The Horseshoe Curve, a marvel of engineering, was constructed in 1854 by the Pennsylvania Railroad who started the ordeal in order to create an easier way to reach the Allegheny Mountains. A three-track curve, the Horseshoe Curve is 1,300 feet in diameter and 2,375 feet in length. It faithfully served the PRR for about 114 years, then Penn Central, Conrail, and finally Norfolk Southern who has current possesion of its rails. A favorite of rail-fans and model railroaders alike, the Horseshoe Curve remains poised as the single most influential remnant of the Pennsylvania Railroad, "The Standard Railroad of the World."