Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
150th Anniversary Of "Horseshoe Curve"
Features Major Fourth Of July Tribute
Norfolk Southern and OSRAM SYLVANIA Engineer Lighting Extravaganza;
This Year's Event Will Trump the 1954 "SYLVANIA Big Shot"
ALTOONA, PA - With the commemoration of Horseshoe Curve's 150th
anniversary this year, the Railroaders Heritage Corporation today
announced that it will "pull out all the stops" with a major evening
spectacular on July 4th. This extraordinary event will be reminiscent
of the famous 1954 "SYLVANIA Big Shot," which featured the simultaneous
deployment of more than 6,500 SYLVANIA Blue Dot flashbulbs to light
Horseshoe Curve. This time, OSRAM SYLVANIA and Norfolk Southern will
provide technology, equipment and sizzle for the celebration of this
major transportation and engineering milestone in American history.
"We are excited to once again help bring notice to such an
important moment in American history," said Scott Cessna, executive
director of the Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona. "In 1854, an
enterprising young civil engineer named J. Edgar Thomson opened the
first railway to scale the mighty Allegheny Mountains in Central
Pennsylvania. To avoid a sharp incline, which would be impossible for
heavy steam trains to manage, Thomson routed the right-of-way in a
horseshoe shape, so the rise would be gradual. The feat was considered
a major engineering masterpiece at the time and was pivotal to opening
commerce across the continental U. S. "
The American Society of Civil Engineers recently recognized
Horseshoe Curve as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark
during a ceremony in Altoona.
"Horseshoe Curve is a vital component of Norfolk Southern's 22-
state freight rail network," said David R. Goode, Norfolk Southern's
chairman, president and chief executive officer. "The 150th year of
operation of this American industrial and engineering landmark, its
role in the westward expansion of the U. S. and its continuing
importance to the national economy are certainly deserving of
celebration. "
Today, an average of 60 Norfolk Southern freight trains and four
Amtrak passenger trains operate over Horseshoe Curve daily. This volume
translates into more than 100 million gross tons of freight annually.
Commodities coming through Horseshoe Curve include mail, consumer
goods, coal, finished automobiles, construction material and
agricultural products.
SYLVANIA technology continues to focus public awareness on the
remarkable feat of engineering that Horseshoe Curve represents. In
1954, SYLVANIA and the Pennsylvania Railroad captured the imagination
of children and adults alike with the illumination of Horseshoe Curve,
which was the sixth in a series of 18 photographic achievements known
as Big Shots. All 18 Big Shots were illuminated using SYLVANIA
flashbulb technology. Photographs of the 1954 event can be found at
www.railroadcity.com/hsc1954.
"We recognize the historical significance of the anniversary of the
construction of Horseshoe Curve and are pleased to support the
recreation of the spectacle of the first lighting. As we did in the
past, we will be using the most innovative products available on the
market today," said Charlie Jerabek, president and CEO of OSRAM
SYLVANIA. "Many of the lighting products available through OSRAM
SYLVANIA today were developed within the last five years. "
In order to provide the safest and most comfortable atmosphere for
the celebration, the event will be ticketed. Entertainment will be
provided the entire day both at the Railroaders Memorial Museum in
Altoona and Horseshoe Curve, culminating with the lighting of Horseshoe
Curve and a display from Zambelli Fireworks Internationale - the "First
Family of Fireworks. " Ticket information is available by contacting the
Railroaders Memorial Museum at 1-888-4ALTOONA.
About Railroaders Heritage Corporation
Railroaders Heritage Corporation is a not-for-profit organization
established in 1972 with offices in Altoona, PA. The Corporation owns
and operates two significant historic sites in the Altoona area - the
Horseshoe Curve National Historic Landmark and the Railroaders Memorial
Museum. It is the mission of the Railroaders Heritage Corporation to
reveal, interpret, commemorate and celebrate the significant
contributions of railroaders and their families to American life, past
and present. Please visit us at www.railroadcity.com.
Features Major Fourth Of July Tribute
Norfolk Southern and OSRAM SYLVANIA Engineer Lighting Extravaganza;
This Year's Event Will Trump the 1954 "SYLVANIA Big Shot"
ALTOONA, PA - With the commemoration of Horseshoe Curve's 150th
anniversary this year, the Railroaders Heritage Corporation today
announced that it will "pull out all the stops" with a major evening
spectacular on July 4th. This extraordinary event will be reminiscent
of the famous 1954 "SYLVANIA Big Shot," which featured the simultaneous
deployment of more than 6,500 SYLVANIA Blue Dot flashbulbs to light
Horseshoe Curve. This time, OSRAM SYLVANIA and Norfolk Southern will
provide technology, equipment and sizzle for the celebration of this
major transportation and engineering milestone in American history.
"We are excited to once again help bring notice to such an
important moment in American history," said Scott Cessna, executive
director of the Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona. "In 1854, an
enterprising young civil engineer named J. Edgar Thomson opened the
first railway to scale the mighty Allegheny Mountains in Central
Pennsylvania. To avoid a sharp incline, which would be impossible for
heavy steam trains to manage, Thomson routed the right-of-way in a
horseshoe shape, so the rise would be gradual. The feat was considered
a major engineering masterpiece at the time and was pivotal to opening
commerce across the continental U. S. "
The American Society of Civil Engineers recently recognized
Horseshoe Curve as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark
during a ceremony in Altoona.
"Horseshoe Curve is a vital component of Norfolk Southern's 22-
state freight rail network," said David R. Goode, Norfolk Southern's
chairman, president and chief executive officer. "The 150th year of
operation of this American industrial and engineering landmark, its
role in the westward expansion of the U. S. and its continuing
importance to the national economy are certainly deserving of
celebration. "
Today, an average of 60 Norfolk Southern freight trains and four
Amtrak passenger trains operate over Horseshoe Curve daily. This volume
translates into more than 100 million gross tons of freight annually.
Commodities coming through Horseshoe Curve include mail, consumer
goods, coal, finished automobiles, construction material and
agricultural products.
SYLVANIA technology continues to focus public awareness on the
remarkable feat of engineering that Horseshoe Curve represents. In
1954, SYLVANIA and the Pennsylvania Railroad captured the imagination
of children and adults alike with the illumination of Horseshoe Curve,
which was the sixth in a series of 18 photographic achievements known
as Big Shots. All 18 Big Shots were illuminated using SYLVANIA
flashbulb technology. Photographs of the 1954 event can be found at
www.railroadcity.com/hsc1954.
"We recognize the historical significance of the anniversary of the
construction of Horseshoe Curve and are pleased to support the
recreation of the spectacle of the first lighting. As we did in the
past, we will be using the most innovative products available on the
market today," said Charlie Jerabek, president and CEO of OSRAM
SYLVANIA. "Many of the lighting products available through OSRAM
SYLVANIA today were developed within the last five years. "
In order to provide the safest and most comfortable atmosphere for
the celebration, the event will be ticketed. Entertainment will be
provided the entire day both at the Railroaders Memorial Museum in
Altoona and Horseshoe Curve, culminating with the lighting of Horseshoe
Curve and a display from Zambelli Fireworks Internationale - the "First
Family of Fireworks. " Ticket information is available by contacting the
Railroaders Memorial Museum at 1-888-4ALTOONA.
About Railroaders Heritage Corporation
Railroaders Heritage Corporation is a not-for-profit organization
established in 1972 with offices in Altoona, PA. The Corporation owns
and operates two significant historic sites in the Altoona area - the
Horseshoe Curve National Historic Landmark and the Railroaders Memorial
Museum. It is the mission of the Railroaders Heritage Corporation to
reveal, interpret, commemorate and celebrate the significant
contributions of railroaders and their families to American life, past
and present. Please visit us at www.railroadcity.com.
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