Alcoa aluminum factories and the locks on the Ohio River.[12] The would-be saboteurs were eventually apprehended by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after one, George John Dasch, turned himself in.[13]

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

[edit] Post-war

Three Norfolk Southern freight trains passing each other on the curve in 2006.

As part of the celebrations in 1954 for the centennial of the opening of Horseshoe Curve, a night photo was arranged by Sylvania Electric Products using 6,000 flashbulbs and 31 miles (50 km) of wiring to illuminate the curve.[14] The stunt also commemorated the 75th anniversary of the incandescent light bulb. The Pennsylvania K4s steam locomotive 1361 was placed at the park inside the curve on June 8, 1957.[15] Horseshoe Curve was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was designated a National Historic Landmark on November 13, 1966.[1][16] The Pennsylvania Railroad was merged with the New York Central Railroad in 1968 forming Penn Central. Penn Central went bankrupt in 1970 and was taken over by the federal government to become Conrail. The second track from the inside at Horseshoe Curve was removed by Conrail in 1981.[17] The K4s 1361 was removed from the curve for a restoration to working order in September 1985 and was replaced with the ex-Conrail EMD GP9 diesel-electric locomotive 7048 that was repainted into a Pennsylvania Railroad scheme.[9]

Starting in June 1990, the park at Horseshoe Curve underwent a $5.8 million renovation funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and by the National Park Service through its "America's Industrial Heritage Project".[18] The renovations were completed in April 1992 with the dedication of a new visitors center.[18] The Altoona Curve, a minor league baseball affilate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, was started in 1998 and derived its named from Horseshoe Curve.[19] In 1999, the trackage owned by Conrail was divvied up between CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern with Horseshoe Curve being acquired by the latter. Horseshoe Curve was lit up again with fireworks and rail-born searchlights during its sesquicentennial in 2004 as an homage to the celebrations in 1954.[20][21] It was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in 2004.[22]

[edit] Current operations

The Horseshoe Curve is a part of Norfolk Southern's busy Pittsburgh Line and is traversed by 51 scheduled freight trains every day, not including locals and the movements of helper engines which can double the number.[23] The helpers are coupled to the rear of long trains, providing the additional power necessary to ascend to the summit and assisting in braking during the descent.[24][25] Amtrak's Pennsylvanian rounds the curve once in each direction daily on its journey between Pittsburgh and New York City.

The Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona manages a visitors center at the base of the curve which is open annually from April to October.[26] The 6,800-square-foot (632 m2) center contains various historical artifacts and memorabilia relating to the curve, as well as a raised-relief map of the Altoona–Johnstown area.[18] Access to the curve is enabled by either a 194-step stairway, the equivalent of a 10-story building, or a 288-foot (88 m) funicular.[9][26] The funicular is long and is single-tracked, with the cars passing each other halfway up the slope.[18] The cars are painted to resemble Pennsylvania Railroad passenger cars. Horseshoe Curve is known for its train-watching, with it possible to see three trains traversing the curve at the same time, and is popular with railfans.[26][27]

Panorama of the observation park inside the curve, October 2011

[edit] See also

Portal icon National Register of Historic Places portal
Portal icon Pennsylvania portal
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[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "NPS Focus". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov. Retrieved January 30, 2012. 
  2. ^ Pennsylvania General Assembly. "Senate Bill 1716". Harrisburg: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. http://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/Legis/PN/Public/btCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&sessYr=1991&sessInd=0&billBody=S&billTyp=B&billNbr=1716&pn=2183. Retrieved January 30, 2012. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f Howe, Ward Allan (February 14, 1954). "A Century-Old Wonder of Railroading". The New York Times: p. X25. 
  4. ^ a b Greenwood, § 7, p. 1.
  5. ^ a b Greenwood, § 8, p. 3.
  6. ^ a b c Greenwood, § 8, p. 3.
  7. ^ Greenwood, § 8, p. 1.
  8. ^ Associated Press (June 30, 2004). "Marvel of engineering celebrating milestone". Reading Eagle: p. B10. 
  9. ^ a b c d e Cupper, Dan (August 2004). "Horseshoe Fascination". Trains (Kalmbach) 64 (8): 53. 
  10. ^ Seidel, pp. 18–19.
  11. ^ Cohen, p. 47.
  12. ^ Cohen, pp. 46–47.
  13. ^ Cohen, p. 53.
  14. ^ "Horseshoe Centenary". Life (Henry Luce): 37. November 1, 1954. 
  15. ^ Stauffer, Alvin W (1962). Pennsy Power. Carrollton, OH: Standard Print & Publishing. p. 161. LCCN 62-20878. 
  16. ^ "List of National Historic Landmarks by State" (PDF). National Historic Landmarks Program. National Park Service. September 2011. p. 83. http://www.nps.gov/history/nhl/designations/Lists/LIST11.pdf. Retrieved November 18, 2011. 
  17. ^ "Half century of change". Trains (Kalmbach) 64 (8): 56. August 2004. 
  18. ^ a b c d "Renovated Horseshoe Curve museum expecting many tourists this year". Observer-Reporter (Washington, Pennsylvania): p. F5. March 1, 1992. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MIJeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8WENAAAAIBAJ&pg=1186,186474. 
  19. ^ "Pirates choose Altoona as Eastern League site". Reading Eagle: p. D3. September 16, 1998. 
  20. ^ "Horseshoe Curve's 150th: Fireworks and Flashbulbs". Trains (Kalmbach) 64 (6): 14. June 2004. 
  21. ^ "Horseshoe Curve's bright birthday party". Trains (Kalmbach) 64 (10): 16. October 2004. 
  22. ^ "Horseshoe Curve Designated a Civil Engineering Landmark". ASCE News (American Society of Civil Engineers) 29 (4): 10. April 2004. 
  23. ^ Borkowski, p. 109.
  24. ^ Borkowski, pp. 112–113.
  25. ^ Seidel, pp. 31, 108.
  26. ^ a b c Wrinn, ed. (2009). Tourist Trains Guidebook (2nd ed.). Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach. p. 199. 
  27. ^ Barry, Dan (November 3, 2009). "Awesome Train Set, Mr. Buffett". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/weekinreview/08barry.html. Retrieved February 19, 2012. 

[edit] Sources

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