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Steamtown National Historic Site

Coal Region, PA
The Pennsylvania Coal Region
Lackawanna County, PA
Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania

Steamtown National Historic Site
Cliff Street and Lackawanna Avenue
Scranton, PA

During the Industrial Revolution, steam became the primary source of power for manufacturing and transportation. Steam locomotives dominated railway usage from the early 1800s until the middle of the 1900s. Starting in about 1930 steam locomotives were gradually superseded by diesel and electric locomotives. An important piece of this era is preserved in Pennsylvania’s historical coal region.

The largest known deposits of anthracite coal in the Americas are found where the central Appalachian Mountains make their way through Northeastern Pennsylvania. Anthracite is the purest type of coal, so it is relatively energy-efficient and non-polluting. The region was also rich in iron ore, so it was a natural attraction for iron industrialists. In 1840, brothers George W. Scranton and Seldon T. Scranton founded what would become the Lackawanna Steel Company in present-day Scranton, Pennsylvania (notice the similarity in name), and later created the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W) to transport iron and coal products from the Lackawanna Valley to Hoboken, New Jersey, and to Buffalo and Oswego in New York.

Hoboken Terminal
“1807″ (very top) and “Lackawnna R.R.” (beneath) above the entrance to the Hoboken Terminal complex.

As an interesting aside, it is the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad that built the Beaux Arts terminal in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1907.

Steamtown National Historic Site occupies about forty acres of the DL&W’s Scranton railroad yard, which at its peak employed several thousand workers. Steamtown owns a large collection of locomotives, freight cars and passenger cars from the steam era. You can start at the Visitor Center and learn some DL&W history, tour the rehabilitated Roundhouse that’s used to prepare rail stock for display and to maintain it, watch the 90-foot-long turntable in action (see below), learn all about steam-era rail transportation in the Technology Museum, and even take a short train excursion through the neighboring vicinity.

Roundhouse
Turntable

A roundhouse was a large circular or semicircular structure used for servicing locomotives. Engines returning to the roundhouse for maintenance rolled through a narrow passage onto a huge turntable. An operator inside the control cab (2nd photo, towards the left) rotated the turntable to align the wheels with tracks leading to the assigned stall.
Locomotive Shop

There’s a tour through the Locomotive Shop, where you can see various types of equipment and techniques used to prepare and maintain Steamtown’s collection. The explanation was a bit technical – but since it was provided by a volunteer guide appreciated nonetheless. Workers in the shop are paid craftsman.
Switch Engine

A switch engine was used for pulling heavy loads over short distances. They were generally used to move railroad cars around the yard – a process usually known as switching. This engine was used at the New Haven (Connecticut) Trap Rock Quarry to haul cars loaded with crushed stone out to awaiting barges.
Oil House

Before a locomotive could leave the yard, dozens of moving parts had to be greased and its oil cups filled. The oil house (now a gift shop) was located close to the roundhouse, yet far enough to limit damage in case of fire or explosion. For additional safety, tanks containing large quantities of oil were stored below ground in the concrete basement.
Caboose exterior
Caboose interior

The caboose was the conductor’s office and the trainmen’s living quarters. It was where the conductor handled paperwork for the train’s cargo or passengers, tallying accounts and waybills. An elevated glass enclosure on top afforded workers an improved view of the train’s progress.

You can find antique HO scale, standard gauge and O scale model trains by Lionel, and O scale model trains by Marx on my Vintage Toys website.

Scranton Things To Do

August 11th, 2009 | Tags: | Category: Rail Transportation

5 comments to Steamtown National Historic Site

  • Lauren
    August 21st, 2009 at 12:41 am

    What a fabulous tour. I remember when my grandfather bought me my first model train set. This brings back such wonderful memories. I still have the set, but sadly I just can’t get it to work. I can’t believe I have never been here, even after traveling to Jersey my entire life to see relatives.

  • Sandy
    August 15th, 2009 at 3:34 pm

    Too bad the little guy next door isn’t a bit older. He loves trains, but I think he’s probably too young at this point to do this. Still, I’ll pass the info along to his parents. He might enjoy just going and seeing the trains up close and personal without listening to the technical stuff in the tour etc.

    Sandy

  • Rebecca
    August 12th, 2009 at 11:32 am

    I’ve never traveled a long distance on a train before, so that would be a great experience, especially on a steam locomotive like in the old days. I think that’s very unique that the Site offers a short trip!

  • Carol Voigts
    August 11th, 2009 at 10:37 pm

    I will forward this to my hubby! We take all our retirement vacations by train. Out to Glacier Nat’l Park this Sept. for 10 days.

  • Wandering Educators
    August 11th, 2009 at 10:30 pm

    this is so cool, doug. i’ve already sent it on to a few family members who LOVE trains! what a great day you had! and thanks for sharing.