Found this old photo on the ABPR. Sort of looks like Scranton. Anyone know?

http://www.railfan.net/cgi-bin/thumb/abprphoto.cgi?/railpix/ABPR/december01/12-25-01/dl_w1640.jpg
bobyar2001@yahoo.com

This is obviously someone's model railroad. Notice the plastic figures standing lop-sided and un-interested near this fine brass scale model. No man could ever strike that sort of ho-hum posture while standing next to a real steam engine. And look at that plastic man using his supposed body weight to encourage the water flow...no one would ever really do that. ;-)

> Found this old photo on the ABPR. Sort of
> looks like Scranton. Anyone know?

Sure looks like the current Steamtown shop behind the front of the engine and the current Steamtown roundhouse behind the tender.

The Electric City Trolley Museum Association

Hello All

I can say with some certaintity that this is not the "Steamtown" yard in a past life. The water tower would have been in a completely different location and of another style and the track layout is quite different. The square building sits where the two story locomotive shop would be.

Now the possibility exists that this shot still could have been taken in Scranton at the Keyser Valley roundhouse, but not having seen many photographs and being unfamiliar with that facility I couldn't wager a guess.

Dave Crosby

I beg to differ, Dave.........

Compare the "layout" of the photo with the "aerial" shot of the then-complete-circle Scranton Lackawanna roundhouse in Tom Taber's book. All signs certainly point to a view of the modified roundhouse and shop building with water tank added--the roof is the same pitch on the shop, and the ventilator on the shop is in the "right" place.

Also, my "resident" Lackawanna expert points out the other obvious question: Where else could it be? According to him and his sources, Keyser Valley was too small, and there were no similar-sized roundhouses in Binghamton, Buffalo, or New Jersey--and you aren't going to find Poconos in outposts like Northumberland.

But, no, we don't have a photo showing that water tank as proof.

First article of the series
lner4472@bcpl.net

This is fun...

OK, I'm gonna sound like I'm crazy here, but I'd bet my life its not the Steamtown yard. Like I said the water tower is in a different place. The building as you see it there is goes from one floor two 2 floors, the Steamtown shop (since 1902, far before the Pocono's arrived) was two floors all the way to the track (north side, supposed location of this photo) side to accomodate an overhead crane. I'll admit the roof vent on the shop looks similar in this photo, but note how it ends quickly, the roof vents on the steamtown shop ran the length of the building then and now. Its these differences that confirmed it for me.

Also if this were the location that you're thinking of, you would be seeing a portion of the 3 track ash pit and the engine scrubbers in the foreground.

Another factor: by 1902, the DL&W scranton R/H had two gangways (exits), one to the northeast and one to the northwest. The northeast exit (the shop side) was only one track wide whereas the northwest one was only two tracks wide. With these two excptions, the Steamtown r/h was a complete circle after 1902. Now look at the roundhouse in the photograph, its opening is a great deal more than two tracks across. Right where the water tower sits would have been the northeast ganway track.

The lighting on this photograph suggests that it was shot from the east in the morning, the south at midday or the west in the evening. This shot, to be the steamtown facility would have to have been taken from the north looking south. The near-direct side sunlight (the engine's smokebox door is dark) would be impossible for this location.

As for the water tower itself. A large water tower was located at the northwest ganway track, although it was somewhat larger and of a different shape. Although it did have a spout, its primary purpose was storage, not for locomotive replenishing. The DL&W made extensive use of city water in the yards here. In fact there were over a dozen water plugs in the Scranton yard. Because they ran under pressure rather than gravity, they were quicker and prefered by DL&W hostlers.

I have to go looking through old photographs, i'll report back later... I love this stuff...

Dave Crosby

bing@epix.net

Now that we are 13 years older and wiser, with more exposure to all things Lackawanna, does anyone have a better guess? If not Scranton, then where? There were certainly enough roundhouses on the DL&W that would qualify.

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... &p=1100456

may give you some leads

I can make no guarantees of where this is however, I think we can all discount steve's suggestion of this being a model railroad. The steam and smoke leaking at the joints is definitely real unless someone is that good at photo shop.

The roundhouse looks like the one that was at Port Morris, New Jersey.

PC

I believe this is Buffalo, and the large building behind the engin would be the car shop, with the roundhouse off to the right.

He was very obviously joking about it being a model railroad..

Scot