Steamtown National Historic Site

It began as one man’s collection. Today, it’s a must-see destination for railroad fans!

Steamtown National Historic Site, located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, had a simple beginning when a New England seafood processor named, F. Nelson Blount, started a collection in the 1950’s and 1960’s, of standard-gauge steam locomotives, freight and passenger cars.

Eventually, the Steamtown Foundation for the Preservation of Steam and Railroad Americana, Inc., acquired the extensive collection and moved it to the railroad yard of the former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in Scranton.

On March 29, 1989, over one million objects and archives were donated by Steamtown to the National Park Service and became the foundation for Steamtown Historic Site’s museum collection. Since then, the number of historical objects amassed at Steamtown has grown exponentially.

The site features a turntable in an historic roundhouse with a section of the original 1902 structure. There is also a visitor center, History Museum, theater and a Technology Museum. The well-designed museums are interesting and entertaining with interactive elements. The Steamtown displays include a focus on the people who worked for the railroads as well as railroad memorabilia. Authentic rail cars, including a mail car, are open for guests to explore.

Among the notable locomotives that Steamtown showcases are: a 1903 freight engine, a 1937 tiny industrial switcher engine, and an impressive 1941 Union Pacific “Big Boy.” A special feature in the Technology Museum is a cut-out section of the Spang Chalfont & Company’s Locomotive No. 8, providing a view of the inner workings of a steam locomotive.

A variety of steam and diesel locomotives, plus rolling stock, are available to see outdoors. Benches and picnic tables are conveniently located.

Admission to Steamtown is free. For a small fee, guests may ride in an antique train car for a short ride through the rail yard, across the Lackawanna River and through the scenic beauty of Pennsylvania’s iconic woodlands.