SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) — It’s a big year for Steamtown National Historic Site as the park prepares for major events expected to bring thousands to Northeastern Pennsylvania, but this week the focus was on teaching local students about the region’s deep railroad roots through a hands-on learning experience rolling through Lackawanna County.

All aboard at Steamtown National Historic Site, where more than 140 fourth graders from Waverly and South Abington Elementary stepped back in time Friday, climbing aboard a historic steam train during the Heritage Express: 4th Grade Edition program. The educational initiative gives students a hands-on look at Northeastern Pennsylvania’s deep ties to railroading and anthracite coal.

The day began with guided tours through Steamtown’s roundhouse, locomotive shop and exhibit areas before students boarded Baldwin Locomotive Works No. 26 for a steam-powered excursion through the Lackawanna Valley to Carbondale.

Along the way, students learned about the role railroads played in shaping communities across Northeastern Pennsylvania, and for many, the history felt personal.

“It’s really unique because their steam engines weren’t going to be used anymore. They were going to be scrapped and turned into sewing machines and pocketknives,” said Bria, a fourth grader from Waverly Elementary whose great-grandfather worked on the railroad. “But because of the national parks, now they’re actually running, you can go on them, and we see them all over which is really cool.”

Students said they were surprised not only by the size of the locomotives, but also by how much history is preserved inside the park.

“We learned that there is this one train where you can see inside it and the behind the scenes,” said Aileen, another Waverly student. “It was really interesting to tell how coal was used and how it was burned up. It was also really interesting to see and know that there’s so much more within the trains.”

She added, “without this national park, we wouldn’t even have seen many of these trains anymore. It’s really fascinating to be in the footsteps of our ancestors and how they were back then.”

For some students, the experience opened an entirely new world.

“I didn’t really know much about trains before I came here,” said Sofia, a fourth grader from Waverly Elementary. “I just knew basic stuff and then I learned a lot about trains. It’s really amazing. I never knew how big they were.”

The Heritage Express program was reintroduced in 2023 through a partnership involving Lackawanna Heritage Valley, Steamtown National Historic Site, NEIU 19, the Lackawanna Historical Society, the City of Carbondale and the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority.

Since returning, more than 3,000 students have participated. This year alone, the program is expected to serve nearly 1,900 students from 27 schools across Lackawanna County.

Organizers say the experience is designed to connect local students with the region’s industrial roots in a way that textbooks cannot.

“Because this is an actual working rail yard,” said April Rogato, executive assistant at Lackawanna Heritage Valley and coordinator of the Heritage Express fourth-grade program. “We believe it’s important for them to really realize the importance of rail history, of anthracite coal history, of everything that goes with this region. It’s a perfect fit to bring them to this park and having a national park in our own backyard, not everybody can say that.”

Steamtown Superintendent Jeremy Komasz said introducing students to the park at a young age can create lifelong connections to history and preservation.

“The national park service has determined that if you engage students at that fourth-grade level, they’re still very interested and they catch on,” Komasz said. “Then that carries into later in youth when we get them, and they’re old enough to volunteer or even apply to become an employee of the national park service.”

Komasz also said Steamtown remains one of the region’s hidden treasures.

“I think we’re a bit of an unknown gem,” he said. “Maybe a lump of coal in northeastern Pennsylvania that’s turned into a diamond. We’re really happy to have everybody come out.”

Students wrapped up the day in Carbondale with a Junior Ranger swearing-in ceremony led by Mayor Michelle Bannon before returning to Scranton.

Steamtown National Historic Site occupies roughly 40 acres of the former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad yard and is home to one of the largest collections of historic steam locomotives and rail equipment in the country, including the famous Union Pacific “Big Boy” locomotive.