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Different views of Steamtown,
the Railroad Yard, and one historic train
Photographs by Kristen
Carsto and from the National Register Collection
Historic image of the Railroad
Yard, c.1900-1910
Photograph courtesy of
Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division,
Detroit Publishing Company Collection [det 4a18926]
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Today, Steamtown National
Historic Site in Scranton, is the only unit in the National
Park System where the story of steam railroading and the people
who made it possible is told. From its inception in 1851, the
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western (DL&W) Railroad Yard in
Scranton has been a dynamic site, changing to meet the railroad's
needs. As the railroad acquired more track and equipment in
the 19th century, the size of the yard expanded from approximately
25 to 40 acres to accommodate additional operation and repair
facilities. Almost immediately after William Truesdale became
president of the DL&W in 1899, major changes occurred.
To keep the railroad competitive, Truesdale decided that economy
dictated bigger steam locomotives and rolling stock. As a transportation
system covering three states in the northeastern United States,
the DL&W Railroad management acted in the 1899-1939 period
to increase its efficiency in operation through larger equipment
and to diversify from its reliance on the transportation of
anthracite coal. The railroad provided a transportation connection
to New York and New Jersey while promoting manufacturing and
tourism along the route. In the 19th and early 20th centuries,
the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad served as one
of the major anthracite lines.
The current steam era buildings that have been listed in
the National Register as the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western
Railroad Yard-Dickson Manufacturing Yard, and are now part
of the Steamtown National Historic Site, were erected primarily
between 1899 and 1917 with a remnant of the 1937 roundhouse
also present. These buildings include the five-story concrete
frame Pattern Shop, the foundry, the steel frame Blacksmith
Shop, the Machine and Erecting Shop, the Oil House, Gas House,
the 1902 and 1937 roundhouse remnants, which housed steam
locomotives, and the three-story Mattes Street Signal Tower,
among others. The current track arrangement represents, for
the most part, that which evolved by the late 1930s. In 1983
the city of Scranton purchased the yard from Conrail as part
of an arrangement to house the Steamtown Foundation's collection
of steam locomotives and rolling stock. Steamtown National
Historic Site's collection of locomotives and other transportation
and train related equipment came from wealthy seafood processor
F. Nelson Blount's private collection. The inventory of Steamtown
National Historic Site can fall into two broad categories;
"motive power," which includes steam, diesel and electric
locomotives, and "passenger cars, freight cars, and maintenance
of way equipment." One locomotive and one electric power car
in the collection are from the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western
Railroad. Steamtown includes a Visitor Center, a History Museum,
Roundhouse, Turntable, 1902 Roundhouse Section and a Technology
Museum. Steamtown National Historic Site was established on
October 30, 1986, to further public understanding and appreciation
of the role steam railroading played in the development of
the United States.
Steamtown National Historic Site, administered by the
National Park Service, is located at the intersection of Lackawanna
and Cliff aves. in Scranton. Steamtown is open daily 9:00am to 5:00pm, closed New Year's Day, Christmas Day and Thanksgiving Day. There is a fee for admission. Steamtown offers seasonal train excursions from the park to various destinations. Please
call 570-340-5200 for further information, or visit the park's website. |