The Great Bend/Horhoe Curve



Above: The fameous Pennsylvania Railroad Horse Shoe Curve just west of Altoona, Pennsylvania looking east. This is the position I am looking for in the South Pennsylvania Railroad curve. No! I don't expect to get such a view but just the feelng is good enough for me.



Above: From the original homestead site of David Freidline looking north. The South Pennsylvania Railroad's Horse Shoe Curve would be located along the hillside on my right and travels along the high side to the background where it then would curve a semicircle back towards my position to the point where the house is slightly hidden in the woods where it would then turn along the brim of this depression 800' down this road in front of me to enter the woods on the left. This road in front of me leading directly away from me is on the next South Pennsylvania Ralroad map on the right.

  

Above right: The Great Bend map. The curve is actually north east in direction. It is one mile long and is on Forbes State Forest property.  You can see the driveway on the map seen in the above panned photo. The little ticks on Felgar road are what I will use to start my walk. Each tick is 100'. From the curve on Felgar Road we would need to walk down the old Felgar Road 550 ' turn 40'0 NE  and walk 1000' into the woods to reach the South Pennsylvania grade. Then continue walking another 4000' to have gone just past the Great Bend. Walk back 105' to be on the C/L of the back curve. To reach the cut that was to be built, you would then need to turn NWon a heading of 140'0 to another 1000' to reach the Great Cut.

Below: I took some time to try and turn the maps so they would be equaly oriented for you to see just how the Great Bend would be seen had it been built. Someday I will try to get one overlayed over the other. The added arrows are pointing to some well defined landmarks still seen today.



Below: The letters also show the survey down Powder Mill Run to Weavers Mill just south of Rector to reach Ligonier just out side Idlewild Park.

 

Mountain Craft Days

Every year I travel sixty miles to the east up the Pennsylvania Turnpike to a great place north of Somerset to Mountain Craft Days. This year the event will be Fri/10/11-Sun/10/12. This year I  focused on the 1938-1939 aerial photos against the South Pennsylvania Rairload Survey Maps. You will be able to compare the remaing work on the aerial photos against the survey maps. I enjoy this event and even the day after the previous showing I look forward to the next year.

Thanks to all.

Once again Mountain Craft Days was a great success and I want to thank all who came to the display and listened intently to the information shown. I enjoyed talking with everyone and thank all who purchased the book and DVD's and a few maps I had on the subject. The next coming year I will expand my display to show the areas south into the Western Maryland area that was surveyed by the South Penn in 1883. This will once again be compared to the 1939 aerial photos of that area including the Pinkerton Bend Tunnel and Confluence as well as Ohio Pyle and Connellsville.

See you next year at Mountain Craft Days. Somerset, Pennsylvania.



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