Steamtown National Historic Site

Located in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, the Steamtown National Historic Site was established in 1986 to 

preserve, interpret, and protect the history of steam railroading in America including the historic railroad yard, collections, technical knowledge, and skills that further the public understanding of the impact of steam railroading on U.S. industry, commerce, and society.

The park sits on about 60 acres of the former Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad yard and engine repair facilities. Parts of the 1902 and 1937 roundhouses are used to house steam locomotives of the Steamtown collection. Additional buildings, including the visitor center, theater, and history museum were constructed to visually complete the nearly enclosed roundhouse structure. A working turntable is used to position the locomotives for repair or restoration work.

A large, paved parking lot has designated spots for six handicap placarded vehicles near the Steamtown entrance and another six near the unaffiliated Electric City Trolley Museum, fourteen RVs or busses, and over 250 spots for standard vehicles.

The visitor center has exhibits, scale models, and an information desk. Restrooms are located in the theater building and possibly other buildings. The 1995 18-minute film Steel and Steam is shown in the 260-seat theater. Besides the Visitor Center and Theater, there is a History Museum, the 1937 Roundhouse, the 1902 Roundhouse, and the mostly closed Technology Museum.

Due to the pandemic, all excursion trips had been canceled for the year. I visited the site in October 2021 during our trip to Cape Cod National Seashore.

Outdoor Exhibits

Union Pacific 4012 4-8-8-4 Big Boy was built by American Locomotive Company (Alco) in 1941

Reading Lines FP7 903 diesel-electric was built by Electro-Motive Division in 1950 and 
4-8-4 T1 Northern 2124 was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works
as a 2-8-0 in 1924 and rebuilt by RDG in 1947

Rahway Valley 15 (formerly Oneida & Western Railroad 20) a 2-8-0 Consolidation
was built by Baldwin in 1916

Canadian National Railways 47 X-10-a 4-6-4T Baltic tank
was built by Montreal Locomotive Works in 1914

Groveton Paper Co 7 2-4-2T was built by Vulcan Iron Works of Wilkes-Barre in 1911

Buildings

The former Oil House is now the bookstore and museum shop

Tickets are only required for excursions when they are running again

Steamtown

Visitor Center

Visitor Center exhibits

Visitor Center model

Visitor Center model and information desk

Visitor Center exhibit

260-seat theater

Roundtable Exhibits

Illinois Central 790 2-8-0 Consolidation built by Alco in 1903

New Haven Trap Rock Company 43 0-4-0T built by Vulcan Iron Works in 1919

90-foot Turntable

History Museum

Making canals obsolete

Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DLW) formed in 1853

The Gilded Age

Standard Time

The Safety Appliance Act of 1893 mandated Janney couplers and air brakes

The United States Railroad Administration took
control of the railroads during World War I

Diesels and streamlined passenger trains

Milk bottles unearthed during the construction of Steamtown

United States Mail
Railway Post Office 1100
(Louisville & Nashville)

Dining room of Erie Railroad Business Car 3

Rear platform of the business car

Inspection pit

View across the turntable to the Visitor Center

Roundhouse

1937 Roundhouse

Grand Trunk Western 6039 4-8-2 Mountain built by Baldwin in 1925

New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (Nickel Plate Road) 759
2-8-4 Berkshire built by Lima Locomotive Works in 1944

DLW 565 2-6-0 Mogul built by Alco in 1908

Canadian Pacific Railway 2317 class G-3c 4-6-2 Pacific
built by Montreal Locomotive Works in 1923

Canadian National Railways 3254 2-8-2 Mikado built by
Canadian Locomotive Company Kingston Works in 1917

Baldwin Locomotive Works 26 0-6-0 built in 1929

Ramps for getting to and from the viewing platform

Lehigh Valley Business Car 353 built by Pullman in 1916

Technology Museum

Cutaway of Spang, Chalfant & Company 8 0-6-0 built by Baldwin in 1923

Tender cutaway

The intact firemans's side of Spang, Chalfant and Company 8

There is no entrance fee at Steamtown National Historic Site.

The Steamtown National Historic Site website is https://www.nps.gov/stea/index.htm.