Have you visited Steamtown yet? This National Historic Site in Scranton PA is a mecca for steam engine enthusiasts! Plus, it's free to enter!
One of the biggest draws of the park is the 4012, a Big Boy from Union Pacific!
This massive engine is one of only 8 Big Boys still surviving. It was built in 1941 to haul freight more efficiently over steep mountains out west in Utah and Wyoming.
Steamtown also features a lot of local railroad history, including artifacts, engines, and cars from Pennsylvania and the surrounding regions. The railyard in which Steamtown is located was formerly the property of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad (later Erie & Lackawanna). The museum includes a restored roundhouse and turntable.
In addition to the local engines and relics, there are some from farther afield, such as engines from the Canadian Pacific railway, Grand Trunk Western, and Nickel Plate Road.
Walk through the railyard and you might come across other interesting pieces of history, such as this snowplow:
Visitors also enjoy posing on the handcart:
If you are lucky, you may even be able to take an excursion ride on a restored steam engine!
Have you been to Steamtown? Share your experience below!
Learn more at: https://www.nps.gov/stea/index.htm
Got to see the 4014 in Manhattan Ks. She rolled through on her way back to Wyoming. A site to see.