Steamtown National Historic Site

I was 6 years old the last time I saw Union Pacific Big boy 4012 at steam town Bellows falls Vermont. Steam town Cranston Pennsylvania was awesome to visit. The museum is well put together with a good selection of steam, oil, and diesel locomotives. There is a lot to see, from the parking lot to the round house and the technology museum. I went in November so the cab to 4012 was closed for the season. I will be back in the summer to see the inside of Big boy 4012.

I’ve been to Steamtown now 3 times. The NPS staff and Rangers are always extremely knowledgeable and very helpful. Plenty of Parking, easy to get to with GPS. Museum inside is awesome, outside displays are unique. There are usually daily rides on one of trains, and occasionally longer excursions for a price.

Amazing Place to visit while in Scranton PA! Very kid friendly, and interesting for the whole family. You can pay for a ticket to ride their trolley and train ride, which explains the history of the area. There is also the turntable + roundhouse museum, which houses lots of relics and trains, all of which is free to see. Overall an amazing place to stop by whenever you have free time, plus it's a short walk over the bridge to the Steamtown Marketplace & Trolly Museum!

Great museum we decided to visit spur of the moment. No admission but we did pay $6 a person for a short ride into town and back. So many beautiful engines and train cars from various companies. The staff are so polite and everyone we spoke to was eager to share their knowledge. I was very impressed with cleanliness of the place and you can see that this museum is well cared for. We did not take the short walk to the trolley museum located across from the train yard but we are planning of visiting again in the near future.

This is another wow, wow, wow moment. Had no idea stopping to check Scanton PA out was going to yield this awesome find. This place was loaded with all kinds of history. Obviously you have to be a person interested in history to appreciate this kind of site. But how could you not be? This may be the best preserved site in America dedicated to the railroad, and steam engine. I'm so glad that this is somehow funded for our citizens to be able to enjoy. It's so cool to see the kids be in awe of these trains. I know growing up, I was interested in trains as well.

Even if you're in Scranton for the Office, make sure you go here! I found out they had one of the 8 remaining Big Boy trains and had to stop by. It's out in the parking lot and is beautifully restored. The museum is free. Staff are all friendly. There's easily a half day of stuff to see, but you could easily spend a full day here. Lots of beautiful trains and very thorough and informative walk through exhibits. I ran out of time and didn't have a chance to walk on the walkway above the rail yard, or go to the electric trolley museum. You will not be disappointed!

This is a very big site with plenty to see. It's pretty confusing to know where to go. I went to the trolley museum and steam town. There's is actually another museum called the technology museum by steam also that I think is work checking out. It's very interesting seeing the history of the rail system and how Scranton became known as the electric city. There are guided tours that take about an hour and brings you to where they work on restoration of different trains.

Couldn't get in due to Federal Shutdown, but posting a few details re parking etc. Large free of charge car park is shared with the Trolley Museum. There are signs for RV and Van parking too. Plenty of blue badge parking spaces. There are many picnic tables and benches, some under cover around the car park. Some locos around the car park Hope to return one day and go inside.

Visited the train museum last week...wow! Wonderful historical museum exhibiting many of the true heroes of the Industrial Revolution. The UPRR 'Big Boy' ....only 8 in existence....and one stands proud in the museum...Canadian Pacific, Reading Lines Steam Loco's to name a few. The volunteers are knowledgeable and you can see they'd each love being at the Museum. Great stop with lots of memories for all ages! Worth the trip!

I had no idea there was a National Historic Site in this area. None. I knew I was going to be going through the area and decided to look up what was available throughout the area and stumbled upon this. What a nice surprise. I don't know if I would say that this is in the heart of the downtown area as some reviewers have stated, it's more like off to the side and hidden down a road that looks like it dead ends on the skirts of downtown. I honestly thought I was going the wrong way when I came to find it. It is a shared space area. Where, yes, you have the Steamtown National Historic Site, but you also have another museum that shares the property, track, and parking lot. Steamtown, itself, is a museum dedicated to a time when the railroad was dominated by the steam engines. It is a free to enter site that allows you to go about it at any speed you want. It is also an indoor/outdoor space, be prepared to deal with weather if you do visit. The buildings are not always connected and you will have to exit and enter to continue your visit. Each building for the indoor portions of the site are filled to the brim with everything railroad and steam engine. Some spaces have a second floor which expands the exhibits in the building and gives you a bird's eye view of what was below. Some exhibits inside are explorable. You can enter old engines and cars to see what it was like. From a caboose to a mail car. Outside there are numerous steam engines from different eras and companies. Some are explorable while others are just for looks. The store for this place is a separate building that was reused from it's past use. Two unique things here. One, they do guided tours, if you want to know a bit more about what is here, this is the best way to go about it. Two, they do have a train ride, you do have to pay for this and it is scheduled at certain times throughout the day. Be sure to check ahead so that you give yourself enough time to partake in a ride if you wish.

I finally got to bring my 2 year old grandson who loves trains to Steamtown and he loved it. The exhibits are amazing and they decorated everything for Christmas. The staff was friendly and helpful and did I mention That it's free?

What a day I had viewing these old Steam Engines! I have to say that this location is accessible for handicapped people. Each building has push button doors and interior ramps to allow easy access to most of the museum. The most impressive to me was the "Big Boy" engine... it's huge!

We took the train ride to the Gorge it was only $6 and really fun. The staff is amazing.

Yesterday we came here and it was incredible. There was a locomotive running and patrons were boarding the train in real time. There is a huge arena here that could be easily incorporated into a venue plan for an Olympic Bid in like 2036 if Scranton ever wanted to host! Comcast/NBCUniversal announced that it had renewed its long-running rights to the Olympic Games in the United States through 2036... so anything is possible, right?!

Moving this one down the road a bit to the current. While I've covered the museum portion of Steamtown in prior ramblings, let's bring it up to the now in terms of the other part of what they do seasonally which are excursions. Back in the day of maybe 15 years ago, Steamtown ran a fairly robust excursion program that saw them at times making multiple same day trips up to Moscow, PA three or four days a week for most of the summer & fall behind one of their two operating steam engines (3254 & 2317.) That era is dead, done and long gone and those two engines (in particular 3254) will likely never run again or if they do they'll be running on solar in a hundred years. Enter into the fray typical government incompetence, multiple park superintendents, a congressional sequester and a pandemic which meant that for several years nothing ran or it was sporadic Dieseltown with one of their own engines (514) plus whatever they could borrow from their neighbors the Delaware-Lackawanna running occasional trips to places along the Pocono Line towards the Delaware Water Gap. This past year was about as good as it's been from them since the aforementioned glory days of their excursions years from the late 90's-early 00's. www.nps.gov/stea/planyourvisit/trainrides.htm If you come, understand they offer two distinct products. 1. Their little 0-6-0 steam switcher 26 runs short trips on weekends from the park's loading platform over to Nay Aug Gorge in summer and fall. Those rides are $6 per person and are first come-first served day of. Usually there are three or four departures Friday-Sunday except on Saturdays when they offer their longer excursions as there may not be enough staff/volunteers to run both. 2. The other part are the longer excursions which are diesel only and are on certain Saturdays in summer and fall to places along their Pocono Line like Tobyhanna, East Stroudsburg, Carbondale or Delaware Water Gap. Those tickets are credit card only on recreation.gov in advance. No same day sales are possible and most trips either sell out or are close to it. Day of you need to go to the ticket/information booth and check in where they will give you a wrist band which is your defacto ticket/how the train crew knows you paid/are legit. Most excursions also give you some time off at the destination location where some type of activity(s) are planned that you can participate in or you can explore on your own. Door to door it's usually around 4-6 hours which gives you some time before or after to see the museum portion which a few years ago went from pay to visit to free and is very well done. If your looking for a big steam excursion you're not going to find it here. I mentioned in my 2016 post that Ranger Mike said that the one engine they're been working on for over a decade now (3713) might be ready for the following year and obviously he was way, way off. In reality they'll be lucky if that thing steams this decade. Come for the museum and know that the bulk of the year nothing operates or if it does it's likely going to be a diesel. YMMV if that matters or not.

Scranton worth visiting. It makes you travel back in time, the workers are very knowledgeable and the trolley ride was fun.

Absolutely awesome must-see for anyone who is a train or history buff. This is a working museum, with functional rolling stock - you will find staff tending to the equipment and you are able to take excursions which is really fun. There are nice historical displays, a gift shop, walkways through the roundhouse. This is also a very family-friendly place - a good place for kids to see the choo-choos up close. We were able to observe the turntable in use which was quite a treat for me! Admission is free, but you do pay for the train rides - definitely worth it!

I have been here twice with my wife and children and will keep visiting this awesome historic site. There is plenty of free parking, the park is free and the exhibits never get old. They have a so many cool artifacts, train cars, and engines for you to explore and/or you can pay for an excursion depending on the scheduling. If you love trains, they have a Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4012 on display which is one of the biggest steam trains ever built and is a must see. It's massive! My kids loved seeing a functioning railyard, a turntable, round house and the locomotive that is cut open so you can learn how a steam engine works. You can climb aboard some of the trains like big boy and see the controls, in one train you can ring the bell, walk through an old business class car, mail car, caboose and a box car. The excursions were great, the first one several years back was almost two hours, was on a diesel train and stopped in the borough of Moscow before it turned around and headed back. The second most recent excursion was on a Baldwin Steam Locomotive and was a quick 40 minute trip to the Nay Aug gorge and back. I think the second quick excursion cost the four of us $24. That is a steal. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable and the gift shop although small, had some great gifts for the kids and helps fund the site. We haven't gone to the trolley museum yet, but it's on the list for next visit. On the first visit we hit up a restaurant in town afterwards, but on the last visit we broke up the time and had lunch in the mall next door that is walkable via a pedestrian bridge. It was slim pickings, but the pizza and pasta place wasn't too bad. Definitely hit this gem up with your kids or with the kid inside of you!

I wish they were dog-friendly... I wasn't able to visit the site since I had my four-legged friend with me.

Have come here a couple of times with friends and still amazing to see all these trains. This site is free which is a plus. A lot of history if you take the guided tour as well - just ask for the time for the next tour. I would recommend going on the guided tour at least once - you get to see a lot. It's really nice if you come when all the trains are on exhibit. Just look at the schedule. It will take at least 2 hours depending on how much you want to see and do here. Great for the train buffs. The turn table actually works too...had an opportunity to see it in action once. There is also a trolley, Electric City Trolley, that will take you to the baseball game if you happen to come visit during that time. It's not expensive and it a cool ride that takes you to the game and back.

This is an incredible place, made all the more incredible by the fact that it's free to visit. There are many different trains to climb on board, look at, and explore. you have access to the whole roundhouse, running from room to room to see more locomotives, different displays, and interesting new sights. The mail car was a real hit for me, as I never knew just how much sorting was involved, and how it would be possible to go through everything. Picturing that happening while the train was in motion adds even more to it!

We sadly got here closer to closing so we didn't get to spend a ton of time here, but what we did get to see was awesome! Really great historic site with a ton of information about trains, rails, and our nation's history. There are many historic trains to explore and make you nostalgic for the golden era of rail travel. I would love to come back and spend more time learning and exploring and getting to ride the train they have.

A perfect place for a day-outing. This museum was interesting and a great way to spend a rainy day. My girlfriend and I walked around for 2-3 hours and had a lot of fun. I suppose that some people could rush through the entire place in an hour, but we were enjoying all of the exhibits. It's not the most interesting or exciting place I've ever been to, but I enjoy learning about new things and I had a good time here. We're also a goofy couple so we had fun making some funny videos for TikTok. Small kids would probably be a little bored at some areas, and maybe most teenagers. Seeing the trains was cool, and I think kids would enjoy that. The mannequin section was fun and interactive for kids too. Adults will enjoy the whole place though. There was no charge and the staff were friendly. Idk if it was fun enough to go back by myself but I would take a friend or family member here from out of town.

This place is located next to the Trolley Museum. It is a fun place especially if you love trains. Great collection of steam trains. It's a fun place to bring kids. Friendly staff. Highly recommended!

If you're a Train buff, then this is the place for you. Lots of history to see. Even get to walk through a few. The Postal Train was very interesting. We didn't get to see it, but they even start and move a Train every now and then. Best thing.... it free.

This is a great place to visit. You get to interact with some really amazing trains, learn a few things and even take a train or trolley ride. Always the place we hit at least once a year and bring friends to when they come visit too.

Visited on Aug 3. Most buildings closed due to heating/ cooling problems. It seems like it's been this way for years. Typical government progress. The Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct was probably built in less time. But it was Lackawanna railroad that built it. The history museum was one of two buildings open. A movie on the railroad was showing on an upper level. Unfortunately the elevator was not working. Those of us who can't climb stairs are out of luck. I would have expected ADA compliance especially with a government facility.

My GF and I had more fun than we expected here! We visited this summer, mid-week, and the site was nearly empty when we arrived - it felt like we had the museum all to ourselves! We spent close to 2 hours there and could have spent a bit more time there had we not been there so close to closing time. The museum is a combination of indoor/outdoor exhibits with plenty of descriptive placards to tell you what you're looking at. It's amazing how big these trains are and very impressive to see up close! I think the true gems of the museum are the hardworking park rangers that were stationed in different parts of the museum who were more than happy to answer our questions as we geeked out around the exhibits. We learned the history of the trains, how they worked, the history of the surrounding area and more. They were incredibly friendly and informative and made this pitstop in our trip memorable. If you're in the area, I'd highly recommend stopping by!

Steamtown National Historic Site is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located on about 62 acres in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the site of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. This was my first time here with my family of 7 including two young children. We all enjoyed this national historic site especially my family's two young children. The museum is both indoors and outdoors, including a nice large comfy movie theater. If you have an interest in trains then you should definitely visit here especially if you have young children. After touring the museum we visited the gift shop to purchase some gifts for the children.

A gem of a national park only five minutes off the highway in Scranton. I wish we had more time to explore but we saw so much in an hour! The kids had a ball climbing into all the trains and exploring all the books and crannies of the cabins and engines, and they would have spent all day in the hands-on "excavation site" where they had to pan through gravel to find items, simulating the items found at the Steamtown site when they were restoring it. I am also going to say this: there is definite pride of ownership here. The volunteers and staff were SO great, so informative and enthusiastic, and the bathrooms and grounds and everything were impeccable. It was great. If you are a NHP enthusiast, train enthusiast, history buff, or you have kids and don't want to take hem somewhere where you have to worry the whole time about touching something they shouldn't, this is the perfect place to visit! If you are none of those things, you'll still love visiting. I particularly loved the Pullman car and all the lodging in there. Totally fascinating what they could fit into one train car.

Tons of fun and informative displays about trains. You get to go inside of several trains too. I was pleasantly surprised.

Checking on your local favorites, and grabbing a bite to eat is always nice to refresh yourself once in awhile, especially taking in some good quality time.

It's been 20 years since I've visited Steamtown and everything was just as I've remembered. Parking and admission is completely free and there are a lot of cool relics from when steam locomotion was in its prime. The best locomotive on the premises is the large B-1902 train that overlooks the parking lot. I strongly advice taking the stairs, up from the visitors center, and into the theatre to see a cool 18 minute film about steam locomotion in America.

This is a wonderful railroad museum. The inside exhibits range the gamut from how steam locomotives work to the differences between railroad cars and how railroads were originally built. The outside pieces are mostly steam locomotives (not surprising given the focus of STEAMtown) but there are several diesel engines in the collection too (which historically are the models that made the steam locomotives obsolete). Everything that the public can generally access is in very good shape except for the Union Pacific "Big Boy," whose paint is very tired and peeling. Aside from that, all of the exhibits are nice and shiny, cosmetically accurate, and many have interiors that you can access. Inside the active roundhouse, which exudes a smell of anthracite coal and steam oil (I wish Yankee Candle offered such a fragrance!), you can see locomotives up close and personal. It was filthy, dangerous work inside these buildings keeping the engines running. It is no wonder the diesel engines proved so popular. We also rode on a train for about 30 minutes. It was pulled by a steam engine (woot woot) and that alone was worth the $5 charge. The rest of the museum was absolutely free. It is nice to see that federal funds are keeping everything in great shape, as other private museums frequently have their equipment exposed to the elements and left to languish until they are rust covered, worn out, and destroyed. As an aside, several areas of the museum celebrated the completion of the transcontinental railroad (finished in 1869) but I didn't see maps of the route in any of the areas. I might have missed them, but my friend was looking too. That is a very odd omission from the exhibit. Beyond that, I had a wonderful time. Being a railroad buff in general, and knowing full well the history of Steamtown before it came to PA, it was with sadness that much of the old collection was in such bad shape. But, you can't save everything and what they have done is absolutely wonderful. I loved it here, and can't wait to come back.

Great for kids and adults who like trains. They have the only Big Boy on the east coast! A must see.

Can't beat the prices! Museum is free, short train rides for $5. Museum was very nice. A LOT of pictures, signs, displays all well done. Plenty of different train car types many you can walk through. Like the actual shop area too. Rangers were polite and knowledgeable. Clean place, easy access and not crowded.

Not everything is open yet from covid but there was still enough to enjoy! The staff was very friendly and helpful. Clean and air conditioned inside

I can't believe I never did a Yelp review on Steamtown in all the years I've been on Yelp and going to Steamtown...LOL I have a good one for ya though.... I had a bad experience here this past weekend (05/15/2021 to be exact ... I pulled in and stopped just short of the newly restored Big Boy locomotive in hopes of getting a picture from that angle. There were people who would have been in the picture so I decided against it and proceeded on to park in the lot. No sooner did I pull away a guy with a safety vest on and slightly longer gray hair coming out from under his hat started yelling at me to slow down. He was yelling like a maniac and it startled the crap out of me as he continued putting on a good show for the people who were standing around the locomotive. I wasn't sure at that point if I should proceed to the parking lot or let this maniac verbally abuse me.....part two coming up...read on.... I finally proceeded on to park the car. I walked around for a bit because I noticed he appeared to be stationed at the Big Boy locomotive. Finally I walked over because I really wanted a picture of this locomotive. Apparently he didn't remember my face because as I was standing there taking picture he was blatantly lying to people who were there to see the Big Boy loco. He told them a BS story about me blasting through at forty miles an hour and then backing up to give him the middle finger for yelling at me. I bit my tongue and didn't say anything to him but it was very hard let me tell you..... I'm not taking anything away from this place .... I have been going here since the place opened. I live nearby and go here more than a couple times of year for trolley rides and just to watch the trains roll through this active yard. It truly is a great place to visit if you like trains but just be aware of this person who seems to be gung ho for yelling at people for nothing.... I included a picture of the Big Boy for your viewing pleasure...it was worth almost getting into a verbal altercation for sure...LOL

It's kinda dead these days nothing like it was back when I was a child and not as exciting as I expected

Steamtown NHS is probably one of the best railway museums in the US. As a locomotive lover, I can see myself spend hours or a day at this museum. Most people think this kind of museum can bore you to death. You're wrong! This place is huge with working turntable and a dozen of locomotives inside the roundhouse. There's a lot of stuff you can learn about the history of railroad, including: locomotives (steam, diesel, and electric), railway cars, trams, and railway signalling equipment . Too bad, I got only a couple hours to spend this time. ;( Although the "Scranton Limited" train ride was a little letdown since you were riding back and forth inside the rail yard, but I kinda enjoyed it! I cannot wait to take the Moscow (3 hr ride RT) or Delaware Water Gap (8 hr ride RT) excursions this summer! Steamtown NHS is totally worth a visit if you're in downtown Scranton area.

These people have the best jobs in the world. I mean, the fellows who get to work on actual trains. I am so jealous. I mean... TRAINS! They have exhibits where you can climb into and onto trains, old Pullman cars, steam engines. I even gave a hug to a big diesel electric engine while I was there. So cool. I am so glad my fiancée suggested we visit this place while we were in the area. The people are super friendly. And there's lots to see here. Lots of historical information about trains, and about the train yard that this site occupies (along with a working train turntable). Scranton was the heart of the railroad and coal industry for many years. They cover everything about the histories of the Lackawana and Western Railroads, and explain how evolving technologies and economies killed the industry in the 1960's. There is also a short train ride you can take up and down the yard. It's a cool way to get exposure to working train gear, and learn a few more things about the yard while you're out there. The train ride is unfortunately not handicapped accessible, and I think it does not run during the colder months. Better call ahead to make sure. I hope we get to visit this place again whenever we're next in the area. Holler if you're coming with.

We've been to many train museums over the years and all over the world. Steamtown is among the best. Here you'll not just see real engines and rolling stock but also learn about the industry and its impact on the surrounding area and the world. My husband and boys were enthralled for hours by the yard, engines and rolling stock. The historical part of the museum is absolutely captivating. Learning the history of the region and how railroading was intertwined with the coal industry was fascinating. The exhibits are easy to follow and appealing to all age groups. Well worth a stop on your journey.

Amazing array of steam trains and the history behind their dominance in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This free-to-visit historic site features an educational film, a history display, two rail cars and a train car repair shop you can walk through, and is also situated near a trolley museum that has excursion rides during certain days of the week. Be sure to check that out, and go support local small businesses in downtown Scranton afterward!

One of the top train museum's I have visited. It's great to see a working turntable as well as many of the collection indoors. Most of the underfunded museums I have visited has the trains out in the elements slowly degrading. Would like to return to ride one of the longer excursions rather than the short run out to the mall and back that was offered. The steam locomotive was down, so we were pulled by a diesel. Many of the displays of train history and society changes were very interesting. I put this on par with the Sacramento California museum.

Awesome place to visit. This is a National Park Service. Their are train rides and tours. Would definitely recommend!!!!!!

Every year I take my kids here AT LEAST once. They love it every time, like it's their first time. There are so many hands on things for the kids to do. They love that they can go in the trains and really dig into learning. Also great for your wallet because it's free too! We tried out the train ride once. Don't do that in the heat. It broke down, it was over 90 degrees and my son was misbehaving. That was probably the most stressful thing ever haha. Not their fault at all but my recommendation is not to do it if it's really hot out, just in case.

This is an incredible museum, both indoor and out. There are plenty of really incredible displays, artifacts, train cars and locomotives, all beautifully maintained. This is an ideal museum for a railroad fan, and very interesting for casual- or non-railway fans alike. The train rides are absolutely worth it as well - riding in a Pullman car is quite a lot of fun. If you're in the area and like trains, check out Steamtown - the history lesson alone is worth it.

Brought 6 kids ages 5 and under to the trolley museum here last week- we had a fantastic time! Friendly staff, very kid friendly space. They had a great time playing in the playroom and exploring the trolleys. I got nostalgic when I got on one of the trolleys that looked just like a New Orleans streetcar. A fabulous experience all around! The kids really enjoyed the huge play table with wooden structures so they could make their own city with tracks, and the mock trolley with the bell they could ring was very popular. As an added bonus, admission was discounted when we went, so it was only $2 each. All the kids had a great day, and so did the adults!

Great museum situated amongst the former Scranton railyard of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western. The roundhouse is still intact and the turntable is used regularly to spin the museum's collection of operable locomotives which afford scenic rides up to the summit and back down to Scranton. The museum itself is the perfect size to spend a half day and still see everything it has to offer from the history of the Lackawanna, the city of Scraton, northeast Pennyslvania coal industry and railroading in general. There are talking and interactive displays as well as static and memoribilia displays. You are able to enter some of the old rolling stock (the private sleeper is one of the best) and climb up next to the retired and in-service locomotives in the roundhouse. There is plenty of additional rolling stock and locomotives available to view scattered about the grounds. Well worth the money and the trip to visit, espescially in the fall when the scenic excursions are even more enjoyable. Highly recommended.

This is a National Historic site, that has an admission of 6 dollars per person. It has a ton of steam engines there, both working and not working, authentic and replicas. The museum is a former roundhouse where they would turn the trains around to handle them better. it was abandoned in the 1970's and the government stepped in and took it over and restored it. It is actually divided into several parts: one is a technology center, one is a history center, one has a little working hard-powered rail rail car.... like the one the bad guy gets away on in the old old movies. There was a bridge that connected it to the mall across the street. They also loaned me a wheelchair for Carole's mother, that was pretty nice. The place wasnt too hard to find because I had a map of Scranton, but it would have been harder if I didnt know where I was going.

Living in Florida, we don't know much about the expansion of our country via the railroad other than a class or two in high school. This is what is astounding about the national park service because you can learn at these living history types of museums and sites. I began at the visitor center to get oriented with a map. I began touring the museum and then took a self guided walk throughout the site. The entire area was wonderfully informative with all kinds of signs and exhibits. It was fascinating to read and learn about the trains all while seeing countless trains all throughout. There were a few trains that you could climb into and see how it was set up back then. I learned about the history of steam railroads transportation. Some people are train fanatics, but I feel that most anyone can take away something positive from their visit here.

An amazing collection of rail road trains, history, and memorabilia. The caboose ride we went on was reasonable at 6 bucks but very short. It does give you a very good idea of the conditions in which rail road workers worked. I am glad many locomotives got saved and restored as a lot of railroad equipment was left to rot in the Lackawanna backwoods and mountains or sold as scrap. I have never seen another American rail road museum anywhere. Even though the current hub of our rail traffic is now in Chicago a century ago it was in NE PA with the NYOW and DH rail roads hauling the anthracite that powered the American Industrial Revolution. There were not many jobs in Lackawanna County a century or so ago besides the Rail Roads and the Coal Mines, both of which our now out of business. It is very nice to see when we used to lead the world in rail power. Nowadays, if you want to see good, quality rail infrastructure, you must travel to the European Union. But you can still enjoy the trains that made America great. And who doesn't like a (steam) train? Also great for children. It was very nice to see their little faces light up when they see the locomotives. The switching yard was an eye-opener. A day we'll spend in a unique museum with very friendly US Park Service staff

Nice place to see old trains . Both my teenagers loved the place . Too bad that more than half was closed , I assume because of COVID.

My 3.5 year old is so in love with steam engines, we we planned a vacation road trip to this place from CT and then to Hershey Park. This was our first stop. Upon pulling up to the driveway, my son immediately started getting so excited seeing the black engine that looked like "the polar express"!! There was no entrance fee which i was surprised. We walked around all the outside trains, and went inside. This place is amazing. Lots of history and beautiful trains out on display. And my goodness did my son love the turn table! And that engine where you could pull the rope to blow the whistle! This place definitely would be worth whatever entrance fee they do normally charge. Maybe because we came on a Wednesday there wasn't one? I don't know. The only bummer was that there were no short train rides scheduled for the day we visited that was the only bummer when it came to my son. But he enjoyed the whole museum itself besides that. We did the locomotive walking tour, the ranger was so knowledgeable, it was a great tour to go behind the scenes too. Halfway through it my toddler wanted to go ring the bell again, so I sadly had to part the tour and my husband stayed for the remainder. Great place, will plan another trip back soon! Maybe for his 4th birthday.

Beautiful refurbished trains tons of history knowledgeable staff social distancing and masks enforced admission is free

I've been here two years in a row for Rail Fest. Both years we had a great time. There's so much to see and do. I also had a great time on the Moscow excursion. This a definite must stop for Railfans young and old.

So much to see and do! I loved it :) great for children and adults alike! And it was free! Not to be confused with the trolley museum which is on the same property but is not free.