HORSESHOE CURVE the FIRST curved Railroad in the Allegheny 

I’ve lived in Altoona my entire life, and all my favorite places around here are related to either the curve, or the water works surrounding it. There are some amazing spots in the woods where tunnels for water just come out of the side of the mountain into a man made waterfall. Truly amazing constructions.

I used to visit the curve at least once per year when visiting my Dad in Altoona. It's a beautiful place and to hear the sound of a heavy train climbing the mountain is like nothing else. It just fills the entire valley with the roar of the engines and sounds of the wheels rolling! I love your drone footage and the story from your teacher was a good spin of history.

1361 is in fact being restored in Altoona to run passengers up to the curve and throughout Pennsylvania

If you ever get a chance, you should take a peak at the other Horsehoe Curve on the Allegheny Mountain. The Muleshoe Curve is now abandoned but one must past under it if you are taking the older alignment of 22 from Cresson over the mountain and into Hollidaysburg. It was used for a secondary route created initially as part of the 'New' Portage Railroad the PRR briefly used in the 1850s over old Portage RR route aquired. Saw most of its service in the early 20th century as a bypass between Gallitzin and Spruce Creek.

When I was there on a school trip in 1973 the stairs were straight up with no turns or landings and made of stone. I had wrote in my diary how many steps there were but can’t find it. Another interesting fact; in 1954, for the curve centennial, Sylvania provided over 6,500 flash bulbs to be wired along the tracks for a spectacular nighttime photograph of the curve. In 2004 it was illuminated again for the 150th anniversary using more modern lighting methods.

As a railfan and history buff I've always wanted to visit the Horeshoe Curve for the trains and the history of it

That is a massive curve for sure! Cheers from Australia.

Great scott..I never knew canals and railroads were at one time in competition..looking great scott..your the best history teacher

Another little history tidbit from this area is there used to be a PRR tower called UN just west of the Gallitzin tunnels and before MO tower in Cresson.My Grandfather worked as a block operator there until 1936 when he retired after 50 years.He started working for the PRR in 1886 when he was 14 years old.My mom said the tower was destroyed by a derailment in the 1930's and they never rebuilt it.My Aunt still lives in her childhood home in Cresson.She just turned 101 years old in Jan.2021

Another great video. Dad took me there a few years ago, we road our motorcycles. It was a great day and we got to see 3 trains make the curve. Wonderful 👍

Excellent as always Scott and I wish you a speedy recovery!

Been there many times either on or off the train. A great place to visit and truly a historic marvel. Thank you for posting.

Great video. I was born in Altoona and my grandfather worked in the shops his whole life. My grandmother once took me on a train ride around the Horseshoe Curve as a child (PRR passenger service?). They lived in Juniata Gap.

The best way to preserve history is to present it in an interesting but factual way. Railroads built this country and in doing so created their own special history. Horseshoe curve is a chapter of history that is still being written. Thank you for another great adventure.

Thanks again Scott. Great as usual. When I was a kid we took many trips to Horseshoe Curve. Was very exciting, since my Dad worked for the Railroad. Keep up the Great Work!!!

Great video! I mentioned this somewhere else but my great, great uncle was the first engineer to travel around the Horseshoe Curve. I keep the newspaper article from it. I also remember my school field trip back when it was free.. Lol

Awesome as always

Glad I was last there in the early 1980s when there were four tracks and no fees to climb the stairs. I have seen four trains on the curve at the same time. Was able to drive in a car to the edge of the curve and the K4 was still there. Well it has change but I am glad I saw it then.

Great video thank you

Very cool video and really interesting! Great work, Scott!

I have a photo that I took of the K-4 Pacific Class steam engine 1361 that sat on the curve for over thirty years. I love Horseshoe curve, we used to make the trek up to the curve at least once a year.

Thanks for this video. My Father pointed the curve out to us every summer on our way to Blairsville. It parallels Route 22

Great video as usual, great information too.

I love the music that you include to accompany your vlog. Again, another very enjoyable video. And I live in Altoona. Thank you.

Excellent video! The drone footage at the end was the perfect touch. Still waiting for the Centralia episode! Lol...in all seriousness please take care of your heart...your family needs you, and of course we wanna keep seeing these awesome history lessons of “who we once were!”

Beautiful and reflecting an era when visionary entrepreneurs overcame great challenges while fulfilling a beneficial social purpose. 2022/08/17. Ontario, Canada.

While HSC is quite historic and important to railroading, the simple fact is "curves" have been a part of railroading since the beginning, probably going all the way back to horse-drawn trams in British coal mines. Richard Trevithick's prototype steam locomotive ran on a complete circle of track, much like a simple train set. While not the nation's first railroad, the Baltimore and Ohio was the first licensed as a common carrier and had curve after curve upon leaving Baltimore and heading down the Patapsco Valley circa 1830. B&O's eventual arrival in Wheeling, (West) Virginia in 1852 certainly encountered not only hundreds of degrees of curvature but steep grades to boot. 1852 predates HSC by about two years. Horseshoe Curve is notable for allowing the railroad to gain a lot of elevation in a confined geographic area, but to say it was the FIRST curved railroad is nothing more than a folk tale. By the way, those waterways were built by the railroad before the fills were constructed to support the tracks. When building a fill, always be sure the water has a controlled way to get through. According to Charles Roberts in "Triumph I" (one), originally HSC was shaped more like a flat tire than a Horseshoe; the famous curve shape would develop over time as the fills were extended and tracks added.

During WWII Hitler sent agents to the US to sabotage a few places in the US and the Horseshoe Curve was one of them. Have you been to the Lemon House near Gallitzin? It is along the Allegheny Portage Railroad also not far from the Gallitzin Tunnels.

You went down the steps. Try going up them. I did at the age of 70 and I can tell you for a fact, I was worn out by the time I got to the top. But I'm glad I did it. Barry

Great video scott

i love the horseshoe curve but prefer going to tunnels or cassanda overlook since they are free to watch trains

Excellent video on both the history of Horseshoe Curve and the city of Altoona. It was nice meeting you at Lakemont Park a few weeks ago.

here in west virginia we have so manny towns build just for minning coal mines shut down so now there lots of ghost towns here in west virginia

Great presentation! It is amazing to see how the diesel locomotive displaced the steam locomotive changed the work population in Altoona, PA.

Very interesting video, am based in UK but often view the live video of Horseshoe Curve.

Last time I was there, 1361 was still there. Where did the time go? It's time to start planning to travel PA again to see what has changed. Thank you for your wonderful channel showing PA and its history.

Great video. It's nice to see Horseshoe curve again. When I was a kid in the early 60s my uncle who worked for Sylvania gave me a big poster of Horseshoe curve. It was taken at night with three trains on the curve. They lit up the entire curve with flashbulbs on poles. It was made to promote Sylvania flashbulbs. I'm going to google it to see if that picture is there.

I am in hopes of visiting there, and the Kinzua Viaduct in the next few years.

Excellent Video... I don't know when, but I plan on visiting the "Horseshoe Curve" in Altoona Pa. sometime. I have seen pictures of it and heard about the train going around this curve. I find it very interesting. I would love to fly my drone over there and get a shot of a train going around that curve. Love the history story you gave. Keep up the good work.

While I'm not a hardcore train aficionado, I can understand why those that immerse themselves in it are. Excellent information Scott.

Sorry it took so long to subscribe to your channel since we met at the Lakemont meetup Very well done and informative video!

Cool post, I was there last October, because of covid-19, part of the attraction was closed.

That staircase! Phew!

Hey Scott, once I found your channel by accident, I was hooked, then I just had'ta subscribe. Had'ta is now an official word.

Excellent Enterprising Endeavour. Greetings from India 🎉🙏

I went to high school,near Harrisburg, right on the Susquehanna River,(East End,of the Middle Division),and remember when the trains from Pittsburgh would run late(2 hrs),that the GG-1's would make up the time,and arrive only 20 minutes late! So if the diesels improved the steam times,I would doubt it! The NYC,had their problems with Erie Canal,as during the winter,the New York State legislation made the railroads charge canal rates on cargos,so the revenue from the canal wouldn't be undercut! Different situation,but the corruption problem was also present! See also,"On The Mainline", a book covering the PRR during the 1850's through to the 1890's,fascinating 📚reading! Thank you for your attention ☺! 🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚆🚆🚆🚆🚇🚇🚆🚇

Great history of the horseshoe curve, you need to hike up the other side of the curve to the old steam water tower no one has every documented it nor the old lumber and coal private rail lines that at each corner of the curve itself that has been tore up. History in railroads needs to be documented before its all gone.

Enjoyed your video. I don't know if you limit your travels to PA, but if you do go beyond two places that could in fact be shot on the same day would be Point of Rocks, where what your teacher told you actually took place the C&O Canal and the B&O Railway navys fought battles blasting deliberately to maim the others as they raced toward the Ohio River. Just about 15 miles further wast is Harpers Ferry, an interesting Railroad junction and of course the site of John Brown's raid on the US arsenal located there. Still slightly more a field is the Paw Paw Tunnel again a fascinating story.

Nice video. I have a handful of flying my fpv/rc airplane up there. I live in Altoona and can hear trains heading to and coming from the H.S Curve as I watch your video! 👍

some correction the issue wasnt that railroads had to be straight as much as they couldnt have much of a grade. what Horseshoe curve did was maintain the the 2% grade

I never could figure out how to get on the little road that was on the other side of the tracks and I remember seeing people over there in years past. You can even catch a glimpse of it at the 15:55 mark.

Those were the days eh? Got a job mate? Sure, when do you wanna start? Great video btw - new subscriber from the UK 👍

Staple Field trip for every Western PA student. Well since the 80's and 90's any way. Not sure about now an days.

That funicular thing flashes by in 0.5 seconds. I hope to travel north from my Florida before long. FL, of course, has none of this type history, but historically engineers did have challenges with bridges like the keys. I follow railroading and RR history. Too bad it was overcast during filming. I hope the drone shoots didn’t encounter resistance.

I didn't know the horseshoe curve went right over the canal as they were building the canal. Pretty cool. How did they plan to keep water in the canal if they did finish it? Glenwhite run is pretty steep.

Fascinating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you do anything on the wreck of the red arrow?

Scott..how is hollidaysburg rail shops integtegrated with altoona railroad shops..along west loop road ?? Or is it different railroad system??

I always wondered why the locos never pulled the middle of the train off the track the drag of the rear end and the pull in front. Do they place locos in the actual train as well and at the back to push.?

Altoona is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania.

Restoration of locomotive 1361 has recently resumed; part of your $8.00 goes to finance it.

How long is that train? Around a mile?

Should have gone down road and EYEspied the Tipton reservoir. HOW the heck did men get those huge stones in place?

We have to pay? We lost family that worked for the PRR and we pay? I don't need the elevator, I'll die walking those steps before I pay.

If you do an episode about the Daniel Boone Homestead, let me know. I'll buy ya lunch. It would be great to catch up. Plus, my great, great, great, great (whatever) Grandmother or great Aunt (I haven't figured that one out yet) was Squire Boone's 3rd wife. I believe that Mordecai Lincoln's, Abe's dad, house is in the next town up. Exeter. Tie them together.

I've never heard anyone call that a canal. I've been going to The hsc area for yrs n lived few mtns away. The canal system was a Railway over the mtn called Allegheny Portage Railroad. That was located 2 mtns south of there. The rr follwed an old Indian path up and over the mtn. Gallitzin tunnel was a location that the confederate rr was going to blow up. Hsc was the location the Nazis wanted to do the same. Not far away in PA, Renovo was also a single industry town. It was the 2nd largest prr shop, those shops were closed n moved to Altoona. My Mom was there in the 80s n it was nothing like it is today. Lil general store looking building. The 1361 is in a long process of being restored in Altoona. Rr museum is a joke but cool history on display. I rem when it was free as a kid. N before the junk funicular.

Is that the James Railroad?

Nice video, but I thought you'd get more into the engineering of curved track and why they didn't just build a bridge across where the horseshoe is to straighten out the track instead? I subscribed anyway, I like trains.

I still don't get it. Why is this so significant?

The canals were completed before the railroad was in the area.

use of the Fast Forward Button is highly recommended

In your videos You have good images and maps, aerial views etc. and only flash them to the viewer briefly. Might be better to show less of you talking and more of the content and give the viewer time to see it.

Scott Scott Scott. It was not the 1st curved railroad. Give me a break dude. Do some research.