Steamtown USA, Scranton PA

 Scranton PA

Feb. 7th 2022

There are some 400 plus National Park units in the United States, and I have been taking steps to see as many as I can before I die. In researching the ones that are within a few hours from me, I found that Steamtown NHP was only just a short drive south into PA. Easy enough day trip, this one was on the to do list. As it so happened, My friend Stefanie who had moved to Florida last year, had recently moved back to NY and we had reconnected.  She was down for a road trip and I was ready for some adventure. 

Scranton PA is about 1 1/ hours south of my home, so we got up early and made our way to PA. 1st on my agenda was a Krispy Kreme. (For those of you who have read my resolutions, clearly this early in the new year I was already in BUST mode.) Krispy Kreme doughnuts are not readily available in my area. (They once were, but now they only live in places like PA for me.) Not that these doughnuts are my favorites or anything, but if your in PA, you might as well go for it and here we landed. 

Of course I had to have the classic glazed, but picked up some of the cute heart shaped ones because, well,  why NOT? The glazed have got to be my absolute favorite and if you have never had a KK doughnut, then you can't even begin to understand the allure. These babies just melt into your mouth like your eating a small piece of Heven.  Oh my YUM!!!!

Doughnuts checked off the list of must do, we were then on our way to the days destination. 

This National historic site is home to multiple trains of many years and times in our history. 

Although the park was open for visits, there were several things that continued to be closed due to COVID. Several of the indoor exhibits as well as the train rides themselves were not in operation. 

We were able to view all of the trains that were located on the property. I unfortunately do not know names or information on each of them, but they were neat to look at.

I hate to report that I didn't learn anything at this site. I was able to visit the small unclosed area of the museum, but there was little information. 

The visitor center was open and I was able to obtain my passport stamp and purchase a few items, but I really did not have the opportunity to learn anything new about trains or the history of the train industry in the area. I do know that this area was once the largest railway in the North eastern part of the world at one time and the line was once known as the Delawware Lakawanna and Western Railroad.  (DLW)

This railline was founded by F. Nelson Blout in the 1950's. Blout was once a New England seafood processor. The collection of trains now located on this spot were donated to the National Parks to include the Union Pacific "Big Boy", The oldest locomotive built by the Chicago Union Transfer in 1903 as well as the small switcher engine built in 1937 among others. 

Adjacent to the National Park is a Trolly Museum. We decided not to go in, but did get a few pictures of the cars located outside. 

My takeaway is that trains and trollys were an important aspect of transportation specifically in the past. Some of the county's richest people of the gilded age were known to be in the train industry. 

Both for the transportation of people as well as goods continue to be used by train. I suspect this day would have been more educational and entertained had we come when the train rides were actually available as well as the opportunity to view inside the cars and engines. I was not disappointed, they are surly a wonder to view and a marvelous invention that helped to lead the way to our country's growth and expansion. 

But....now what to do with the rest of our day here in Scranton PA. I hadn't done much research other then that I was headed for the National Park before we left. In some last minute what to do in Scranton google search, we found that there was a Houdini museum in town. I was hopeful and excited only to find that this location was and had been closed since the initial COVID shut down. (Apparently they did/do offer some private preplanned tours as well as some evening parties-this may have since changed at the time of this writing.) So anyway, The Houdini museum was a BUST.

It wasn't until later that I found out that Scranton is the fictitious home setting of the tv show The Office. I, myself have never watched the series, had I been aware I may have taken time to get some pictures of the clock tower (I believe) and searched out the Muffler Man.  Ahh, perhaps another time, another day. Instead we drove a little farther south and went to the Mohegan Sun at Pocono Down's casino in Wilkes Barre. We got a free $10 play for signing up for a players card, but neither Stefanine or I won enough to play longer then a few button pushes. 

On the way back home, we stopped in Cortland and had a late lunch/early dinner at a small cafe in the village. I had the chicken wing dip and chips. It turned out to be not the most exciting day to have, but it was fun to get out with a friend and have a road trip away from home. until next time, TTFN