SCRANTON, LACKWANNA CO. (WOLF) — Railroads, and the trains that ride them, were America’s arteries – playing an essential function in transporting people and goods – and at Steamtown National Historic Site, these bastions of American engineering are on full display.

“It is living history at its finest,” said supervisory facility operations specialist Jim Raftery.

Originally a DL&W rail yard, for forty years Steamtown has been preserving and showcasing the history of rail and steam locomotives. With over 1000 items on display, and over 4 and a half million in storage – they have everything from small fries to big boys, and all the bits and bobs in between.

But showcasing the history is only half the battle.

“We have a lot of partners in and around the region that we work with on a routine basis and collaborate with on restoration,” explained park ranger Megan Stevens. “It’s a very skilled set and area of expertise for sure, and the amount of labor and love and kind of detail that goes into a lot of the restoration work and care is, you know, amazing.”

And that work is done behind the scenes where engineers painstakingly refurbish decade or century old million-pound machines. Steamtown is one of the foremost locomotive repair centers in the country and every year, works on getting these pieces into tip top shape.

Raftery said, “My team has nothing but passion for this position and this job and what they’re doing is, it’s all about love and passion for taking these things apart, restoring, the documentation that goes in alone. It takes countless, countless hours to make sure that everything is properly documented and then put back exactly how it is.”

It’s tedious, back breaking work that requires constant attention and scrupulous detail to make sure every part is exactly where it needs to be. The result: beautiful refurbishments that make these larger than life marvels shine.

“The purpose of our existence here is to preserve America’s history,” continued Raftery. “You cannot do that with photographs alone. I mean, this is the preservation of history, and generations of people to come will be able to enjoy these, especially the steam locomotives that we restored to active duty. There’s nothing like seeing a steam locomotive go out on the turntable and spin around.”

And tens of thousands of people come every year to see just that. In 2024, over 60,000 came to check out the trains and learn how they helped build the country rail by rail. For many, it’s a must see in Scranton.

“Trains are multi-generational,” said Stevens. “You can get the same amount of wonder in a two-year-old than you can in 60 plus I think there’s a nostalgia that’s coming back today of being able to travel across the country by rail. And it’s very reliable.”

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the site’s designation, the 200th anniversary of American railroading, and America’s 250th, and to celebrate the park is bringing one of the only operating big boy locomotives to meet its stationary brother – the first time two of these trains will be in the same place in decades.

Rail isn’t as prominent as it used to be but at Steamtown, it’s as important and relevant as ever – showing off the heights of American engineering and the history of how they helped make America amazing.

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