Steamtown
Steamtown is a National Historic Site that is maintained by the National Park Service these days. Before that, it was created by a very wealthy individual who gathered a collection of old railroad equipment in Vermont who did all he could to make it successful. Still, he eventually had to move the collection. This time it went to the former railroad yard of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western in Scranton, PA. It was welcomed by the city in the hopes of attracting a lot of visitors. That didn’t quite work out, and the Park Service took it over.
Since that checkered beginning, today, Steamtown has developed into an interesting display of steam operations in the heyday of railroading, showing many restored examples of steam engines and how they operate and what it takes, all through the exhibits in the restored roundhouse on site. It is full of compelling displays for the public, all very well done and educational.
They even offer rides using their vintage equipment, but they charge a fee for that and maintain a schedule; however, admission to Steamtown overall is free.
Walking and roaming around the grounds can easily be done, but one must be careful: the place still has an operating rail line through it. I think it is Canadian National that runs trains there, but I never found out for certain.
I was certainly surprised by some of the equipment on the grounds at Steamtown. The first was the Union Pacific “Big Boy” 4012 steam locomotive, where huge isn’t a word that can quite cover the immense machine. I was able to photograph 4012 and 4014 together when 4014 made its famous trip across the country for America’s 250th year celebration. It was a rare event to have two of the behemoths in one place since they were last operational in the 1940s. See them together here.
I saw old snowplows from back in the day, some the rotary type made of steel, and others even older made of wood. Several old freight cars were there to show development in their design over the years.
The biggest surprise of all was a very decrepit Shay steam locomotive so aged it was barely holding together in one piece. You can see it in the picture titled Nearly Gone #15405.
That old locomotive is a good example of how rough some of the equipment is before restoration actually begins. Of course, if parts are needed, they have to make them…they obviously aren’t available any longer decades after the machines were retired. Further, hats off to the crew who do that restoration work…an experienced man has to be skilled in many areas and trades to know what to do in the first place. Many times, those skills and trades have gone dormant over the years and need to be relearned.
