Rounding World Famous Horseshoe Curve Aboard Amtrak’s Pennsylvanian, Altoona to Cresson, PA.

Russell Sharp Train Videos
It’s Wednesday evening, April 5, 2023, aboard Amtrak train 43, the Pennsylvanian, headed from Moynihan Train Hall, Penn Station, New York City to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
We travel on the Norfolk Southern Railroad Pittsburgh Line from Altoona, round the World Famous Horseshoe Curve, pass through the tunnel at the summit of the Allegheny Mountains at Gallitzin and end the video passing through Cresson, Pennsylvania on the West Slope of the Allegheny Mountains.

[@markshogan2642]

My dad ran steam over horseshoe curve. He ran out of Pittsburgh to Altoona many times. He started as a fireman, and got his engineers papers just before being furloughed for the last time on 1954. I love his stories.

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

Mark, cool 😎!

[@boxsterman77]

what does it mean to "run steam"?

[@markshogan2642]

@@boxsterman77 my dad started as a steam locomotive fireman on the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Pittsburgh division in Either late 1949, or early 1950. He got his engineers papers just as steam locomotives were being phased out. He did however get to be the engineer on some of the last few steam locomotives to run on the Pittsburgh division. By that time, most were assigned to the Shire Oaks terminal on the Monongahela River, hauling coal.

[@johnalder6028]

Very pleasant viewing it through your camera.

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

John, thanks 🙏!

[@MillersRailfan]

Great to see your channel has taken off; Russ You deserve all the success - Steve Demboske

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

Steve, thanks ! Still not getting hardly any payments from Google.

[@MillersRailfan]

@@russellsharptrainvideos I don’t know how to explain this, Russ

[@N734NJ]

One of these days, I'll make it through Horseshoe curve when it's both day and nice out. Until then, great video!

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

Thanks 🙏!

[@blackaces26]

Nice video, good info and narration. Thanks!

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

Doctor, thank you 🙏!

[@deepVAroots]

Horseshoe Curve is on my bucket list

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

I love ❤️ it! And the Allegheny Mountains!

[@golfberg1]

Mine Too...Crossed it off at 10 !😅

[@deepVAroots]

@@golfberg1 I have yet to do that

[@JugSouthgate]

Track 3 was removed and TCS installed on Track 1 and Track 4 in the 1980s under Conrail. Analysis of the traffic actually hauled showed that the 4th track wasn't justified if there were 3 TCS tracks. Welded rail and remote control of all interlockings was also done. At least 90% of the relays used for the new signalling system were existing ones serviced at Columbus Signal Shop. That system lasted over 30 years. NS replaced it with electronic track circuits in the 2010s.

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

Thanks 😊 for the interesting information!

[@tomy.1846]

Great video!!!

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

Tom, thanks!

[@JayYoung-ro3vu]

My mother told the story of her trip through Horseshoe Curve. She was on her way to see her sister and family who had recently moved to Holidaysburg for a preaching post. It was the early 1950s and evening when the train stopped at the Altoona station. She said it was ,"funny to look across the valley and see the engines. " Also, at the station, the wheels were "glowing red hot" from friction from slowing the load while coming down the hill.

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

Jay, I remember the red hot 🥵 wheels and smoking brake shoes!

[@Clayton-kf3su]

Lived in the Altoona area, Ebensburg in the 1960’s. Loved the Allegheny Mountains.

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

Me too!

[@johngaines3398]

Did either of you know Dave McFadden?

[@cprs5000]

In 1997 Conrail Altoona shops open house over the curve with m a r c gp40 ph and GP 39 -2 what a great time

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

Cool 😎!

[@user-cg9ly4wg2s]

Nice video! Unfortunately not many go to Horseshoe Curve anymore to watch trains due to them charging admission to the curve now. I go to Cresson to film. Used to go to the curve for free. Sad they made it a tourist attraction 😔

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

Jim, thanks!

[@robertadams6606]

More people would go to the famous Horseshoe Curve but the Funicular( incline that takes you up to the tracks) has been out of service for some years now. I walked those 194 steps a few times to go up tp the tracks. Apparently it is waiting for a Safety Inspection in order to operate it.

[@Bob.W.]

Rode through there in the 90s but in the dark iirc. Three Rivers I think the train was called. Chicago to Philly. Took a break from the Capitol Limited, which split from the Broadway Limited in Pittsburgh about 4:00 or 4:30 a.m. Getting to B'mo from Washington DC or Philly was about a horse apiece. Thanks.

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

Bob, cool 😎!

[@MissRailfan]

i know some ppl onf 42/43 mandiec darlene and ken. used to know another person but he is retired. i rode 43 from altoona to jtown on my buddies last run west. he was retiring on the return trip east the next day. he was a rr man for around 30yrs, started with freight and ended with passenger rr. i have a video of that wkd on my channel. i also have a short video from my quick round trip from lewistown to harrisburg and back as well. i first road three rivers and the psennsylvanian as a kid in either 95 or 96. round trip as a family trip from hbg to pbgh and back. btw the tracks were made bidirectional around 2yrs ago. i have photos of the old brick yard building before they redid the building you see today. if you are in the altoona area i highly recommend a the galltizin tunnel inn.

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

Miss Railfan, was he my friend the locomotive engineer Harry McIntosh?

[@williamkay6916]

At about the 3 minute point, you mention the rail dispatcher being located in Pittsburgh, PA. I do believe that, much like CSX, having theirs located in Jacksonville, FL., NS has theirs (from what I saw in a different video) located in Atlanta, GA

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

William, Gotcha. Sounds like they’ve moved their dispatchers to Atlanta.

[@paulnicholson1906]

nice video. I worked with Tom Davis on the Black River & Western who started the Station Inn after he "retired". He was an amazing railroader and educator. He has since passed away though. I wonder who is running it now?

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

Paul, thanks! Don’t know the answer to your question.

[@NSHorseheadSD70]

Alex Lang from Pittsburgh is now running it.

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

Alex Lang from Pittsburgh.

[@reginaldwilkinson6019]

As nice as the curve is, it’s hard to beat the Tehachapi circle.

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

Reginald, I agree! Used to go there frequently when I lived in Glendale, California!

[@reginaldwilkinson6019]

You would think Amtrak would have a domed observation car.

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

Reginald, I agree! Just been this trip on VIA Rail Canadians with two dome cars and a dome observation car!

[@brandtfj]

did horseshoe curve used to be four track all the way?

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

Yes, four tracks from near Harrisburg to at least Johnstown.

[@caminola417]

Why did they take out the 4th track?

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

There were no longer enough passenger trains to justify four tracks.

[@jaredklock8754]

To reduce cost.

[@RichShirk]

The name of city is Altoona😢

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

Rich, correct.

[@TK-ec5bv]

Tracks look ratty compared to Conrail days.

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

Gotcha!

[@ocsrc]

UTZ makes pretzels and chips but they are horrible. I never knew where they were located. They make everything there ? Or is that the corporate office ? There used to be good local snack companies but they were bought up and shut down by Pepsi Co and the Anheuser Busch A few little companies like UTZ survived but I don't know why. I guess the big companies only wanted the better product companies shut down. I still remember the summer of 96 when the big hot dog manufacturing company that makes almost every hot dog brand bought out Ball Park Franks They were the best hot dog ever made. In the Spring of 96 they stopped arriving at stores and they were not available all summer long. In the fall they started shipping then again. I was so happy to see them I bought 2 packs and went home to grill them up. As soon as I opened the package I knew something was wrong. They smelled like all the other brands and the consistency was different and the first bite I knew they had been replaced by the awful hot dog manufacturing company I don't know why companies don't just leave a good product made by a small company alone. They want the entire market Bacon is the same thing The boxes that the hot dogs and the bacon come in are exactly the same. The same plant makes them

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

It appeared it was just warehouses.

[@billsargent3407]

Can you sound less interested?

[@russellsharptrainvideos]

Bill, no.

[@MillersRailfan]

This is probably the most ignorant question/comment I’ve ever read on KZbin You are one in ten billion