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World Famous Horseshoe Curve

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pointerbd
pointerbd
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3 out of 5
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World Famous Horseshoe Curve

  • August 10, 2002
  • Rated 3 of 5 by pointerbd from Norristown, Pennsylvania
World Famous Horseshoe Curve

I made a pilgrimage om a cold,rainy morning in October to experience the Horseshoe Curve as an adult. As a child, hearing the eerie sound of a train going up the mountain in the middle of the night,was somehow comforting. The wailing train whistle and the steady chug of the engines meant that fathers were working,goods were moving, people were happy. Whenever ANYONE came to visit from out-of-town, my father loved to truck us all up there to see the trains. The big thrill was climbing the over 100 steep steps to reach the top.(There is now a modern funicular you can ride to the top but the steps are still available). At the top you can see for miles and miles. The highlight of the tour is if you are lucky enough to be there when a train comes around the curve. I happened to catch two freight trains at the top,but to my disappointment the engineers (on the engines in the back of the train) seemed oblivious to the small crowd gathered and did not acknowledge the childrens' gestures with a friendly "toot" of the horn or blow of the whistle. I dont ever remember an engineer who didnt reciprocate this gesture. It always seemed like it was fun for them to put on a show by blasting that horn as long and loud as possible. There is still something exhiliriating and unexpalinable about the thrill you get when that train passes by! Maybe its the building anticipation as you hear and feel the engines as they labor their way up the steep mountain from Altoona. I walked down the steps but since renovated,they did not present the same challenge they did when I was younger. There is a small museum there also that provides an educational exhibit about the building of the curve. This was the piece I was missing as a child. Every time I go to the museum I learn something new. I never appreciated the brainpower,manpower and importance that this achievement represents to the country and the world. Its worth a trip to Altoona to see this "modern wonder of the world".

From journal Promised Land for Railroad Buffs-New Entries!!

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