Tag: pennsylvania-tourism

The World Famous Horseshoe Curve, Altoona, Pennsylvania

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of Pennsylvania is a state with so many historic sites.  From the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution in Philadelphia to the discovery of oil in Titusville, everywhere you step in Pennsylvania, history took place.  When it comes to the railroad, one of the great railroad sites in the World Famous Horseshoe Curve in the city of Altoona.

Yes, there are other horseshoe curves.  What makes this one so famous?

In the early years of the United States of America, settlers arrived on the beaches of the Atlantic Coast.  As they came, there was a desire to go west from the Atlantic Ocean.  The first attempt was the famous horse and buggy.  Then they arrived at the Appalachian Mountains.  Building roads over the mountains were very difficult.  Then came canals.  However, the canals were hard to build over mountains.  Then came the railroad.  The railroad then had a run-in with the mountain.  Then an idea came.  Instead on building the tracks straight up the mountainside, why not build the railroad bed along the side of the mountain going up the mountainside gradually.  The railroad bed was built gradually going up the mountain into a cove where it made a U-turn on the mountainside.  The World Famous Horseshoe Curve was complete.  Trains were able to get up the mountain with a little help of the Gallitzin Tunnels allowing trains to from the cities of the Atlantic Ocean to the interior of the United States of America.

Today, the World Famous Horseshoe Curve is designated as a National Engineering Landmark.  An engineer can drive his locomotive through the curve, and he could see the back of his train.  Train watchers come and spend a day watching the trains roll through the curve.  Along with the passing trains, there is also a small museum showing how the curve was built and the great efforts that were made to build the curve.

The World Famous Horseshoe Curve is located at 2400 Veterans Memorial Highway outside of the city of Altoona.  (Please note that there is a tunnel north of the site with a height limit not suitable for busses and large recreational vehicles.  Busses and large vehicles must approach the curve from the city of Altoona and not from U.S. Route 22.)  Access to the viewing area is accessible to wheelchairs by way of funicular that operates during open hours.  You can get more information, admission, and of hours at https://www.railroadcity.org/horseshoecurve.

When in Altoona, visit the World Famous Horseshoe Curve.  No, you will not find horseshoes, but you will see trains pass through a major engineering marvel.

Choo Choo Barn – Traintown, U.S.A., Strasburg, Pennsylvania

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The railroad did not begin in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, but the state has many great railroad sites.  The state is also famous for its railroad towns.  One of these towns is Strasburg, a suburb of Lancaster.  The Strasburg Railroad is the oldest continuously operating standard gauge railroad in the western hemisphere, and this railroad has been giving railroad excursions through the Amish countryside for many years, and it is one of the most popular train rides in the entire world.  As many enjoy the Strasburg Railroad, it overshadows another great attraction that is just one thousand feet away.

Welcome to the Choo Choo Barn.  What is the Choo Choo Barn?

Some of you are saying, “Well, duh!  It is a barn, but instead of housing farm animals, it houses choo choo’s.”

Well, you are partially right.  It does not house full sized choo choo’s like the ones you see at the nearby Strasburg Railroad and Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, but it is the home of a model train display.

Some of you are saying, “Yeah!  I know.  It is one of those model train displays where a model train goes around and around and around a small circle.  It is just another boring model train display.”

If you enjoy boring model train displays, then you will be very disappointed when you visit the Choo Choo Barn.  How great is the Choo Choo Barn?

You may have heard of Northlandz in the town of Flemington in the U.S. state of New Jersey, home of the largest model train display in the world, and you can still visit Northlandz today.  Then you have places like Roadside America in Shartlesville, Pennsylvania and EnterTrainment Junction in the West Chester Township, a suburb of Cincinnati in the U.S. state of Ohio, two other large model train displays that are sadly defunct.  All three of these train displays was the dream of one man.

How does the Choo Choo Barn compare?  It began as a dad giving a gift to his son.  It began in a basement of a house.  Like many great train displays, it outgrew the basement.  It was then relocated to an old maintenance barn, and the Choo Choo Barn came to be as it was opened to the public for millions to enjoy, and it remained under family ownership until 2023 by a man named Gary Russell.

As you enter the room, you see the 1,700 square foot model train display before you.  You see a big village with handmade structures.  No kits were used in this display.  You are mesmerized by the many trains as they go around and around and around.  You see a construction crew doing road construction.  You can take a peek at the zoo.  You can go to the circus  You can gaze at the waterfalls.  Yes, it is real water going over the falls.  As you tour the display, you might want to take in a baseball game.

Through the years, the Choo Choo Barn grew from being a model train display to a gift shop to a small shopping center with model train stores.  It went from being the Choo Choo Barn to Choo Choo Barn: Traintown, U.S.A.  They also have the Choo Choo Barn Foundation which is a non-profit foundation which acquired the Rocky Springs Carousel.  They do have future plans of moving to a new location in the Strasburg area and expanding their attraction while trying to attract younger people to the joys of model railroading.

The Choo Choo Barn: Traintown, U.S.A. is located at 226 Gap Road (Pennsylvania Route 741) in Strasburg, Pennsylvania just a short distance from the Strasburg Railroad and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.  It is open every day (closed on certain holidays) from 10:00am to 5:00pm.  It is suggested that you give yourself an hour to visit the model train display.  It is all on one level making it easy for those in wheelchairs.  Parking is on site.  You can get information on admission and read more into the history of Choo Choo Barn at https://choochoobarn.com/.

The next time you are in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, ride the Strasburg Railroad.  Tour the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.  See the great model train display at the Choo Choo Barn.  Oh, they do have animals.  You will see the animals along with the many model trains.