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Pushing Up the Curve
by Andrew Harmantas
Oil on Linen on braced Masonite panel
Original Painting Image size 16" x 20"
Framed size 20" x 24"
Horseshoe Curve, near Altoona, Pennsylvania, is an engineering marvel, and has impressed train watchers and tourists
for well over a century. Trains move up and down the Alleghenies so frequently on that line that a moment when at least
one train is not seen negotiating the curve is rare. Before Norfolk Southern and Conrail, Horseshoe Curve was
synonymous with the Pennsylvania Railroad. It was always exciting to see the long, heavy freights with locomotives
operating at full power fighting their way up the mountain side, along with the occasional passenger train not moving
much faster on a parallel track. Nearly every train had "helpers," or additional locomotives coupled on
the front, in the middle, or most commonly, at the tail end. Most trains are viewed and remembered as they approach,
but equally remarkable is the power on the back end as the helpers grind by with their engines rumbling, generators
whining, and the cooling fans roaring. This scene is typical of the 1960s, when second-generation diesel locomotives
ruled the rails. On this sunny and cold winter day, a freight passes by with two SD45 locomotives pushing.
Price: $750 (includes US shipping)
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