Perusing some of my tattered 50+ year collection of magazines, I noted a 1958 meeting for the Scranton Model RR Club, which had an HO layout on the fourth floor of the Lackawanna RR storehouse, So. Washington Avenue. Was this in one of the buildings now part of the Steamtown complex?

ryarger@rypn.org

Was this in one of the buildings now part of the Steamtown complex?

Yes. This building, called the Office & Stores Building still stands. It served as the NPS visitor center from 1989 to 1995, when museum operations began in the new core complex by the roundhouse. The structure now houses the Superintendant's office, park library, curator's office among others on the first floor. The Archives in on the second floor. The active part of the building is in the old warehouse area. The old office end is not very nice nowadays. Yet it retains its railroad look. It has an elevator and glass atrium for better lighting. One office has a slogan painted on the wall, "Potential is interesting: Performance is Everything." I've always liked that phrase. Too bad we don't offer tours of this area.


http://www.nps.gov/stea/

Hello

I remember walking through that area towards then end of my NPS tenure. There were still signs of the old RR club there. Signs that said "HO Scale" and "O" scale still hung on the walls. Many of the walls were maked "Keep" or "Demolish" by NPS construction workers who at the time were preparing to convert that end of the building for some other use. So alot of the old character that Tim spoke of will probably be gone someday, if its not already, along with the signs from the old model club.

Dave Crosby

bing@epix.net