August 18, 2008

August 18, 2008

Our target today is Scranton, PA and its Steamtown National Historic Site. Aimee groans as we pull in, seeing all the trains around. From the Visitor Center we quickly catch up to a Ranger talk that started five minutes ago. The historic site is on the location of an old railroad roundhouse. The elderly volunteer docent takes us thru this huge rail maintenance yard. He talks a lot but doesn’t say much. It is very boring, probably the worst we have experienced. Aimee is groaning louder now. What it did make me realize is how complicated it is to maintain a giant steam locomotive. A lost art, now only practiced by a few people.

Finished with the tour we work our way thru the Technology Museum. It is well done with lots of videos and mockups covering all aspects of railroading. From there it is on to the History Museum. It is nice but includes too much of the local history for me. But it does reinforce how important railroads were to the growth of the US and what an integral part of the economy they were. At the peak two million people were employed by the railroads. With the advent of less labor-intensive diesel locomotives and the deregulation of the industry by President Carter, railroading is now once again a growth industry.

Besides the museum, there are plenty of trains and cars to walk thru and even a train ride. We forgo the ride, as steam locomotives are too dirty and noisy for Aimee.

From Scranton we head west and spend the evening in Bloomberg, PA.