Horseshoe curve (railway)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As far as possible, a railway trying to climb a steep gradient tries to follow the contours so that cuttings and embankments are kept to a minimum, while also minimizing the total length of the line.

Sometimes a valley at right angles to the general direction of travel can be used to create a contour hugging "horseshoe curve".

[edit] Examples of horseshoe curves

Horseshoe Curve (Pennsylvania), at Kittanning Gap
Dunsmuir, California has a pair of horseshoe curves nearby. Map
Cascade Tunnel has a gully on the western approaches that is an unnamed horseshoe curve.
Dovrebanen, the main line of the Norwegian railway network, has a horseshoe from Dombås and up to the Dovre platau.
Raumabanen, has a double horseshoe with a tunnel at Verma downhill from Dombås.