This is a National Historic Landmark!

The curve shown on the front of this post card is "world famous". There are three train tracks on this curve on Norfolk Southern Railway's Pittsburgh Line 5 miles west of Altoona, Pennsylvania. The curve has a diameter of about 1,300 feet and is about a half-mile long. In the early 1850s, the massive front of the Allegheny Mountains, standing 2,161 feet above sea level, blocked westward advance. This obstacle culminated in the creation of the Gallitzin Tunnels and the Horseshoe Curve, both of which were dug out of near-impenetrable geographic formations. Using switchbacks, excavations, and pure innovation, engineers reduced grades and effectively conquered the mountains. To conduct these laborious endeavors, the Pennsylvania Railroad hired job-hungry Irish immigrants. The hazardous work lasted three grueling years. The end result was nothing less than monumental. The Curve became known as one of the eight engineering marvels of the world. The completion of the Curve was widely celebrated and heralded throughout the state as a grand opportunity. The now-iconic railroad link opened for business on February 15, 1854. Over the next century-and-a-half, the landmark also became a tourism destination, a target of Nazi spies, and one of the primary east-west arteries of railroad travel in the nation. This website is the official website for the National Historic Landmark: https://www.railroadcity.org/horseshoecurve The post card was published by Beauty Views J.P. Walmer Box 224, Harrisburg, PA. I know nothing about this publisher.