Steamtown National Historic Site

Due to the expiration of the PA Governor's Temporary Order, beginning today, Steamtown NHS will be open to visitors daily from 10am-4pm. The open areas will be the Railyard, Turntable, Roundhouse, and Visitor Center. As always, these areas are subject to weather closures so please call before you visit, if we are experiencing winter weather.

An important industry in Pennsylvania was steel. Alongside coal and aviation, these industries helped develop the economy of the United States. If you've ever wanted to explore these themes in depth, this website is a great start. Check out https://visitnaha.com/made-in-america/ for tips on travelling through three National Heritage Areas in the Midwest (National Aviation Heritage Area, Rivers of Steel, and National Coal Heritage Area). #FindYourPark #PlotYourPath

Due to the inclement weather we are experiencing, Steamtown is closing today (January 26) at 1:00 PM. #StaySafe #RecreateResponsibly.

Steamtown NHS is working closely with officials from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and local health authorities to implement the 20201210-TWW-Limited-Time-Mitigation-Order.pdf (pa.gov) Order of the Governor Directing Limited Time Mitigation Due to COVID-19. Consistent with the Governor’s order, all museums are prohibited from operating throughout the state beginning at midnight on December 11th, 2020 through January 4th, 2021. Updates to park operations will be posted at www.nps.gov/stea and on the park’s social media sites.

From the Museum Collection: Bottle, soda. Two-piece molded, cup bottom molded, embossed, aquamarine, "Eagle Bottling Co./Scranton/ PA/Registered," snap case base, blob top finish with associated Hutchinson stopper, mineral water, post 1879. This was an archeological find on site. After much searching, I did not find any information on an Eagle Bottling Company of Scranton. There are examples of bottles from an Eagle Bottling Works in York, Philadelphia, and Wilkes Barre. The... Scranton Glass Co., manufactured bottles and jars, sold through the Scranton Jar & Stopper Co. from 1881 to 1895, possibly as late as 1900. The Scranton Glass Co., Ltd., located on Green Ridge St., was incorporated in 1881. The factory operated from at least 1883 to 1885, and then in 1897 they reorganized with another incorporation and removed Ltd. from its name. The Scranton Glass Mfg. Co. made various bottles in Moosic in its short life, 1901-1902. The Scranton Glass Co., in Dunmore dealt in soda and beer bottles, possibly a one-man operation, from 1907 to the mid-1920s or later. How did the archeologists come up with the date post 1879? The stopper. Charles G. Hutchinson invented and patented the Hutchinson Patent Stopper in 1879 as a replacement for cork bottle stoppers which were commonly being used as stoppers on soda and water bottles. His invention employed a wire spring attached to a rubber seal. Production of these stoppers was discontinued after 1912. See more

With the snow flying and temperatures a bit on the chilly side, imagine yourself inside the warm cab of our #3713 all nice and cozy . This is a photo of a Bosto...n and Maine P4b Pacific locomotive backhead, maybe even our of #3713. Once restored, the cab controls of the #3713 will look a lot like this. Note the #1130. This is the order number of this batch of locomotives from the Lima Locomotive Works by the B&M. See more

#OTD in 1959, twelve men died in a tragic mining accident at the River Slope Mine while 33 men managed to escape through a shaft. The mine had been illegally excavated beneath the Susquehanna River by the Knox Coal Company. When the icy river broke the thin layer of rock, over ten billion gallons of water flowed through that mine and others. This mining disaster effectively ended the industry in the Wyoming Valley. #LocalHistory #KnoxMineDisaster

#ThrowbackThursday It seems as if our little green engine has always been operating. But its been five years since the Baldwin #26 chugged its way into our roundhouse. Some remember that beautiful December day when she had her restoration completed and the first test runs were made back and forth in our railroad yard. NPS Photos, Daniel Kahl.

Trains have a long association with presidential travel and campaigning. From the mid-19th century through the 1950s, they were the primary means of Presidential transportation. The new 46th president of the United States, Joseph R. Biden, also has close ties to trains. The native of Scranton, home to Steamtown National Historic Site, travelled daily by train from Wilmington, Delaware to Washington, D.C. during his time serving in Congress. On Inauguration Day, learn more about the rich history and significance of the steam railroad at www.nps.gov/stea

After the Civil War, former slaves hoped for equality. Instead, they faced a society that remained divided. Segregation was the rule separate but equal. Each state was left to decide what that meant. One National Park service site, Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park educates us on the vast list of injustices that faced the African American community. https://www.nps.gov/malu/learn/education/jim_crow_laws.htm Achieving and maintaining those civil rights have been a struggle. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. fought not just for equality but for equity, from his I Have A Dream speech to the marches in Selma, Alabama, Dr. King hoped to reach beyond racial injustices and discrimination. Today, on his birthday, we honor Dr. King’s work to redefine who we are as a people and a nation. #MLKDay

Here is an update on our current rehabilitation project.

Do you want to build a snowman? Rangers at #SteamtownNHS took some time out of the day to build their new co-worker. With snow on the ground, Ranger Frosty settled in nicely to his new park. #FindYourPark

https://www.nps.gov//steamtown-national-historic-site-and-

Due to the wintry weather; the core complex is closed. Only the visitor center is open for visitors. Please check the road conditions before coming. Be safe out there. #RecreateResponsibly

After the 19th Amendment was passed, some women finally got a chance to cast their vote! Do you remember the excitement that you felt the first time you could vote? Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress. #ElectionDay #Beyondthe19th

Starting at 12:40 PM EST, you can watch this year's ceremony, honoring those we lost during the Pearl Harbor attack, 79 years ago. For access to the broadcast, follow this link: https://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/25289 #PearlHarborRemembranceDay

We have updates on our steam locomotive restoration project. #AmericasLocomotive Boston and Maine Railroad no. 3713. This week, the reinforcement of the tender buffer pocket is complete except for some paint. Plug welded top plates plus the complete replacement of the angled web are now close to or exceeding the original. Definitely way stronger than the badly rusted portions that were replaced.

From the Museum Collection: Strip, Comic. Comic strip. "Jerry on The Job." Original artwork. Five-panel storyboard depicts "Private Jerry Flannigan" reporting "Unusual Happenings" at train station to his commander, "Major Portion." "Unusual Stuff" reported is that the 5:15 train is on time. Last panel signed "Hoban", dated "21". Foxing. Graphic, Hist Mus, "Suburbia" Case (S5-A4), 1921, Walter C. Hoban, New York Journal (newspaper), NY, NY. Walter C. Hoban (1890 - November 22,... 1939) started his career at the newspaper, The North American, where he got a job as an office boy, hoping to become a reporter. In 1912, he became a sports cartoonist at the New York Journal. He was given only a weekend to devise a comic strip, and he created Jerry on the Job (1913-32), about pint-size Jerry Flannigan, initially employed as an office boy. After a year or two, Jerry began moving from job to job. He was a retail clerk, a messenger boy, even a prize fighter and other things before Hoban went off to fight World War I, and the strip went on hiatus. When it returned, Jerry was working at a railroad station under the supervision of Mr. Givney, the station's manager. His job included just about everything that went into making a railroad station functionselling tickets, sweeping floors, toting baggage, running little errands for the boss, etc. Sources of humor included the eccentrics who hung around the station, Mr. Givney's peevishness, and Jerry's own ineptitude. Hoban was an early pioneer and innovator in screwball comics. He specialized in what some call the "flip take", which left the character undergoing it (usually Givney) as flat on the ground as Charlie Brown after trying to kick Lucy's football. In 1922 Hoban created the short, The Mad Locomotive, with Mr. Givny informing Jerry that they are out of coal for the train. The passengers who appear behave amusingly and the train itself takes on an anthropomorphic life (I wasn’t able to watch it so that is all I can say). See more

From the Museum Collection: Print, photographic. South Sudbury, MA Depot on Boston & Maine RR. Trackside view. Victorian style, Octagonal tower with fish scale siding. Semaphore mounted on crested roof. Baggage cart on platform. Building on right, possibly freight house. Photo is torn on edges, faded. 1950-1955. B&M RR The Central Massachusetts Railroad was chartered from the original Wayland and Sudbury Branch Railroad and Massachusetts Central Railroad and started construc...tion in 1870. The railroad line was built in progressive stages westward from Boston, with construction halting in 1883 due to bankruptcy filing, resuming in 1886, and finally reaching Northampton in 1887 (by then under control of the Boston & Maine Railroad as its Central Massachusetts Branch). In 1889, the South Sudbury Railroad Station was somewhat of a showpiece. It was only a year or so old, replacing an older depot that had burned to the ground (mysteriously every railroad station in Sudbury burned to the ground in 1887 and years passed before new stations were built, but the South Sudbury station eventually was a large and elaborate facility). The depot had become a much busier place since the Massachusetts Central established passenger and freight service to Boston in 1881. The new station was shaped like an arrowhead, with a waiting room for each of the two lines on the sides. The station master’s office overlooked the point where the two sets of tracks met. Down past the waiting area were covered platforms and across the tracks were sheds where heavy equipment could be loaded and unloaded efficiently and stored out of the weather. Eventually, it was no longer economical for the B&M to maintain the large Union Station. A small wooden station was built around 1952; after failed attempts to move and preserve the 1889 structure Union Station was demolished. See more

The premier train on the I.C. was The Panama Limited. This train began running in 1911 between Chicago and New Orleans, and promoted as a connection to the Panama Canal, which you would need to reach by ship. This popular Illinois Central train became the subject of a blues song in the 1930s by Bukka White. #OctoberSteamCelebration

Happy Halloween! We hope that you get to spend the holiday with friends and family. If you have a great costume you would like to share, post it here. #halloween2020

Locomotive no. 790 was not always owned by the Illinois Central Railroad. In fact, the first owner was Chicago Union Transfer (C.U.T) Railway, which completed the Clearing Yard in the Chicago area. C.U.T. was growing quickly at the turn of the century, extending from 34.39 miles of track to over 100 miles. They sold four nearly new 2-8-0 steam engines to Illinois Central in 1904. When it ran on the C.U.T., no. 790 looked a lot like this engine, only it was numbered 100. Photo courtesy of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. #OctoberSteamCelebration

Yesterday, we mentioned how Illinois Central no. 790 helped to save some stranded rail cars during a Spring flood in 1965. Here is a little photo album of some pictures taken in Clinton IA, where the Clinton Corn Processing Co. needed the help that 790 offered. All photos taken by Philip A. Weibler. #OctoberSteamCelebration

In April, 1965, steam engine no. 790 was able to run through flood waters in Clinton, Iowa to pick up some stranded freight cars. Clinco Magazine was the business newsletter for Clinton Corn Processing, and this story was the talk of the plant for quite some time. The high firebox, where the coal burned, allowed the steam engine to roll through water where an electric motor of a diesel-electric locomotive would have shorted out. This was likely the final run made by our Illinois Central no. 790. #ThrowbackThursday. #OctoberSteamCelebration

The Moosic Mountain looms on the East side of Scranton, PA. We see some of the steam locomotives which led the excursions through the history of Steamtown's development. October 30 marks the 34th anniversary of the signing of the act which created Steamtown National Historic Site. NPS Photo, Tim O'Malley.

Our turntable will be out of commission this week. The #OctoberSteamCelebration will continue with Illinois Central RR no. 790 sitting pretty in our plaza. NPS Photo, Tim O'Malley

One of the more celebrated railroads in the twilight of steam was the Illinois Central Railroad. The geographical profile did not have many steep hills on the mainline, so they were able to keep their steam engines running a bit longer than some other railroads. Nine steamers still survive, and Steamtown National Historic Site is proud to include no. 790 in our collection. #OctoberSteamCelebration

From the Museum Collection: Book, Instruction. Reading Co., "Firing the Steam Locomotive." 120 PP. Mechanical diagrams. Black paper covers, silver lettering, railroad shield, Reading #2104. "E. Mcmanus" in yellow grease pencil on front. Corrections pasted in. Illustrations of locomotives, combustion and stoking apparatus. The Reading Company began as the National Company in 1873 but changed its name to Reading Company on December 7, 1896. On December 31, 1923, the Reading Com...pany merged several subsidiaries therefore becoming an actual operating railroad company. Their Locomotive No. 2124 became a nationally famous engine because of its use on railroad-enthusiast excursions, i.e., the famous "Reading Rambles" of the 1960s. She also appeared in the 1959 film From the Terrace, which was shot at Jersey City, New Jersey. Originally a Baldwin-built 2-8-0 of Reading Class I-10a of the mid-1920s, the engine was completely rebuilt into a virtually new T-1 Class 4-8-4, No. 2124, in January 1947. Reading Company No. 2124 is essentially a remodeled locomotive, the remodeling done by the railroad's own shops (a total of 30 engines renumbered 2100 through 2129). The company purchased new underframes, wheels, boiler courses, and many other new parts supplied either by the Baldwin Locomotive Works or its neighbor the General Steel Casting Corporation. The new 4-8-4 locomotives entered freight service, a large part of which was coal traffic, in 1947, on Reading main lines and some branch lines in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In May 1956 the T-1s began hauling railroad enthusiasts instead of freight. Its last "ramble" was on October 22, 1961. Locomotive No. 2124 is one of about 37 4-8-4 Northern-type engines preserved in the United States, and one of four Reading T-1 Class 4-8-4 locomotives to survive out of the 30 built (or rebuilt). See more