This pictures displays the typical worker who built the Horseshoe curve. However, one might say that the workers were anything but typical. The curve was built by 450 Irishmen (former mine workers) specifically brought from the Irish counties of Mayo, Cork, and Antrim. The workers were skilled enough to build a curve with only hand drills, black powder, picks, shovels and wheelbarrows (as pictured in the display and the sign to the left). Each worker was only paid 25 cents for a 12 hour work day. Some descendants of the workers can still be found living in Altoona, PA today. 
According to newspapers of the time, the Horseshoe Curve was built by clearing away the top layer of soil until they reached a barrier of solid rock. Workers would then use hand drills to make wells to place the explosives in the rock. Black powder was tamped in and the fuse was lit, this method of clearing the rock was very dangerous because workers never knew where the rock would land. The rubble would eventually be piled into wheelbarrows and discarded in the growing embankments at local ravines. The curve was opened on February 15, 1854 and remains a functioning piece of track to this day. 
This is a picture of the funicular that Nicole and I took up to see the Horseshoe Curve (we decided to skip the 197 steps to the top). 
Nicole is happy we took the funicular... but we did take the stairs down!
We actually got to see a train pass by!!!!
The track was originally built of the Pennsylvania Railroad but currently is sued by the Norfolk Southern Railway. The curve, originally comprising of two tracks, currently has a three-track configuration.
Me at the top :)
Nicole at the top
Me and Nicole [punk rock]Another interesting side story is that the Nazi planned to attack the Horseshoe curve during WWII because it was such an important part of the railroad. Apparently the FBI searched 225 Altoonans home on July 1, 1942 as "alien enemies" (alleged Nazi sympathizers)
The beautiful view!
The beautiful view!
