unc is paying attention, we are in PA folks!
jewels,
How are you doing with that Fay storm thing going on in Florida? OK I hope.
But I hope your real reason for visiting Old Bridge NJ was not to get away from Fay but rather so we can drag race to see who's the boss with the hot sauce....Old Bridge Township Raceway Park is where "Englishtown" drag strip is, one of the best drag stips in the U.S. So get some racegas and let's go. Btw, that's not where I am now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jorgelito
Horseshoe, PA?
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This is close enough for me, so jorgelito has it!!!!
I am at the famous Horseshoe Curve National Monument near Altoona, PA.
Partly because my parents never owned a car, and partly just because we liked to take trains to places once in a while, I actually have been on Pennsylvania Railroad trains a few times going around the Horseshoe Curve...I remember being about 7 or 8 years old and facinated by the whole Horseshoe Curve experience on our way from Philadelphia to visit relatives in Cleveland.
For your visual and geographical pleasures, here it is:
Horseshoe Curve is a famous railroad curve in central Pennsylvania in the United States (it is a horseshoe curve).
It was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad and later used by the Penn Central, then Conrail. It is currently owned by Norfolk Southern Railway, and used by Amtrak's Pennsylvanian service. It is located in Kittanning Gap at the summit of the Allegheny Front, approximately 5 miles (8 km) west of Altoona. The bend is a tight arc of approximately 220 degrees. It comprises two separate curves; on the north side, the radius measures 637 ft (194 m), tightening to 609 ft (186 m) on the south side. The curve was built in response to the difficulty of constructing a railroad through the summit of the Allegheny Mountains. It was designed by J. Edgar Thomson and Herman Haupt, opening on February 15, 1854. It was such an important location that it was guarded by Union soldiers during the American Civil War and a number of additional conflicts.
The curve has been in nearly continuous operation since 1854. Originally comprising two tracks, it was widened to four tracks 1898–1900. Conrail removed one of the tracks in 1981 and the Curve remains in this three-track configuration. It has long been a popular tourist attraction, and is accessible via the Horseshoe Curve Funicular, a funicular railway running to a small park built by the PRR in 1879 at the summit of the ridge. A visitors' center with a trackside observation area is maintained at the site.
The curve's importance to railroad traffic in the U.S. was such that the Nazis attempted to sabotage it in Operation Pastorius during World War II.[3] The curve was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1966, and is now a part of the National Register of Historic Places.
Altoona's minor league baseball team, the Altoona Curve, is named after this railroad landmark.
The location is also noted among geologists for its excellent rock outcrops, including the Devonian Catskill Formation.
The funicular car that takes you up to the Curve:
A couple pics of the 150th Anniversary Commemorative celebrations at the Curve:
And for the Xbox/Playstation crowd, we even have electronic digital versions...actually this is from a TrainMaster computer simulator to train the train guys....hahaa...get it? 
So here's my toast to the great Horseshoe Curve
