Welcome to the Horseshoe Curve Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society!

Business Meetings are held at 7:30 pm, on the fourth Tuesday of every other Month
(excluding December) at:

The Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum, Building B (old annex),
Memorial Hall, 1300 9th Avenue, Altoona, PA 16602

Social Meetings are held on alternate months at a pre-determined location.
Contact President Francis Givler, Jr. for further details.

You are invited to attend!

Contact Us

   

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NRHS and its logo are trademarks of the National Railway Historical Society.

"Railfest" is a trademark of the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum.

Panoramic photograph of the Horseshoe Curve seen throughout this website is used with permission, copyright: Kirk Leidy, Altoona, PA.

 Photograph of Locomotive in collage is by Thomas Lynam & Altoona Archives.

The Horseshoe Curve Chapter, had its beginnings at the time the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) ceased to exist & when many of the PRR’s historical sites in the Altoona Area were being dismantled. Although many local facilities were lost, the Horseshoe Curve Chapter, of the NRHS, has always strived to preserve the heritage of our fore bearers who settled here. We are also proud to have played an instrumental role in the local heritage awareness and to help found and organize the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum as well as acquire/fund major Museum acquisitions.

The Chapter owns and operates rail passenger equipment as well as restores rolling stock. We support all preservation projects of the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum. A periodic newsletter, an annual chapter picnic, and other special events are regular activities.

 Inside this site, you will find "The Coal Bucket", containing extensive information regarding Chapter Excursions and Activities, Horseshoe Curve Chapter, NRHS Information, Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum Information, Altoona Area History as well as Railfan Guide Information, and Railroad Related Links.

We hope you enjoy the site and encourage you to visit us during one of our monthly business/social meetings or one of our activities.

Latest News

This page was last updated on: January 02, 2009!

April, May, June, & August Minutes have been added to the Chapter News page.

Penn Central 1974 - The Movie "This is the movie commissioned by the Penn Central Railroad bankruptcy trustees to try to convince members of Congress that the railroad desperately needed a cash infusion or some other federal intervention if the railroad were to survive.  Think of it as the social media of its day, a corporate movie commissioned as a way of educating elected officials who had little time or inclination to actually visit the railroad to find out what was going on.  In fairness, there are some anecdotes I've heard about the making of this movie, including the fact that some of the really bad conditions just wouldn't cooperate with the filmmakers. So instead of showing actual "standing derailments" (derailments caused by crossties so rotted that the rails just spread apart under the weight of the freight cars), they actually had to stage some of them.  There is a scene of a car derailing as it moves down the "hump" track in a classification yard, and I'm told it took more than one take to get it to derail.  Despite these moviemaker tricks, the facts were pretty bleak for Penn Central.   And the movie did help convince Congress to do the only right thing. Take control of the company and the other bankrupt railroads, and make something new. Conrail. And considering what the car companies are asking for as an INTERIM solution for just the next three months ($15 billion), Conrail was a bargain at $7.6 billion -- all in...."  (Steve Lubetkin's Blog;  11DEC08;  http://www.lubetkin.net/blog/2008/12/penn-central-1974-movie.html)

Old News:

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE   Chapter President, Frank Givler conveys his appreciation for all the hard work chapter members have contributed to our projects during the past year:  hosting social meetings, picnics, and events; working  excursions on the Everett Railroad; volunteering on work parties at Railroader’s Memorial Museum; Saturday and Monday work on restoration of the Railway Express Agency truck at Frank’s Garage; planning and executing and participating in bus trips; promoting the sale of our model train car REX 7375.   While we realize the hardships of rising prices in the present economy create burdens, particularly the price of gasoline and, faced with the dues increase with NRHS, we do hope you will  consider renewing your membership.  If this is not possible, we nonetheless cherish your past support of the Chapter and the NRHS.

The Memorable Moments of the Past, the Chapter News, and the Upcoming Events pages have been updated.

Please enter the site through the hover button, titled "Enter The Coal Bucket", found below.

All, Thanks for enduring the delay on website updates. Personal commitments preclude regular updates. Future updates will be posted intermittently. For timely information, please contact one of the Chapter Officers. Their contact information can be found on the "Contact Us" page and throughout the website. Regards. The Webmaster.