Steamtown National Historic Site
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Steamtown National Historic Site (NHS) is a
railroad museum A railway museum is a museum that explores the history of all aspects of rail related transportation, including: locomotives (steam, diesel, and electric), railway cars, trams, and railway signalling equipment. They may also operate historic equ ...
and
heritage railroad A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...
located on in downtown
Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming V ...
, 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 A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...
and a roundhouse 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 The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
as part of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Yard-Dickson Manufacturing Co. Site.Kissel, Kelly P
From Train yard Spouts National Park
Ludingtone Daily News. May 19, 1992. Pg. 5, Accessed March 11, 2012.
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 Bellows Falls is an incorporated village located in the town of Rockingham in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,747 at the 2020 census. Bellows Falls is home to the Green Mountain Railroad, a heritage railroad; the ...
. 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.Barcousky, Len.
Federal Train Park Steams Both Sides
'. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. July 3, 1994. Pg B1. Accessed July, 18, 2010.
In 1986, the
U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
, at the urging of Scranton native Representative Joseph M. McDade, approved $8 million to begin turning the museum into a National Historic Site.House Approves Spending for Scranton Steamtown
The Pittsburgh Press, October 16, 1986. Accessed July 16, 2010
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.Hinds, Michael deCourcy

' New York Times, November 23, 1991. Accessed July 16, 2010
Kelly, Brian

Newsweek. April 13, 1992. Accessed July 18, 2010,
But proponents said the site and the collection were ideal representations of American industrial history.At Scranton's Steamtown

New York Times. January 8, 1992. Accessed July 16, 2010
By 1995, the
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...
(NPS) had acquired Steamtown, USA, and improved its facilities at a total cost of $66 million. Steamtown National Historic Site has since sold a few pieces from the Blount collection, and added a few others deemed of greater historical significance to the region. By 2008, low visitor attendance and the need of costly asbestos removal from many pieces of the collection were spurring discussion about privatizing Steamtown.


Museum and collection

Steamtown NHS is located within a working
railroad yard A rail yard, railway yard, railroad yard (US) or simply yard, is a series of tracks in a rail network for storing, sorting, or loading and unloading rail vehicles and locomotives. Yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock or u ...
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 specifically in
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, 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 A boxcar is the North American ( AAR) term for a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is considered one of the most versatile since it can carry most ...
, two
caboose A caboose is a crewed North American railroad car coupled at the end of a freight train. Cabooses provide shelter for crew at the end of a train, who were formerly required in railway switch, switching and Shunting (rail), shunting, keeping a l ...
s, 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 In United States railroad terminology, a troop sleeper was a railroad passenger car which had been constructed to serve as something of a mobile barracks (essentially, a sleeping car) for transporting troops over distances sufficient to require ...
that the DL&W converted to maintenance of way service, and numerous passenger cars. Former Oneida & Western/
Rahway Valley Railroad The Rahway Valley Railroad (RVRR) was a short-line railroad in the Northeastern United States which connected the Lehigh Valley Railroad in Roselle Park and the Central Railroad of New Jersey in Cranford with the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western ...
2-8-0 engine #15 was overhauled by the DL&W. Other noteworthy pieces are the popular
Union Pacific Big Boy The Union Pacific Big Boy is a type of simple articulated 4-8-8-4 steam locomotive manufactured by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) between 1941 and 1944 and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad in revenue service until 1962. The 25 Big ...
#4012, Canadian Pacific Railway (CP Rail) #2929 (a rare Jubilee 4-4-4),
Nickel Plate Road The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad , abbreviated NYC&St.L, was a railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. Commonly referred to as the "Nickel Plate Road", the railroad served parts of the states of New York, Pennsylva ...
(NKP) S-2 #759, and Reading Company (RDG) T-1 #2124. Engines NKP #759, CN #47, New Haven Trap Rock Co. #43, and Rahway Valley #15 have operated at Steamtown, but not since the move to Pennsylvania.


Equipment


Locomotives


Former units

Several engines not part of the collection have visited the Scranton site: NYS&W #142, BM&R #425(now Reading Blue Mountain and Northern 425), Lowville & Beaver River Shay #8, former RDG T-1 #2102 (restored and operable by Reading Blue Mountain and Northern),
Milwaukee Road 261 Milwaukee Road 261 is a class "S3" 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in Schenectady, New York in July, 1944 for the Milwaukee Road. It was used for heavy mainline freight and passenger work ...
, PRR 1361 and
NKP 765 Nickel Plate Road 765 is a class "S-2" 2-8-4 "Berkshire" type steam locomotive built for the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, commonly referred to as the "Nickel Plate Road". No. 765 continues to operate in mainline excursion service and ...
. "Peppersass" No.1 from
Mount Washington Cog Railway The Mount Washington Cog Railway, also known as the Cog, is the world's first mountain-climbing Rack railway, cog railway (rack-and-pinion railway). The railway climbs Mount Washington in New Hampshire, United States. It uses a Rack railway#Mars ...
visited the Steamtown Scranton site during Railfest 2016, and revisited again during March 11 to 13, 2019.


Demonstrations, tours, and excursions

Steamtown NHS offers a variety of demonstrations, tours, and excursions that demonstrate how railroads functioned in the age of steam. Park rangers give guided tours of the locomotive shop, where one can see work being done on the steam engines in the original roundhouse area; the
Union Pacific Big Boy The Union Pacific Big Boy is a type of simple articulated 4-8-8-4 steam locomotive manufactured by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) between 1941 and 1944 and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad in revenue service until 1962. The 25 Big ...
locomotive on display; and demonstrations of the turntable on a regular basis. They also give talks on the history of Steamtown. The Scranton yard occupies about . Several working locomotives take visitors on short excursions through the Scranton yard in the spring, summer, and fall. Most rides are on passenger coaches, but there are also caboose and
handcar A handcar (also known as a pump trolley, pump car, rail push trolley, push-trolley, jigger, Kalamazoo, velocipede, or draisine) is a railroad car powered by its passengers, or by people pushing the car from behind. It is mostly used as a railway ...
rides offered. These rides are included in the admission, although reservations may be required. Longer excursions are scheduled with separate tickets. These include a ride on a Pullman coach and longer trips to various nearby towns, including the
Lackawanna River The Lackawanna River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Susquehanna River in Northeastern Pennsylvania. It flows through a region of th ...
valley and Carbondale, Tobyhanna and
Moscow, Pennsylvania Moscow is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,039 at the 2020 census. It is located southeast of Scranton and southwest of Honesdale. Name Moscow was settled in the 1830s and is said to be named fo ...
. On rare occasions, excursions are run to the
Delaware Water Gap Delaware Water Gap is a water gap on the border of the U.S. states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania where the Delaware River cuts through a large ridge of the Appalachian Mountains. The gap makes up the southern portion of the Delaware Water Gap ...
,
Cresco, Pennsylvania Cresco is a village in Barrett Township, Monroe County in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Cresco is located in the Pocono Mountains. The ZIP Code is 18326. Area Code 570, Exchange: 595. Other nearby villages include Buck Hill Falls, Canadensis, ...
, East Stroudsburg and Gouldsboro, Pennsylvania(stations are not listed in order of the line). Until 2012, Steamtown hosted RailCamp, a program put on by the National Railway Historical Society to educate future railroad employees and fans of the industry about railroad operation and preservation.


History


New England roots

F. Nelson Blount, the heir to the largest seafood processor in the United States, was an avid railroad enthusiast. When he was 17, he wrote a book on steam power; later, he amassed one of the largest collections of vintage steam locomotives in the United States. By 1964, part of his collection — 25 steam locomotives from the United States and Canada, 10 other locomotives, and 25 pieces of rolling stock — was housed at North Walpole, New Hampshire.Sawyer, Mina Titus.
Maine's 'Iron Horses' Head For Their Last Dramatic Round-up
'. Lewiston Evening Journal. February 1, 1964. Accessed July 12, 2010
The Monadnock, Steamtown & Northern Railroad, as the enterprise was then called,
Railroad That Go Nowhere Really Getting Somewhere
', Reading Eagle, December 25, 1961. accessed July 13, 2010,
ran excursions between Keene and
Westmoreland, New Hampshire Westmoreland is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,706 at the 2020 census, down from 1,874 at the 2010 census. Westmoreland is historically an agricultural town, with much arable farmland. History ...
. After failing in 1962 to convince the State of
New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...
to take over control of the bulk of the collection,
Steamtown Out of Steam
'. Nashua Telegraph, February 15, 1963. Pg. 2. Accessed on July 13, 2010
Blount established the "Steamtown Foundation for the Preservation of Steam and Railroad Americana" to operate
Steamtown, USA Steamtown, U.S.A., was a steam locomotive museum that ran steam excursions out of North Walpole, New Hampshire, and Bellows Falls, Vermont, from the 1960s to 1983. The museum was founded by millionaire seafood industrialist F. Nelson Blount. T ...
in 1964. The non-profit, charitable, educational organization was to have nine un-salaried directors, including the five incorporators: Blount, former New Hampshire governor
Lane Dwinell Seymour Lane Dwinell (November 14, 1906 – March 27, 1997) was an American manufacturer and Republican politician from Lebanon, New Hampshire. Born in 1906 in Newport, Vermont, he served in and led both houses of the New Hampshire legislature be ...
; Emile Bussiere; Robert L. Mallat Jr., mayor of Keene; and Bellows Falls Municipal Judge Thomas P. Salmon, who later became governor of Vermont. The president of the Campbell Soup Company, William B. Murphy, who had also served as National Chairman of
Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...
, and the vice president of Blount Seafood, Fredrick Richardson, were among the other directors. The first order of business for the Steamtown Foundation was to acquire the Blount collection at North Walpole, and move it to property once owned by the
Rutland Railroad The Rutland Railroad was a railroad in the northeastern United States, located primarily in the state of Vermont but extending into the state of New York at both its northernmost and southernmost ends. After its closure in 1961, parts of the ...
, in Bellows Falls, Vermont. Blount was killed on August 31, 1967, when his private airplane hit a tree during an emergency landing, in
Marlborough, New Hampshire Marlborough is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,096 at the 2020 census. The town is home to the Kensan-Devan Wildlife Sanctuary at Meetinghouse Pond. The primary settlement in town, where 1,066 people ...
.
Millionaire Dies in Plane Crash
'. The Milwaukee Journal, September 1, 1967. Pg. 2. Accessed July 14, 2010
By that time, a good deal of Blount's collection was controlled by the Steamtown Foundation and had been moved to Bellows Falls. One of Blount's corporations, the
Green Mountain Railroad The Green Mountain Railroad is a class III railroad operating in Vermont. GMRC operates on tracks that had been owned by the Rutland Railroad and Boston and Maine Railroad. The railroad operates on a rail line between North Walpole, New Hampsh ...
(GMRC), controlled the tracks that lay between Walpole, Bellows Falls and
Chester, Vermont Chester is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,005 at the 2020 census. History The town was originally chartered by New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth as Flamstead in 1754. The terms of the charter were n ...
, which Steamtown was to use for its excursions. When Blount died, most of the controlling stock of the GMRC was transferred to the president of the railroad, Robert Adams. By 1976, the relationship between Steamtown and GMRC was strained as the two organizations fought over maintenance of the tracks, which were owned by the state of Vermont.
Steamtown Seeks Increased Control Over Tracks
'. Lewiston Daily News. October 5, 1976. Pg. 10 Accessed July 14, 2010
In addition, the steam excursions that Steamtown sponsored violated Vermont's pollution regulations, but the railroad was able to operate for several years under waivers issued by the state.
Steam Railroad Gets Extension. Accessed March 11, 2012
'. Bangor Daily News. November 19, 1971. Pg. 5
Stewart, Colin.
The Past is the Future
'. Beaver County Times. March 7, 1974. Pg. B15. Accessed July 14, 2010
By 1978, the Steamtown Foundation had begun scouting for a new location for Steamtown, USA.Winn, Sherry.
'Steamtown USA' is Looking for a New Home
'. Sarasota Herald-Tribune, August 8, 1978. Accessed July 14, 2010,
In 1980, Ray Holland, the Chairman of the Board of Steamtown Foundation, resigned after accusing the board of incompetence. His resignation was followed by that of Robert Barbera, a long-time director of the board.
Steamtown Chair Charges Incompetence
'. Nashua Telegraph. October 14, 1980. Pg 10. Accessed July 15, 2010
In the year that followed, Steamtown did not run excursions. Don Ball Jr., had taken over direction of Steamtown by this time and discovered that the excursion train did not meet federal safety guidelines. In 1981, despite its vast holdings of vintage railroad stock, Steamtown had only 17,000 visitors, while
Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
's Essex Valley Railroad, which ran two small engines, had 139,000 visitors.McManus, Michael.
How Would Your Community Like a Big Tourist Attraction?
' Bangor Daily News. March 29, 1982. Access date March 11, 2012
Even in its best year, 1973, the Vermont location had attracted only 65,000 visitors.
Steam Railroad Museum Moving Down Tracks
'. Star New, August 11, 1983, accessed July 16, 2010.
When questions about Steamtown, USA in New England are posed, the official response of the National Park Service is:
Steamtown National Historic Site was created in 1986 to preserve the history of steam railroading in America, concentrating on the era 1850 through 1950. This is the mission of the park. The park was not created to preserve the history of Steamtown USA. Our site does touch on the history of railroad preservation, specifically in our History Museum. The work of F. Nelson Blount, creator of the former Steamtown USA, and other pioneers of the steam preservation movement, is a part (albeit a small part) of the story Steamtown NHS has been charged with preserving.


Move to Scranton

Self-syndicated newspaper columnist Michael McManus once said that his goal in writing his weekly column was "to suggest answers to problems of the old industrial states."McManus, Michael.
Three Proposals That Didn't Die
'. Schenectady Gazette. June 14, 1983. Pg. 28. Accessed July 15, 2010
In March 1982 a substantial article by McManus appeared in the ''
Bangor Daily News The ''Bangor Daily News'' is an American newspaper covering a large portion of central and eastern Maine, published six days per week in Bangor, Maine. The ''Bangor Daily News'' was founded on June 18, 1889; it merged with the ''Bangor Whig and ...
''. In the article, McManus proposed several reasons why a city, like
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
,
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
, or
Scranton Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming V ...
, might benefit from a tourist attraction like Steamtown. McManus went on to explain why the business was failing in Vermont: past failed management, an isolated location and the lack of signs on
Interstate 91 Interstate 91 (I-91) is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It provides the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of the region. The Interstate generally follows the course of the Conne ...
, which the state opposed. Moreover, the roof of the largest storage shed on the property had collapsed under heavy snow the previous winter, damaging several pieces of equipment. Among the injured were CP Rail No. 1293, which had served on Vermont's "Bicentennial Train" and on the movie '' Terror Train'' (1979),Chapell, Gordon. ''Steam Over Scranton: The Locomotives of Steamtown.''
Special History Study, American Steam Locomotives: Canadian Pacific Railways No. 1293
'National Park Service. 1991. Accessed July 13, 2010
and the Meadow River Lumber Company No. 1 Shay.Chapell, Gordon. ''Steam Over Scranton: The Locomotives of Steamtown.''
Special History Study, American Steam Locomotives: Meadow River Lumber Company No. 1
'National Park Service. 1991. Accessed July 13, 2010
Asked by McManus to describe the value of the Steamtown collection, Jim Boyd, editor of ''
Railfan & Railroad ''Railfan & Railroad'' is an American monthly magazine that has been in publication since the 1970s. It was the first magazine title established in-house by Carstens Publications. As a magazine dedicated to trains and rail transportation, it stands ...
'' magazine, said, "Everything there is no longer obtainable anywhere, whether it is the "Big Boy" nion Pacific No. 4012or the Rahway Valley No. 15, a nice-sized locomotive any museum would give a right arm for. Most of the other large collections do not have any serviceable equipment." McManus added "What is at stake is more than tourism and jobs. It is a significant part of America's past before the welder's torch is turned on the likes of the 1877 'Prince of Liege', the rare
Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pac ...
diamond stack, etc. The steel alone is worth $3 million." In June 1983, McManus wrote about Steamtown again, this time announcing that Scranton had taken his suggestion. He said that Springfield, Massachusetts, and
Willimantic, Connecticut Willimantic is a city located in the town of Windham in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. It is a former Census-designated place and borough, and is currently organized as one of two tax districts within the Town of Windham. Known as " ...
, had also vied for the collection. "But on May 24, Scranton signed a contract to get it, pledging to raise $2 million to cover the cost of moving 40 ancient steam engines and 60 cars, few of which are operable, and to create a museum." On October 23, 1983, Steamtown sponsored its last Vermont excursion, using Canadian Pacific 1246 to pull a "dozen or so cars" on a round trip from Riverside station to Ludlow, Vermont,Van Gelder, Lawrence.
Steamtown's Autumn Outing is a Farewell
'. ''New York Times''. September 25, 1983. Accessed on July 13, 2010
and Scranton began raising money for the move. When Scranton agreed to take on Steamtown, it was estimated that the museum and excursion business would attract 200,000 to 400,000 visitors to the city every year.
Rail Museum on Track to New Home
'. Reading Eagle. December 26, 1983. Pg. 6. Accessed July 16, 2010
In anticipation of this economic boon, the city and a private developer spent $13 million to renovate the DL&W station and transform it into a Hilton hotel, at a time when the unemployment rate in the city was 13 percent.Roddy, Michael.
Scranton is Converting Railroad Station Into Hotel
' Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 7, 1983. Pg 3. Accessed July 16, 2010
Only 60,000 visitors showed up at Steamtown in 1987, and the 1988 excursions were canceled. After only three years, it was $2.2 million in debtSmith, John
W.Rail Run out of Steam
'. Reading Eagle. January 28, 1988. Pg. 5. Accessed July 16, 2010
and facing bankruptcy.
Getting Burned by Steamtown
' Reading Eagle. July 2, 1995. Pg. A16 Accessed July 16, 2010
Part of the problem was the cost of restoration of the new property and the deteriorating equipment. In addition, while the tourists in Vermont had enjoyed the sights of cornfields, farms, covered bridges, a waterfall and a gorge on a Steamtown excursion,Rice, Bill.
A Great Way to See and Hear a Lonesome Whistle
' ''Schenectady Gazette''. September 3, 1977. Pg. 30 Accessed July 14, 2010
the Scranton trip to
Moscow, Pennsylvania Moscow is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,039 at the 2020 census. It is located southeast of Scranton and southwest of Honesdale. Name Moscow was settled in the 1830s and is said to be named fo ...
, cut through one of the nation's largest junkyards,Flannery, Joseph X.
The Junkyard on the Mountainside
'. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.October 2, 1987. Pg. 9. Accessed July 16, 2010
an eyesore described by
Ralph Nader Ralph Nader (; born February 27, 1934) is an American political activist, author, lecturer, and attorney noted for his involvement in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes. The son of Lebanese immigrants to the U ...
as "the eighth wonder of the world".


Nationalization

In 1986, the
U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
, under the urging of Scranton native Representative Joseph M. McDade, voted to approve the spending of $8 million to study the collection and to begin the process of making it a National Historic Site (NHS). The
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...
(NPS) consequently conducted historical research on the Steamtown Foundation's equipment in 1987 and 1988. This research was used for a ''Scope of Collections Statement'' for Steamtown NHS and was published in 1991 under the title ''Steamtown Special History Study''. Aside from providing concise histories of the equipment, the report also made recommendations as to whether or not each piece belonged in the now government-funded collection.Chapell, Gordon. ''Steam Over Scranton: The Locomotives of Steamtown.''
Special History Study, American Steam Locomotives: Introduction
''National Park Service. 1991. Accessed July 14, 2010
Historical significance to the United States was a criterion of the recommendations. Many of the pieces of equipment that did not meet the report's recommendations were sold or traded for pieces that had historical significance to the region.Chapell, Gordon. ''Steam Over Scranton: The Locomotives of Steamtown.''

' National Park Service. 1991. Accessed July 14, 2010
The adoption of Steamtown as a federal endeavor caused controversy. On November 23, 1991, an article in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' said, "The provision for the park was inserted into a huge appropriations bill at a late-night meeting near the end of the legislative session in October 1986. Congressional authorizing committees, which are charged with setting policy and reviewing such proposals, were bypassed, and the Park Service did not conduct its customary two-year review of proposed new parks." The article noted that "a number of historians and museum curators around the nation call Steamtown a second-rate collection of trains on a third-rate site. They say that while such historic recreations have a place, the Federal Government should not be financing them simply because influential members of Congress want them for their districts." It said that James M. Ridenour, director of the Park Service, said that Steamtown was among other projects that the agency neither needed nor wanted, adding that the same collection was rejected by them when it was still in Vermont because it "lacked historic importance". Aside from the $73 million that had at that point been proposed for the development of the project, there would also be a projected annual operation cost of $6.5 million. A December 17, 1991, editorial reported that the development appropriation had been capped at $53 million, and said the Steamtown project had siphoned resources "from the Park Service's worthier, maintenance-starved projects."
Topic of the Times; The Steamtown Steamroller
'. ''New York Times'', December 17, 1991. Accessed July 16,
William W. Scranton, former governor of Pennsylvania and descendant of the founders of Scranton, along with J. A. Panuska, president of the
University of Scranton The University of Scranton is a private Jesuit university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1888 by William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. In 1938, the college was elevated to university status and took t ...
, responded to the ''Times coverage with a letter to the editor. Published on January 8, 1992, the letter argued that the statement, first made by a former Smithsonian curator, that "Steamtown was a second-rate collection on a third-rate site," was unfounded. Scranton and Panuska wrote, "The collection of 29 steam engines and 82 other railroad cars and equipment is the third largest in the country, the only one available for commemorating the industrialization of America in a historic setting." They said that the 19th-century American
Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
was under-represented in the National Parks system and further said that
Scranton is the only city in the Eastern United States with the vestiges of the era of industrialization (1840-1920) in plain sight, 40 acres in the middle of downtown, with car shops, locomotive shops, roundhouse, turntable, grand passenger station, a working yard, iron furnaces, passenger excursions — the whole works and a restored coal mine nearby. There is no other site like it. This city crantonwas founded because of its iron ore and its ability to produce rails (previously imported from England), followed by its graduation to a coal and steel economy. It is a graphic demonstration of the industrial period of our country, an excellent site for Americans to learn about their history.
The site they were referring to had mostly belonged to the DL&W, which joined the
Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Er ...
in 1960 to form the
Erie Lackawanna Railway The Erie Lackawanna Railway , known as the Erie Lackawanna Railroad until 1968, was formed from the 1960 merger of the Erie Railroad and the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. The official motto of the line was "The Friendly Service Route" ...
. The site eventually passed to Conrail, and was purchased by the city of Scranton as the site for Steamtown, USA. The site included 13 buildings built between 1865 and 1937 that were listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
. Wrote Linda Greenhouse of ''The New York Times'', "Scranton was once served by five railroads, an almost unthinkable luxury for a city of just over 80,000 people. The passenger trains stopped decades ago, but one memory remains: the Lackawanna's elegant station, just up the street from Steamtown, completed in 1908 and converted into a hotel through a public-private partnership in 1983."Greenhouse, Linda.
Pennsylvania Recalls the Century of Steam
. ''New York Times''. November 19, 1995. Accessed July 19, 2010
In April 1992, ''
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...
'' printed an excerpt from a soon-to-be-published book about
pork-barrel ''Pork barrel'', or simply ''pork'', is a metaphor for the appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative's district. The usage originated in American English, and i ...
politics called ''Adventures in Porkland''. It said of Representative McDade's leadership in securing funds for Steamtown:
McDade has achieved the dream of most pork-barrel congressmen, a living memorial, indeed two: the
University of Scranton The University of Scranton is a private Jesuit university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1888 by William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. In 1938, the college was elevated to university status and took t ...
's new Joseph M. McDade Center for Technology and Applied Research, and the county's McDade Park, with its Anthracite Coal Museum. But the congressman's crowning achievement is a historic theme park called Steamtown.
The article also repeated the charge that the collection was second-rate. It went on to say that at the site there was little evidence of the $40 million that had been spent to date; that several of the pieces were from the 1940s and 1950s, not the 19th century, which was the time period that was supposedly being preserved; that some of the better pieces of equipment were
Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
, not U.S.; that other museums, already in existence, were already fulfilling the historical mission of Steamtown; and that other NPS projects like Yosemite and
Yellowstone Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowston ...
were in desperate need of funding. Nevertheless, in February 1992, the House of Representatives voted against dropping the project from the NPS and, instead voted to add an additional $14 million to its funding.
House Rejects Steamtown Proposal
'. Reading Eagle Tribune. February 6, 1992 Accessed July 18, 2010.
By 1994, one of the earlier skeptics of the Steamtown project, ''
Railfan & Railroad ''Railfan & Railroad'' is an American monthly magazine that has been in publication since the 1970s. It was the first magazine title established in-house by Carstens Publications. As a magazine dedicated to trains and rail transportation, it stands ...
'' magazine associate editor Mike DelVecchio, who had visited the site, had changed sides in the debate saying, "When it is finished, Steamtown will be the only place in America that can recreate the experience of mainline steam railroading." The director of Steamtown, Roger G. Kennedy, said, "those who concentrated on the pork-barrel politics of the development of the park were ignorant of the history." Len Barcousky, writing for the ''
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the Alle ...
'', described that history saying: "It was steam locomotives that unified the nation in the century between 1850 and 1950. Maintained in giant roundhouses in a hundred cities like Scranton, the smoke-belching engines carried the people and the goods that made possible the Industrial Revolution."


Operation as an NHS

By 1995, Steamtown had been acquired and developed by the NPS at a total cost of $66 million. In June 1995, the newest National Historic Site was ready for its grand opening.
Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
's only surviving steam locomotive, no. 1225, was to arrive on July 1 for the occasion.Grnak, Robert,
Steam Locomotive 1225 to Gain National Exposure at Pennsylvania Activity
'. The Argus-Press. May 25, 1995 accessed July 18, 2010.
In November 1995, ''The New York Times'' printed a favorable review written by Supreme Court correspondent Linda Greenhouse, who had visited the site with her husband and daughter. Wrote Greenhouse, "The pleasure of the park is to see trains not only as one might see them in a museum but to see them in motion. Steamtown is a dynamic museum, with locomotives moving regularly from the yard into the park's architectural centerpiece, the roundhouse". Visitor attendance in its first year was 212,000. By 2008, the federal government had spent a total of $176 million on Steamtown, which had an annual operating cost of $5.2 million. Visitor attendance had declined since its opening year to 61,178 in 2006. Many of the locomotives and passenger cars contained asbestos, a carcinogen.
Trouble on the Tracks at Steamtown NHS
'. Mesothelioma News. September 24, 2008. Accessed July 24, 2010
The federal government pledged $1.5 million for its removal, to be disbursed in 2011, and more money for restoration of the equipment, providing the money was matched by non-federal funds. From October 1 through 16, 2013, Steamtown was closed, along with the rest of the National Park system, as part of the
United States federal government shutdown of 2013 From October 1 to October 17, 2013, the United States federal government entered a shutdown and curtailed most routine operations because neither legislation appropriating funds for fiscal year 2014 nor a continuing resolution for the interim ...
. In 2021, Steamtown completed a two-year, $1.6 million restoration of its largest engine, Union Pacific Big Boy #4012.


Accidents and incidents

On February 4, 1982, the Steamtown shop and storage building collapsed under the weight of three feet of heavy, wet snow. This damaged No. 2317 but not seriously enough to remove it from excursion service. On July 10, 1995, less than two weeks after the museum opened, two teen-aged boys were killed when they were struck by Steamtown's Canadian Pacific 2317, which was pulling a train with 575 passengers on an excursion trip to
Moscow, Pennsylvania Moscow is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,039 at the 2020 census. It is located southeast of Scranton and southwest of Honesdale. Name Moscow was settled in the 1830s and is said to be named fo ...
. The boys were hit while trying to remove their all-terrain vehicle which had gotten stuck on the tracks.
Steamtown Stunned By Rail Deaths
'. Reading Eagle Tribune. July 11, 1995. Accessed July 18, 2010.
Two years later, the parents of the boys would file a lawsuit for $48 million.''Steamtown Faces Suit in Deaths''. The Times Leader. July 12, 1997. Accessed July 24, 2010 On October 27, 2003, No. 2317 was pulling a train through the Poconos when the tender and three of the nine passenger cars jumped the tracks. No one was injured because the train was only moving at around 10 mph. The accident occurred one mile outside Delaware Water Gap in an area known as Point of Gap.


See also

*
Edaville Railroad Edaville Railroad (also branded Edaville USA and Edaville Family Theme Park) is a heritage railroad and amusement park in South Carver, Massachusetts, opened in 1947, and temporally closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The park was onl ...
* Lackawanna Cut-Off *
List of heritage railways This list of heritage railways includes heritage railways sorted by country, state, or region. A heritage railway is a preserved or tourist railroad which is run as a tourist attraction, is usually but not always run by volunteers, and often seeks ...


References


Further reading

* * *


External links

*
Steamtown Land of American Iron
Recent Photographs, History, Photo Essay
More from Steamtown
Recent Photographs * A National Park Service online-book gives an inventory of locomotives at Steamtown. *
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage. The commission cares fo ...
, Inventories of rolling stock at Steamtown. 1 2 3 4 Enter "public" for ID and "public" for password to access the site.
DL&W Project 565

Boston & Maine 3713 Project at Steamtown

A List of Locomotives at Steamtown NHS

Photos of Steamtown events and excursions

Photos from Steamtown's annual Railfest
{{authority control 1986 establishments in Pennsylvania 1995 establishments in Pennsylvania Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Heritage railroads in Pennsylvania Lackawanna Heritage Valley Museums established in 1995 Museums in Scranton, Pennsylvania National Historic Sites in Pennsylvania Protected areas established in 1986 Railroad museums in Pennsylvania Railroad roundhouses in Pennsylvania Protected areas of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania