Discover America's Wonders | View Obscura - The Ultimate Travel Blog: Steamtown National Historic Site

Sunday, November 8, 2020

Steamtown National Historic Site - Scranton, Pennsylvania

Enjoy Seasonal Passenger Excursions Tours and Programs Train Rides and Excursions Steamtown's Big Boy Restoration Project Upcoming Events at Steamtown

Steamtown National Historic Site (NHS) is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located on 62.48 acres in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the site of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W). The museum is built around a working turntable and a round house that are largely replications of the original DL&W facilities; the roundhouse, for example, was reconstructed from remnants of a 1932 structure. The site also features several original outbuildings dated between 1899 and 1902. All the buildings on the site are listed with the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Yard-Dickson Manufacturing Co. Site.

Most of the steam locomotives and other railroad equipment at Steamtown NHS were originally collected by F. Nelson Blount, a millionaire seafood processor from New England. In 1964, Blount established a non-profit organization, the Steamtown Foundation, to operate Steamtown, U.S.A., a steam railroad museum and excursion business in Bellows Falls, Vermont. In 1984, the foundation moved Steamtown to Scranton, conceived of as urban redevelopment and funded in part by the city. But the museum failed to attract the expected 200,000 to 400,000 annual visitors, and within two years was facing bankruptcy.

In 1986, the U.S. House of Representatives, at the urging of Scranton native Representative Joseph M. McDade, approved $8 million to begin turning the museum into a National Historic Site. The idea was derided by those who called the collection second-rate, the site's historical significance questionable, and the public funding no more than pork-barrel politics. But proponents said the site and the collection were ideal representations of American industrial history. By 1995, the National Park Service (NPS) had acquired Steamtown, USA, and improved its facilities at a total cost of $66 million.

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Steamtown NHS is located within a working railroad yard and incorporates the surviving elements of the 1902 DL&W Scranton roundhouse and locomotive repair shops. The visitor center, theater, technology and history museums are built in the style of and on the site of the missing portions of the original roundhouse, giving an impression of what the original circular structure was like.

The museum has exhibits about the history and technology of steam railroads in the United States and Pennsylvania, particularly the DL&W; life on the railroad; and the business, labor, and governmental relationships between railroads. The theater shows a short film throughout the day.

Many locomotives and freight and passenger cars are on display. Some have open cabs and compartments that visitors can climb in and walk through, including a mail car, railroad executives' passenger car (with dining room and sleeping / lounge areas), a boxcar, two cabooses, and a recreated DL&W station with ticket window. A steam locomotive with cutaway sections helps visitors understand steam power. Part of one of the 1865 roundhouse inspection pits uncovered in archaeological excavations is also preserved in situ, under glass.

Some of the rolling stock is historically connected to the site, including a DL&W steam engine and diesel, caboose, boxcar, a former World War II troop sleeper that the DL&W converted to maintenance of way service, and numerous passenger cars. Former Oneida & Western/Railway Valley Railroad 2-8-0 engine #15 was overhauled by the DL&W. Other noteworthy pieces are the popular Union Pacific Big Boy #4012, Canadian Pacific Railway (CP Rail) #2929 (a rare Jubilee 4-4-4), Nickel Plate Road (NKP) S-2 #759, and Reading Company (RDG) T-1 #2124.

Steamtown National Historic Site (NHS) has removed the Union Pacific “Big Boy” No. 4012 steam locomotive from public display for cosmetic restoration work and painting. During the work, visitors shall not have access to view the locomotive.

The Steamtown NHS “Big Boy” steam locomotive is the only one of its type located east of the Mississippi River and is a popular attraction. This has been especially true in 2019 because of the Union Pacific Railroad’s restoration of sibling “Big Boy” No. 4014 to full operational capacity earlier this year. The engine was an important component in commemorating the 150th anniversary of the completion of the first transcontinental railroad, which the Union Pacific helped construct between 1863 and 1869. Notably, the “Big Boy” locomotives were critical contributors on the Home Front during WWII moving heavy freight and war materiel.

Steamtown NHS will provide occasional updates on the park’s website and social media on the status of “Big Boy” No. 4012’s cosmetic restoration and painting, so there is no need to call the site to ask about its current status. While we realize that many visitors come specifically to Steamtown NHS to view this leviathan of the rails, and will be disappointed that it is not on display, the end result shall ensure that future visitors will be even more impressed with their views of what is one of the largest steam locomotives ever built. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this multi-month process. - Press Release