Labor Day Weekend is always a fun time in Scranton, PA with Steamtown's Railfest and the city’s huge Italian festival.

Steamtown has some things worth seeing this year:

- Reading 4-8-4 #2124 has been meticulously spruced up, mostly by volunteers, and is now in her full Reading Rambles paint scheme. Steve Barry is doing a night photo session with her and the Reading FP7s.
- You can see the latest progress on B&M #3713 up close
- The Railfest Flyer excursion on Saturday features vintage EMD’s on two different railroads.
- There’s a regular excursion train, too
- 0-6-0 #26 will be on short runs, looking beautiful as always
- the Erie-Lackawanna Dining Car peeps will be serving lunch in a DL&W diner
- and there is a lot more...

The small but dedicated Steamtown staff, volunteers from the Iron Horse Society, the Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley NRHS, the ELDCPS, Anthracite Railroads Historical Society, the D-L and others are cooperating for another stellar weekend.

Rob

Good for Steamtown.

The first Ramble using diesel power was April 30, 1960 to Gettysburg.

2124 was the road power but would have needed coal and water at Reading on the way back. Instead, FP-7's 902/903 took over and returned the train to Wayne Junction and Jenkintown.

Phil Mulligan

You can also visit the R&LHS table where you can get the final instalment of "Inside EMD" for $15 if you aren't a member. Or join for $35 and get it with two back issues as a bonus.

"Inside EMD" is by Preston Cook, who posts on this site.

Phil Mulligan

Phil. thank you for mentioning that.

"Inside EMD" is a 74-page three-part article series in R&LHS RAILROAD HISTORY issues 218-219-220. It provides a color photography walk-around tour of the EMD La Grange plant complex as it was in the 1970's, done in the way it was usually conducted for plant visitors by the instructors of the Service Department Training Center.

Regarding Steamtown, it can be mentioned that the former DL&W Scranton Diesel Shop was a design done by EMD, an example of the product support services they provided in the 1940's. They also designed the Erie Railroad Diesel Shop at Marion, Ohio.

PC

Honestly, this is going to be an EMD-lover’s weekend.

The Railfest Flyer is running on the Stourbridge Line with an FP7 and BL2. After a short bus hop, riders will return from Moscow most likely with a GP7 and/or F3. Either way, the ARHS F3 A-B-A set will be on hand, as will the Reading FP7’s. Add in the EMC switcher and some other pieces around town and it’s quite an EMD day.

And then cannolis.

Flyer info: http://lwvrhs.org/railfest-flyer-rail-excursion-tour/

Poor Nelson Blount must be turning over in his grave. His beloved Steamtown USA has morphed into a nearly all dismal operation. What do you want for a measley $ 6 million dollars a year in taxpayer dollars?? Steam too??? Not gonna happen.

Sad but true. Ross Rowland

It’s awful.

I can’t believe that a failing museum which had to relocate to survive could end up with a facility beyond anything it ever had before.

And then they had the audacity to make it into a regional center of preservation where groups and individuals could display, restore and operate historic railroad equipment.

Then they beautifully restored that 0-6-0. Ugh. Now the same care is being put into the restoration of a mainline steam locomotive. And they’re doing that with a small staff and a team of young volunteers. They even have plans to turn those folks loose on another steam locomotive! Who do they think they are training the next generation of steam talent?

And what about the volunteers running the 0-6-0, some of whom drive over 2 hours each way from home to Steamtown? Why aren’t they home on their computers?

And get a load of this. Now they went and did a beautiful job cosmetically cleaning up one of their key displays. What were they thinking? Especially when one of the smaller locomotives is getting thorough cosmetic treatment in the shop already.

With full acknowledgment that there is infinite room to improve, a new friends group is making its mark while folks who care are putting muscle and sweat into helping. How could they let that happen?

Meanwhile, some of the biggest train-buff egos in America use magazines or the Internet to shit on everything and everyone trying to help. Which is really cool and productive.

Steamtown is a complete disaster. And I will remember that while I'm eating in a DL&W diner on DL&W track, surrounded by operating trains of both steam and historic diesel power. Man, it would really suck if I took a ride on a DL&W caboose through a DL&W Yard. I might even be foolish enough to visit the shop and see the great craftsmanship up close. Nah, then I might risk passing by the O&W 44-tonner which was saved and move to Scranton for restoration. And that locomotive ran in Scranton during regular service. How could they bring it here to interpret in its historic environment?

At least there will be porketta and cannolis across town. I might have to get a beer to help me forget the terrible time I will have had.

Thank you, Rob. I agree with you, it's SO much worse that Vermont......

Howard P.

Thanks, Rob. I didn’t have time to type all that. Lol

As Rush Limbaugh fans are/were wont to say:

"Mega-dittoes, Mr. Davis!!!"

Well presented Mr. Davis. To each his own.

Happy Labor Day. Ross Rowland

Someone needs to let the real Ross Rowland know that some wanker is making ridiculous posts all over the internet under his name. See also: Letters to the Union Pacific about Ed Dickens leaning too far out the window of 4014.

Steamtown is a very curious operation. I've visited a few times over the years (notably.. when steam was running... back when they had big steam operating to Moscow and more recently with the Baldwin 0-6-0). I enjoy it for what it is but it's hard not to visit and think "this is what we get with all that Government Funding?"

But Ross sent us onto a diverging track as the point of the post is Labor Day operations which do sound fun! Lots of equipment running and some neat special events.

Thanks Mr. Crosby, I'll be attending a dinner with him soon and I'll be sure to alert him.

Best regards, Ross Rowland