Horseshoe Curve, Pennsylvania

Due to its location between the midwest and eastern seaboard, and the resource-based industries it harbored, Pennsylvania has many railroad landmarks. The maximum grade for railroads is generally less than 2%, so the hilly terrain sometimes forced the railways to meander dramatically. Horseshoe Curve, in western Pennsylvania, is one of the more scenic and visible meanders. It opened in 1854, and was later expanded to four tracks, due to its location between New York and Chicago, and its proximity to the busy rail yards at Altoona, a few miles east. It now has three tracks, and sees as many as fifty Norfolk Southern trains a day, and several Amtrak passenger trains. It is a popular tourist attraction, a National Historic Landmark, and has a museum on site.