All Aboard to Steamtown
While summering in the Poconos, The urge to travel is reaching fever pitch. But where to go? New York and Philly are about equal distance, but fighting the COVID crazed crowds just doesn’t appeal to me. On the heels of a newly eletect president who commonly extols the virtues of his blue collar roots in Scranton, the northeastern Pennsylvania town of 80,000 is jumping off the map. But, what the heck is in Scraaaaatin? A quick search and all things point to Steamtown. Hmmm, what the heck is Steamtown?
Steamtown is a national historic site established in 1986, that preserves and retells the history of the steam locomotive. It covers about 40 acres of the old Delaware, Lackawana and Western Railroad railyard.
With many COVID restrictions and lockdowns in place, the railyard and surrounding venues are eerily quiet. The railyard surrounding the facility is loaded with trains in various stages of restoration. For the most part, I am free to roam around and admire the locomotives. I did cross a clearly marked boundary that I somehow didn’t notice. While having the place mostly to myself, a yellow vested attendant quickly ushers me back into the common area.
Steel and Steam
Leaving the railyard and entering the facility, the self-guided tour is starting in the theater. Every 30 minutes a film presentation runs. The theater is of an industrial design with corrugated steel walls and steel tubular railings. The walls are lined with a deco style cage lighting that proved a dim glow. The chairs are plush and rival any mainstream theater.
The movie tells the story from the perspective of a young boy fantasizing of the new steam engines that he hears thundering across the valley. He tells the story as he embarks upon a career with the railroad. The film runs less than :20 minutes. Though well done, I’m antsy to get out to the turntable that I was peering at waiting for the movie to start.
Run to the roundhouse, Nellie
The highlight of the tour is the roundhouse. While swinging open the heavy steel door to the roundhouse, the smell of oil, grease, fire, sweat and tears wafts over me. The aroma of American hard work and ingenuity is unmistakable. The roundhouse in the heart and sole of steamtown. It consists of about about 20 service bays where the locomotive engines pull in and receive routine maintenance, repairs, rebuilds, and restorations.
I see no one, but hear a loud , rhythmic cold hard steel clanking, pounding, and grinding sound. I was impressed with the attention to detail of piping in realistic working sounds. Then a bouquet of sparks flash beneath one of the engines. Now that’s really impressive. Approaching even closer to find a lone, real-life, oil and grease smudged machinist, practicing his craft. The roundhouse to this day is a working locomotive repair facility. No special effects or trickery needed.
Technology Center
Next stop is the technology center. The museum highlights the technological advances in railroading throughout the decades. Here to discover are elements of railway design and architecture. Including signals, communications and safety. But the large cutaway train is what garners the most attention.
I watch the How it Works presentation on the kiosk and study each compartment from the coal loaded tinder car, to the firebox, fire tubes, boiler, steam dome, smokebox, valves, cylinders and pistons. The ingenuity behind this behemoth is absolutely amazing. It’s easy to see how the advent of the steam locomotive changed the world.
Oil House
The tour ends at the the former Oil House, which is now the park store. A modest lift gift shop with T-Shirts, calendars, puzzles and the like. Of course, I cannot resist given a little toot on the wooden train whistle, eliciting an “All Aboard!” from the store clerk.
Clang, Clang, Clang goes the Trolly
Across the railyard from Steamtown is the Electric City Trolly museum. While not stirring the romanticism and nostalgia of the old steam trains, I walk over to take a peak. While the admission to Steamtown is free, the Trolley Museum charges $12. Maybe for the diehard trolly fan, that’s a deal. But it didn’t interest me that much, so I passed on that.
Scraton is known as the Electric City as electric lights were introduced here in 1880. Additionally, in 1886, the United States’ first successful streetcars powered only by electricity began operating in Scranton. But to get a feel for the hard working, blue collar, Dirty Job worthy American ingenuity, catch a ride on the Reading to Steamtown. Toot, Toot!
When not on the road, he helps others fulfill their yearning to travel as a Membership Specialist for Thousand Trails.
Love reading your travels….off Airbnb, but still have the door open and pouch invited too!
That’s awesome, thank you. Would love to get back out your way. Murphy and I loved it there!!