Horseshoe Curve, Altoona, Pennsylvania (2nd November 2007)

20th November 2007

Horseshoe Curve near Altoona, Pennsylvania is a very well-known railway site. Set over 2,000 feet up the Allagenny Mountains, on a long horse-shoe curve. The heavy trains have two or three locos on the front and either 2 or three on the rear and are going quite slow as they come over the summit and curve around the horseshoe, allowing a number of pictures to be taken of the same trains as they pass. Ocassional light loco bankers (helpers) can also be seen as well as railway staff who run alongside the trains in a car, checking the trains.

Grand views of the trains can be seen at the summit or from the roadway below. You don't usually have very long to wait for a train. With three tracks you can often view three trains passing each other.

There is also a magnificent view down the valley with the Altoona Water Reservoir below and mountains in the background.

There is a administrative building and a reasonable sized car park and a funicular railway that will take you to the summit, or you can walk up the stairs. The building and the Funicular are closed on a Tueday. Of coyrse, we were there on a Tuesday! There is a sheltered viewing platform at the summit.

This is one of those really great trainspotting areas.

Wide Angle (18mm) view from Horseshoe Summit 681x454 045Wide_18mm_viewofAltoonaReservoir_HorseshoeCurve_.jpg	Viewing Platform at Summit 681x454 040ViewingPlatformHorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	Train on Horseshoe Curve. From the entrance to the Funicula Railway and car park 681x454 010HorsehoeCurve_a_Altoona.jpg	Static Loco 7048 at Summit 681x454 024StaticLoco7048_a_HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg
Static Loco 7048 at Summit 681x454 025StaticLoco7048_b_HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	Railway Staff Checking train 681x454 041RailStraffCheckingTrainHorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	NS 9865 & 9394 681x454 042NS9865_9394HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	NS 9865 & 9394 681x454 044NS9865_9394_WideView_HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg
NS 9865 & 9394 681x454 043NS9865_9394HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	NS 9175 & 8792 From the entrance to the Funicula Railway and car park 681x454 011NS9175_8729_HorsehoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	NS 9175 & 8792 From the entrance to the Funicula Railway and car park 681x454 012NS9175_8729_HorsehoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	NS 3365 & 3353 744x645 047NS3362_3353_HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg
NS 3362 & 3353 681x454 048NS3362_3353_HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	NS 3357 & 3351 (Horseshoe Curve, Altoona) 3456x2304 019NS3357_3351HorsehoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	NS 3357 & 3351 (Horseshoe Curve, Altoona) 702x409 020NS3357_3351_b_HorsehoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	NS 3357 & 3351 (Horseshoe Curve, Altoona) 681x454 021NS3357_3351_c_HorsehoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg
NS 3348 & 8792 From the entrance to the Funicula Railway and car park 681x454 014NS3348_8729HorsehoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	NS 3348 & 3359 From the entrance to the Funicula Railway and car park 756x288 015NS3348_3359HorsehoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	NS 3346 & 3372 770x513 049NS3346_3372_HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	NS 3343 & 3427 From the entrance to the Funicula Railway and car park 681x454 016NS3343_3427HorsehoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg
NS 2775 & 2747 718x446 050NS2775_2747_HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	NS 2775 & 2747 681x454 051NS2775_2747_HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	NS 2775 & 2747 681x454 053NS2775_2747_WideView__HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	NS 2775 & 2747 681x454 052NS2775_2747_HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg
Horseshoe Curve Sign 681x454 017HorsehoeCurveSign_Altoona_.jpg	Horseshoe Curve Funicular 504x756 048HorsehoeCurveEntrance_Finicula_Altoona_.jpg	Funicular, from Entrance and car park 504x756 013HorsehoeCurveEntrance_Finicula_Altoona_.jpg	Entrance Building 727x370 018HorsehoeCurveEntranceBuilding_Altoona_.jpg
Conrail 8440 & NS 2559 681x454 037Conrail8440_NS2559HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	Conrail 8440 & NS 2559 681x454 039Conrail8440HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	Conrail 8440 & NS 2559 770x513 035Conrail8440_NS2559HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	Conrail 8440 681x454 038Conrail8440HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg
Conrail 8440 681x454 036Conrail8440HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	Conrail 3354, 3341 and NS 9412 & 9023 681x454 031Conrail3354_3341AndNS9412_9023HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	Conrail 3354, 3341 and NS 9412 & 9023 3456x2304 030Conrail3354_3341AndNS9412_9023HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	Conrail 3354 & 3341 and NS 9412 & 9023 681x454 026Conrail3354_3341AndNS9412_9023HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg
Conrail 3354 & 3341 and NS 9412 & 9023 681x454 028Conrail3354_3341AndNS9412_9023HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	Conrail 3354 & 3341 711x437 027Conrail3354_3341AndNS9412HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	Conrail 3354 652x508 029Conrail3354HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	Conrail 3336, NS 3337 (Banking) 681x454 034Conrail3336_NS3337_Banking_HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg
Conrail 3336, NS 3337 (Banking) 681x454 033Conrail3336_NS3337_Banking_HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	Conrail 3336, NS 3337 (Banking) 681x454 032Conrail3336_NS3337_Banking_HorseshoeCurve_Altoona_.jpg	Altoona Water Reservour 681x454 009AltoonaReservour_h_.jpg	Altoona Reservour From Summit 681x454 023AltoonaReservourFromHorseshowCurve_b_.jpg
Altoona Reservour From Summit 681x454 022AltoonaReservourFromHorseshowCurve_a_.jpg	Altoona Reservoir, A mile south of Horseshoe Curve 504x756 007AltoonaReservour_f_.jpg	Altoona Reservoir, A mile south of Horseshoe Curve 681x454 006AltoonaReservour_e_.jpg	Altoona Reservoir, A mile south of Horseshoe Curve 681x454 005AltoonaReservour_d_.jpg
Altoona Reservoir, A mile south of Horseshoe Curve 504x756 004AltoonaReservour_c_.jpg	Altoona Reservoir, A mile south of Horseshoe Curve 681x454 003AltoonaReservour_b_.jpg	Altoona Reservoir, A mile south of Horseshoe Curve 681x454 002AltoonaRoadway.jpg	Altoona Reservoir, A mile south of Horseshoe Curve 681x454 001AltoonaReservoir_a_.jpg
Altoona Reservoir, A mile south of Horseshoe Curve 681x454 008AltoonaReservour_g_.jpg