A Pictorial History of the Horseshoe curve

The Pennsylvania Railroad Era Captured

In what promises to be the most comprehensive publication ever produced on the Horseshoe Curve, Kevin J. Stiver is compiling A Pictorial History of the Horseshoe Curve, Vol. 1. Scheduled for release in 2027, this richly illustrated book chronicles more than a century of the Pennsylvania Railroad's steam and diesel eras at the world-famous landmark.

Drawing from both well-known and rarely seen photographs, the publication explores the Horseshoe Curve's history from its earliest surveys and construction through its operation and evolution in unprecedented detail. Featured topics include the Curve's construction, life around the landmark during the 1860s, the building of railroad stations and reservoirs, the expansion of the railroad's tracks, the rise of tourism, the tragic Wreck of the Red Arrow, the opening of the Horseshoe Curve park and gift shop, the transition from steam to diesel locomotives, the dedication of PRR K4s No. 1361, and much more.

PHOTOS are STILL BEING ACCEPTED! If you have personal photographs of the Horseshoe Curve from during the Pennsylvania Railroad era (1854-1968) and would like to have them featured in the publication, please contact Kevin Stiver under the Contact page, or email altoonapahistory@gmail.com.

Whether you are a railroad enthusiast, historian, or first-time visitor, to the Horseshoe Curve, this volume offers an in-depth look at one of the world's most iconic feats of railroad engineering while it operated as a part of the largest railroading empire of the world.

Horseshoe Curve Fast Facts

  • The Horseshoe Curve is a national historic landmark recognized for its engineering and operation for carrying freight through the Allegheny Mountains on a railroad section shaped like a “horseshoe”, something uncommon for the time.

  • The Horseshoe Curve was constructed at the base of the Kittanning Point Mountain beginning in 1851 and lasting until 1853. A crew of Irish laborers, under the command of the Clarke McAvoy Firm, used locally forged tools, black powder, and work mules to cut away the earth and rock in order to shape a railroad bed across the faces of multiple mountains, rather than through or over them.

  • The Pennsylvania Railroad’s Mountain Division, which includes the Horseshoe Curve, officially opened for service in the early morning hours of February 15, 1854, after months of tests and promotion.

  • The Horseshoe Curve is a 2,375ft railroad curve with a 1300ft diameter that climbs 122ft in elevation at a 1.85% grade.

The book is not quite done yet!

If you would like to be notified with updates and when this book will be available, please leave your name and email address in the attached form.