Steamtown, USA

Post date: Aug 6, 2017 8:02:30 PM

While my wife's parents were down for a visit, my father-in-law and I escaped to Scranton, PA for a day to visit Steamtown National Historic Site to check out the trains. This place is really cool with a lot of locomotives and rolling stock. They also have some extensive display exhibits and the whole site oozes the atmosphere of riding the rails. We both agreed this is one of the best National Parks in the US. Here are a few of my shots - Alllll Aboard!

Here is some of the train yard. All of the tracks here are usable, if needed.

A look from above at some of the extensive display exhibits.

This is a restored steam locomotive and on the other side it has been cutaway to illustrate the inner workings. (Next photo)

The cutaway view.

The Lackawanna 889 Caboose. There were many claims that the Lackawanna railroad was the most advanced in both technology and safety.

A locomotive in mid-restoration.

One of the site's crown gems was this fully restored US RR PO Car. What a life these workers had!

Sorting bins and bags on board the US RR PO car. These trains didn't just pick up and drop off bags of mail, they also handled all of the sorting in between towns and kept the mail running on time!

Individual slots for specific towns along the route.

Here is my father-in-law in the engineer's seat.

Here's my Casey Jones impression. (According to my father-in-law.)

The nose of the Union Pacific 4012 "Big Boy". This is another of the site's crown jewels. Only 25 were made and just 8 survive.

Info about the 4-8-8-4 Big Boy. With its tender car, it is longer than the Wright Bro's first flight!

A really fun trip and a great place to visit if you're ever near Scranton, PA!

-PHIL