Antrahcite Railroads Historical Society has reunited
their F7 "B" unit with both F3 "A" units in Steamtown.

In time she's expected to be painted to match the
DL&W sister units which are currently in running
order but parked as a display in the parking lot.

Good news - I hear (but not confirmed) that both
DL&W F's will be running this year.







/Mitch

PS - The weather forecast was way off - who
can I blame for the dull white skies?!

The latest issue of Railpace has a shot of the B unit along with the FA2 and C420 being pulled by a pair of NS engines.

Just waiting for the weather to get warmer :-)

The F3's will come off of the display track in the parking lot sometime in April. Newly repainted steam locomotives will be placed there as they had been prior to the asbestos abatement.

As nice as it was to have the ablility to see it whenever I drove past the SRNJ, it is also nice to see thay are out of harms way and will get the treatment they deserve.

Later!
Mr. Ed

As nice as it was to have the ablility to see it whenever I drove past the SRNJ, it is also nice to see thay are out of harms way and will get the treatment they deserve.

Later!
Mr. Ed

Y'know... I never understood the logic of putting some of Steamtown's best pieces not only outside, but in a parking lot.

First - you have a good percentage of your best displays visible without the need to pay admission. And why not charge admission at the gate and actually make some money?

Second - you diminish the Museum experience since once entering the Museum, you've already seen some of it's best display. While I much more prefer to see engines outside for photographing opportunities and better lit airy views, imagine how impressive seeing most of the collection all at once, all in one area - whether indoor or outside.


The parking lot is best reserved for lesser impressive equipment or perhaps diesels.
The equipment could be rotated to keep things fresh.

Imagine a full roundhouse. And better yet, rotate that equipment so each piece gets some outdoor time. That would keep many of us coming back, railfans, photographers and families alike. While better protecting the equipment.

/Mitch

Excellent point, Mitch, rotating the show pieces makes good sense. All of the collection should have cover, particularly in winter weather. At the least, a train shed should be constructed.

Mitch,

If I remember correctly, there were a number of different site plans and locomotive placement ideas during the early years of NPS control.

If you remember the site before the grand opening, you actually entered at the east end of the park. The site now occupied by the parking lot was a full of 100 year-old industrial buildings, many of which were part of the locomotive/mine/heavy equipment manufacturer Dickson. Of course, neither that area nor the roundhouse were part of the public display at that time.

Scranton was going through massive waves of demolition across the city at the time, and I saw everything as very black and white - if it is old, restore it... if it is new, do what you need.

Through that lens I had hoped that the parking lot would be built on the east end, with the Dickson buildings retained for indoor displays.

There were a number of public meetings during the NPS development phase during which I realized the park plans were somewhat of a fait accompli. The incredible lack of historical knowledge by the consults the gummint hired was disheartening. After arguing at one session with a consultant who swore that the CNJ freight station was actually the passenger station, I realized they were not looking for a nuanced plan tainted by facts ;-). When the demolition of the Dickson site was included, there was no forum to object. The fact that the mill building which now houses the trolley museum survived is quite something, and a big silver lining of the parking lot plan.

Fast forward to now, the parking lot display track (I think) has proven its worth as flexible display space. The Amtrak display on that track during Railfest was excellent and such an appropriate parking lot display.

I would hope that it's impact as a rotating display space has been underscored by the "DL&W freight" that has been there for the past months.

I remember either reading or being told that putting big engines in the parking lot was to provide an impressive first vision of the park. Generally, parks are not conceived for ticket box revenue, so putting bug stuff out where anyone can see it aligns with that... and gives the average Joe taxpayer a chance to enjoy some trains without paying up.

That said, I didn't get the impression "way back when" that museum curators really valued the T-1 or the GT 4-8-2 over other engines vying for roundhouse space. To their credit, NKP-#759 was coddled compared to the other big engines. It always did surprise me that #15 was allowed to sit out there, as there is evidence she was sent to Scranton for repairs at least once, which gives her a pedigree tied to the actual site. Unfortunately, both she and the DL&W milk car remained outside, despite the home road connection (much stronger for the milk car, obviously).

As you know from my posts, I love Steamtown. Many years ago I realized it was better to embrace it for what it is, than to hold it to some pie in the sky standard.

Having seen it through the eyes of my son the past 8 years, there are parts I appreciate more and those I appreciate less.

I can tell you, Mitch, to your original point, that we always stop by the Big Boy because, well, it is the Big Boy... but we have always skipped right on by the parking lot display track. I agree that some more basic displays there, and some more gems in the roundhouse would be a wise use of space.

I am grateful that Steamtown is what it is... there's always room to grow and improve, but sometimes I have to pinch myself when standing by the turntable and thinking of what it was like when I used to wander through its abandoned glory 25 years ago.

Steamtown, the local rail authority, the D-L and the ECTM have turned an unwanted chunk of land in the downtown of a down trodden city into a humming center of both museum and for-profit railroading. That incredible success provides the foundation for fun topics like what to put on the parking lot track.

Good times in Scranton.

Rob