Steamtown National Historic Site

On his way to the loading platform

The age of the steam locomotive is past, but this unit of the National Park Service is dedicated to educating the visitor of the importance of the railroad system in American history. In an effort to accomplish this goal, or perhaps in conjunction with it, the park service has older railroad men teaching younger railroad enthusiasts the skills of trade in the railroad business. At Steamtown they not only restore steam locomotives and passenger cars to their bygone glory, but they also keep them operational. Steamtown is not a replica of a rail yard—it is the Scranton rail yard of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL & W), the work horses during the early 1900s.

The Round house

The Museum building

Although no engine was on the turntable when we were there, it is a working replica, used to turn engines around before they were capable of running in both directions. The roundhouse has been restored with 2 original sections built in 1902 and 1937 and contains several locomotives for close-up inspection. This was the place where safety inspections were done. A steam locomotive had to be inspected every 30 days. Having sat in the engineer’s seat with my leg against the fire box wall, that didn’t seem excessive to me. We also got a guided tour of the maintenance shop where engines were being repaired and restored.

The turntable

The largest engine we saw

A steam engine enthusiast trying to teach us.

A passenger car used for excursions.

What's this doing to our air we breathe?

The railroad was an important factor in the history of our country, moving goods across the land at a high rate of speed. The railroads led to the availability of fresh produce year round, the cattle drives to meat packing plants in Chicago, and the transport of coal to fuel the Industrial Revolution. It was great to see this American icon up close and personal.