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Horseshoe Curve
(U.S. National Historic Landmark)
Satellite view of Horseshoe Curve, west of Altoona, Pennsylvania. Trains headed counterclockwise around the curve are going uphill.
Nearest city:	Altoona, Pennsylvania
Coordinates:	40°29′51.42″N, 78°28′54.09″W
Built/Founded:	1852
Architect:	Pennsylvania Railroad
Added to NRHP:	November 13, 1966
NRHP Reference#:	66000647 [1]
Governing body:	Norfolk Southern Railway

Horseshoe Curve is a famous railroad curve in central Pennsylvania in the United States (it is a horseshoe curve). It was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad and later used by the Penn Central, then Conrail. It is currently owned by Norfolk Southern Railway, and used by Amtrak's Pennsylvanian service. It is located in Kittanning Gap at the summit of the Allegheny Front, approximately 5 miles (8 km) west of Altoona. The bend is a tight arc of approximately 220 degrees. It comprises two separate curves; on the north side, the radius measures 637 ft (194 m), tightening to 609 ft (186 m) on the south side. The curve was built in response to the difficulty of constructing a railroad through the summit of the Allegheny Mountains. It was designed by J. Edgar Thomson and Herman Haupt, opening on February 15, 1854. It was such an important location that it was guarded by Union soldiers during the American Civil War and a number of additional conflicts.

The curve has been in nearly continuous operation since 1854. Originally comprising two tracks, it was widened to four tracks 1898–1900. Conrail removed one of the tracks in 1981 and the Curve remains in this three-track configuration. It has long been a popular tourist attraction, and is visitable via the Horseshoe Curve Funicular, a funicular railway running to a small park built by the PRR in 1879 at the summit of the ridge. A visitors' center with a trackside observation area is maintained at the site.

The curve's importance to railroad traffic in the U.S. was such that the Nazis attempted to sabotage it in Operation Pastorius during World War II.^[2] The curve was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1966, and is now a part of the National Register of Historic Places.

Altoona's minor league baseball team, the Altoona Curve, is named after this railroad landmark.

The location is also noted among geologists for its excellent rock outcrops, including the Devonian Catskill Formation.

Norfolk Southern action on Horseshoe Curve, July 2006:

Three trains passing on triple-track

Westbound freight grinding upgrade

Eastbound freight rounding the curve

Rock outcrops

• Allegheny Portage Railroad
• Kittanning Path
• Tehachapi Loop - actually a spiral
• Hairpin Bend

1. ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2006-03-15).
2. ^ Pfeifer, Paul E. (2004-01-21). The Nazi Saboteurs. Retrieved on 2006-06-15.

• Northeast Railfan: Horseshoe Curve
• Satellite View in Google Maps
• Railroaders Memorial Museum guide to Horseshoe Curve

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