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Steamtown: Scranton PA National Historic Site Steam Engines and Pennsylvania Played a Critical Role in America’S Growth and Expansion

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Steamtown: Scranton PA National Historic Site Steam Engines and Pennsylvania Played a Critical Role in America’S Growth and Expansion Steamtown: Scranton PA National Historic Site Steam engines and Pennsylvania played a critical role in America’s growth and expansion. The Pennsylvania Railroad’s Altoona operations and the Baldwin Locomotive Works outside of Philadelphia, made Pennsylvania a key contributor to developing the railroads of America, the commerce it provided, and its impact on moving people. Steamtown National Historic Site had a different history for its location. At one time during the 19th century, five railroad companies had major yards that passed through Scranton, Pennsylvania. Penn State University’s “pabook2,” has an excellent account of how Steamtown came to Scranton, Pennsylvania. HISTORY OF STEAMTOWN ACQUISITION Steamtown USA had its start in North Walpole, New Hampshire and later Bellows Falls, Vermont. Millionaire F. Nelson Blount loved to ride steam engines on the New Haven Railroad in his youth. During the late 1950s, Blount’s love of steam trains eventually led him to create a museum billed, “world’s largest operating rail museum.” The museum included over 100 pieces of rolling stock from US and Canada, 35 locomotives, and more than 30 other types of equipment. Mr. Blount’s museum faced several problems. One had to do with a personal tragedy when Mr. Blount died in a plane crash on August 31, 1967. His Steamtown Foundation, which he created in 1964, moved his collection to Bellows Falls, Vermont. Vermont signage laws made it difficult to advertise the Bellows Falls museum and it did not have onsite outdoor shelters for the trains. Over the years, attendance dropped nearly 75% causing eventual bankruptcy in 1984. The goal was to find a new home for the museum stock. Scranton, Pennsylvania was chosen due to its rich railroading past. However, that selection process became controversial, when it was learned that pork‐barrel and back‐room dealing took place when native Scranton Congressman Joseph M. McDade used a 20‐million‐dollar discretionary funding scheme. Two other sites, the B&O Museum in Baltimore and St. Louis Museum of Transport were circumvented by the dealing. As it turned out, a Scranton Steamtown Foundation was formed and began moving the 100 pieces from Bellows Falls to Scranton, 258 miles. In the “pabook 2” article, it noted that Blount’s museum had a centerpiece. It was the Union Pacific No. 4012 or 4‐8‐ 8‐4 “Big Boy,” the largest steam locomotive ever built. As a matter of perspective, here are the following facts about that train: 1.2 million pounds, 133 feet long and able to reach a speed of up to 80mph. There were only 25 of these locomotives built, and today only eight remain. The last train was retired in 1962. When comparing the maximum speed of locomotives, diesel‐electric can achieve 99mph, whereas electrically powered passenger trains such as Amtrak’s Acela Express can reach speeds of up to 150 mph in the United States. In Japan, the LO Series SC Maglev, JR Central Japan has a top speed of 375 mph. Though Scranton, Pennsylvania was tagged with the Congressional impropriety, from a standpoint of selection, it did have several merits. Twenty‐million people live within a 100‐mile radius of the city. It also had a rich history of railroading in that coal and iron works depended on rail transportation. Scranton also offered tax‐free status, plus the city still had an intact railroad yard, storage sheds and repair shops from the previous user, the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. As Scranton’s Steamtown began, however, within two years it was faced with a $2.2 million debt. The operators underestimated the visitor attendance since Scranton is within two hours of several major metropolitan areas. The operators anticipated 170,000 visitors, but the real number was less than 60,000. The effect of the loss required selling nearly 20 pieces of stock. Following that the Foundation transferred the museum to Lackawanna County in 1989, which in turn the county donated the collection to the National Park Service, which continues to manage it today. SCRANTON’S RAIL STATION & THE ELECTRIC CITY TROLLEY Part of the charm of Steamtown today includes the Lackawanna station, which is now part of a major hotel chain and The Electric City Trolley Museum Association. The station was constructed in 1908 and was part of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. The last train to use the station was in January of 1970. Since that time, it was spared the wrecking ball by the Scranton Chamber of Commerce that wished to focus on downtown development. The station was renovated and became a hotel used since then by several major hotel chains. In 1887, Scranton was Pennsylvania’s first city to run a successful electric trolley line, thus becoming known as The Electric City. Today’s trolley museum is run by a non‐profit, volunteer organization recreated by the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority. The county manages the museum and is adjacent to Steamtown National Historic Site through a long‐term lease with the National Park Service. Besides trolley rides, you can also ride to‐and‐from the museum to Scranton’s triple A baseball stadium on game days. STEAMTOWN NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE (NHS) Steamtown NHS’s mission, according to the National Park Service created in 1986, is to “preserve the history of steam railroading in America, concentrating on the era 1850 through 1950 and not the history of Steamtown USA, the Lackawanna Railroad or any specific railroad company.” Steamtown NHS covers approximately 63 acres in downtown, Scranton, Pennsylvania. Free parking is available and since October 2017, the National Park Service waived the entrance fee to attract more people to NHS. One must still purchase a train ticket if you wish to ride in a passenger car that will be pulled by a steam or diesel locomotive. Once part of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, the yard has been continually used since 1851. Today, Steamtown includes a visitor’s center, roundhouse, technology museum, history museum, bookstore, an excursion train platform and theater. The roundhouse is also known as a railway turntable or wheelhouse. There is also an elevated walkway to and from the Mall at Steamtown. The roundhouse was built in 1902, rebuilt in 1917 and expanded in 1937. The site has American and Canadian steam locomotives, American electric and diesel‐electric locomotives. The transition from steam to diesel locomotives was really a matter of maintenance cost. Steam locomotives required servicing every 200 to 250 miles and a major overhaul once‐a‐year. Volunteers are found throughout NHS and there are programs to encourage youth participation. We met an 8th grade student who accompanied the Park Ranger on our 45‐minute tour of the maintenance and repair shops, where noise may require ear protection plus heat from such process as the “ring of fire.” The Technology Museum is also a must see. It includes displays and information about the making and use of steam, signals, disasters, railroad jargon, architecture, maintenance and many other topics, such as a cut‐away of a real train’s interior working parts. This photo program shares photos on a visit to the NHS. acuri.net John R. Vincenti Steamtown: Scranton PA National Historic Site Sources: https://www.nps.gov/stea/planyourvisit/blw26.htm, https://visitpa.com/pa‐railroads/steamtown‐national‐historic‐site, https://wnep.com/2017/10/04/admission‐fees‐waived‐at‐steamtown‐national‐historic‐site/, http://www.concorde‐spirit‐ tours.com/steamtown.htm, https://adventure.howstuffworks.com/steamtown‐national‐historic‐site.htm, http://pabook2.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/Steamtown.html, http://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1‐A‐3D6, https://www.american‐rails.com/baldwin‐locomotive‐works.html, https://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/taro/smu/00052/smu‐00052.html, https://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/engines‐equipment/diesel‐locomotive5, http://www.oldchesterpa.com/baldwin.htm, http://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/locomotive‐manufacturing/, http://www.phmc.pa.gov/Archives/Research‐Online/Pages/Baldwin‐ Locomotive‐Works.aspx, https://history.amtrak.com/blogs/exhibit‐train‐blog/steamtown‐national‐historic‐site‐september‐3‐and‐4, https://www.retroroadmap.com/spot/historic‐lackawanna‐train‐station‐is‐a‐radisson‐hotel‐scranton‐pa/, and http://www.ectma.org/. .
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