Editing Altoona, Pennsylvania (section)

===Horseshoe Curve===
{{Main|Horseshoe Curve (Pennsylvania)}}
[[File:The Horseshoe Curve, Pennsylvania, by H.C. White Co. crop.jpg|thumb|A [[Stereoscopy|stereo card]] of a train on the [[Horseshoe Curve]], {{Circa|1907}}]]
[[Horseshoe Curve (Pennsylvania)|Horseshoe Curve]], a curved section of track built by the Pennsylvania Railroad, located at MP 242 on the NS Pittsburgh line, has become a [[tourism|tourist]] attraction and [[National Historic Landmark]]. The curve was built to help trains cross the Allegheny Ridge, a barrier to westward trade. Construction of the [[Erie Canal]] in New York 20 years earlier had diverted much port traffic from Philadelphia to New York City, feeding that city's commercial dominance. Because the curve was an industrial link to the western United States, Horseshoe Curve was a primary target of eight [[Nazism|Nazi]] [[saboteurs]] who had landed during [[World War II]] from [[U-boat]]s of [[Nazi Germany]]'s ''[[Kriegsmarine]]'' during [[Operation Pastorius]].<ref name="Altoona mirror">{{cite web|url=http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/content.detail/id/591073.html|title=Event to revisit Nazi plot that ratcheted up security at Horseshoe Curve - AltoonaMirror.com - Altoona, PA &#124; News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - The Altoona Mirror|publisher=altoonamirror.com|access-date=2015-09-29}}</ref>

At its peak in the early 20th century, PRR's [[Altoona Works]] complex employed about 15,000 people and covered three miles (5&nbsp;km) in length, {{convert|218|acre}} of yards and {{convert|37|acre}} of indoor workshop floor space in 122 buildings. The PRR built 7,873 of its own locomotives at the Works, the last in 1946.<ref name="NPS" /> PRR shaped the city, creating the city's fire departments and moving the hospital to a site nearer to the shop's gates. Today, the [[#Fire|fire department]] employs 65 people and is the largest career department between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.altoonafirefighters.org|title=Altoona Firefighters Local 299|access-date=2007-09-22| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070928021223/http://www.altoonafirefighters.org/| archive-date= 28 September 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> PRR sponsored a city band and constructed Cricket Field, a sports complex. In 1853, the PRR built the Mechanic's Library, the first industrial library in the nation, which exists today as the Altoona Area Public Library.<ref name="Historical Society of Pennsylvania">{{cite web|url=http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=477|title=Historical Society of Pennsylvania}}</ref> With the decline in railroad demand after World War II, things began to decline. Many treasures of the city's history disappeared, including the Logan House Hotel and railroad shops.<ref name="NPS">{{cite web |title = History of the Altoona Railroad Shops: The Creation And Coming Of The Pennsylvania Railroad |work = National Park Service Special History Study |publisher = United States National Park Service |date = 2004-10-22 |url = http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/railroad/shs1.htm |access-date = 2007-08-21 }}</ref>

Horseshoe Curve is a popular tourist attraction, particularly for train aficionados. There is a [[funicular]] that takes visitors to a viewing area, or it can be reached by climbing 194 steps to the top.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://uncoveringpa.com/altoona-horseshoe-curve|title=Altoona's Horseshoe Curve: A Must-See for Train Lovers|date=26 August 2013}}</ref>