Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania

Oct 19

Scranton, Pennsylvania · Updated October 19, 2026 · 13 min read

Historic rail siteTrain ridesDaily 9:30 am to 5 pm through November 15, 2026; then Wednesday to Sunday 9:30 am to 4 pm

Steamtown National Historic Site is the National Park Service's home for American steam railroading, set in the former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western yards in downtown Scranton, where a working roundhouse, turntable and locomotive shop still care for a large collection of steam engines and cars.

National Park unit since 1986
Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4012
Working roundhouse and turntable
Yard train rides on weekends
Former DL&W Scranton yards
Junior Ranger program

Steamtown National Historic Site at a glance

Hours: May 1 to November 15, 2026: daily 9:30 am to 5 pm. November 16, 2026 to April 30, 2027: Wednesday to Sunday 9:30 am to 4 pm. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
Admission: Check the Basic Information page on nps.gov/stea for fees and passes
Train rides: Short narrated yard rides Fridays to Sundays through November 8, 2026; longer excursions on select weekends, with tickets on recreation.gov
Seasonal events: 40th Anniversary celebration, Fall Foliage Trip to Delaware Water Gap, Holiday Express to Moscow Station, Santa Train (Christmas in a Small Town), North Pole Limited
Plan for: Half a day; add 30 minutes if you are taking a train ride
Best for: Families with kids who like to climb aboard, and steam fans
Best ages: Ages 3 and up; Junior Ranger fits school-age kids
Accessibility: The site is generally flat with ramps for wheelchairs; see the park's accessibility page for details.

Hours and prices as the museum posts them, checked October 19, 2026. Confirm before you go.

Contact and directions

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Look inside the book

Taking the kids to Steamtown National Historic Site? Bring Rally along.

In Rally Takes the Train, a corgi's little legs can't manage the big train stairs, so Dad gives him a boost. It takes about five minutes to read, a good fit for the drive to Scranton.

Page 1 of 8

Rally Takes the Train book cover: a watercolor corgi peeking from a red train

Like it so far? See the full book

25 hand-painted pages, paperback, $13.99 with fast shipping from Amazon.

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Every page is real watercolor on paper, painted by hand by Leslie Dunn. Nothing in this book was made with AI.

From a seafood heir's steam collection to a National Park

Most of Steamtown's locomotives were first gathered by F. Nelson Blount, a New England seafood processor and lifelong railroad enthusiast who wrote a book on steam power at 17. In 1964 he set up the nonprofit Steamtown Foundation to run Steamtown, U.S.A., a steam museum and excursion line in Bellows Falls, Vermont. Blount died in a plane crash in 1967, and over the following years the foundation struggled with track disputes and pollution rules and began looking for a new home.

In 1984 the foundation moved Steamtown to Scranton, onto the old yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, as part of a city redevelopment effort. Crowds did not come in the numbers hoped for, and within two years the museum was near bankruptcy. In 1986, with the backing of Scranton native Representative Joseph M. McDade, Congress approved funds to begin turning it into a National Historic Site, and it became a National Park unit on October 30, 1986. By 1995 the National Park Service had acquired the collection and rebuilt the facilities.

The heart of the site is what survives of the DL&W's 1902 Scranton roundhouse and repair shops. The roundhouse itself was reconstructed from remnants of a 1932 structure, and the visitor center and museums were built in the style of the missing sections to show how the full circle once looked. Several original outbuildings from 1899 to 1902 still stand, and all of the buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2026 the park is marking its 40th anniversary.

Roundhouse, railyard and two museums

Enter at Lackawanna Avenue and Cliff Street and you are in an active railyard. The Visitor Center, History Museum, Technology Museum, Roundhouse, Locomotive Cutaway Exhibit and railyard are all open, and the park film Steel and Steam plays on an 18-minute loop on the History Museum's first floor (the theater itself is closed for heating and cooling repairs). In the Roundhouse and locomotive shop, rangers explain the care steam engines need, and the turntable still swings locomotives into their stalls.

Many locomotives and cars are on display, and some are open to climb into or walk through, including a mail car, a railroad executive's car with dining and sleeping areas, a boxcar, two cabooses and a re-created DL&W station with a ticket window. A steam locomotive with sections cut away shows how a boiler and firebox work, and part of an 1865 roundhouse inspection pit uncovered by archaeologists sits under glass.

Don’t miss

Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4012One of only eight surviving Big Boys, from a class of 25 giant 4-8-8-4 engines built by ALCO, and the only one on display in the eastern time zone. It returned to exhibit in May 2021 after a cosmetic restoration.
The roundhouse and turntableBuilt on the remains of the DL&W's Scranton roundhouse, it is still a working shop, and rangers give regular turntable talks and demonstrations.
Locomotive Cutaway ExhibitA steam locomotive with sections removed lets you see how an engineer and fireman balanced fire, steam pressure and water.
Baldwin Locomotive Works No. 26A working steam engine the park shows operating in the railyard; it was fired up and ready for the 2025 train ride season.
Canadian Pacific No. 2929A rare Jubilee-type 4-4-4, one of several notable engines in the collection alongside Nickel Plate Road No. 759 and Reading T-1 No. 2124.
Railway Post Office carWalk through a car where postal clerks once sorted mail on the move, part of the collection visitors can step inside.

Junior Rangers, cabooses and a train through the yard

Steamtown is one of the most hands-on rail stops in the state for kids. They can climb into open cabs and compartments, walk through a mail car and two cabooses, buy a pretend ticket at the re-created station window, and watch the turntable move a locomotive. The Junior Ranger program, including the Become a Railroad Explorer activity, gives school-age kids a mission while they explore, and short yard train rides on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in season let them feel a real train move.

The park says the site is generally flat with ramps, which helps with strollers and wheelchairs. It is also an active railyard, so keep little ones close and follow the posted safety guidance.

Plan your visit: tips for Steamtown National Historic Site

Use the entrance at Lackawanna Avenue and Cliff Street; the South Washington Avenue mailing address is not open to the public.
Excursion tickets are sold online at recreation.gov, not by email.
Add about 30 minutes to your plans if you are catching a train ride.
Steamtown is an active railyard, so read the park's safety guidance and keep children close.
The phone line, (570) 445-1898, is staffed 9:30 am to 4 pm daily.

The holidays are busy in the Scranton yard. In 2026 the Holiday Express runs to Moscow Station on November 27, 28 and 29, the Santa Train stops at Steamtown around 3 pm on December 5 as part of Christmas in a Small Town, and the Iron Horse Society runs the North Pole Limited, an hour-long steam train ride through Scranton Yards and Nay Aug Park with Santa and Mrs. Claus, on five December dates. For more holiday rides, see our list of Christmas train rides in Pennsylvania.

Rangers, shop crews and volunteers

The National Park Service runs Steamtown, and its employees and volunteers work side by side, from the locomotive shop that keeps steam engines running to the crew that brought Big Boy No. 4012 back to exhibit in 2021. Visitors can support the park by riding the trains, shopping at the Park Store, joining a ranger program, or booking a group visit through the park's education team.

More rail history around Scranton

The Electric City Trolley Museum is about a mile away and shares the same downtown setting, and the Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour is also in Scranton. About 38 miles south, the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway makes a good second ride. See the full list of Pennsylvania train museums to plan more.

Every train museum in Pennsylvania

Bring Rally along: a train book for the drive

Watercolor of a conductor in a blue suit shaking Rally's paw on the train — From Rally Takes the Train, watercolor by Leslie Dunn.

Steamtown's rangers give a talk called Life in a Caboose about how the conductor and crew kept watch over a whole train. I love that, because in our book Mr. Conductor, in his blue uniform, reaches out a hand to welcome Rally aboard. My kids are learning to read now, and they always point to him first. If yours like conductors too, our coloring pages have a few to fill in.

Free for train families

Print the Rally coloring pages before you go

Watercolor coloring pages from the book, free to print. Tuck a few in a folder with crayons for the drive or the wait for the next train.

Get the free coloring pages

A train story for the ride homeRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi's first train trip to see his grand-paw-rents. Hand-painted in real watercolor. $13.99 on Amazon, for ages 0 to 8.

Buy on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

More for train families

Train museums in Pennsylvania: every museum by town, with a map
Train museums in every state: search by town or near you
Christmas train rides in Pennsylvania
Halloween train rides in Pennsylvania
Every Amtrak route with kids

Work or volunteer at Steamtown National Historic Site?

We want this page to be the best introduction to your museum on the web. Send new hours, event dates, corrections or photos to kelsey@rallytakesthetrain.com and we will update it. You are welcome to share this page with your members.

Sources

Everything on this page comes from the museum’s own website and social pages and, for history, Wikipedia, checked October 19, 2026.

Steamtown National Historic Site: 20 visitor questions

Where is Steamtown National Historic Site?

Steamtown is in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, on the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. The visitor entrance is at Lackawanna Avenue and Cliff Street. The park's mailing address, 150 South Washington Avenue, Scranton, PA 18503, is not a public entrance, so do not use it in your GPS.

Is there parking at Steamtown National Historic Site?

The park's directions page explains parking and where to go once you arrive, so check it before you leave home. Head for the entrance at Lackawanna Avenue and Cliff Street in downtown Scranton rather than the mailing address. Tour bus operators may need a Commercial Use Authorization, so groups should check with the park first.

What are Steamtown National Historic Site hours?

As of October 2026, Steamtown is open daily from 9:30 am to 5 pm through November 15, 2026. From November 16, 2026 through April 30, 2027 it is open 9:30 am to 4 pm, Wednesday through Sunday, and closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The park closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.

Is Steamtown National Historic Site open right now?

As of October 2026, yes. The Visitor Center, History Museum, Technology Museum, Roundhouse, Locomotive Cutaway Exhibit, railyard and grounds are all open. The theater is closed until heating and cooling repairs are finished, but the park film Steel and Steam runs on a loop on the History Museum's first floor.

How much is admission to Steamtown National Historic Site?

For entrance fees, check the Basic Information section of nps.gov/stea, which covers fees and passes, before you go. Train rides and excursions are ticketed separately, and longer excursion tickets are sold online at recreation.gov. You can also call (570) 445-1898 between 9:30 am and 4 pm.

Is Steamtown National Historic Site free?

The park's main pages do not spell out a general admission price, so confirm current fees on nps.gov/stea. Train rides normally require tickets. For the park's 40th anniversary, from October 23 to November 1, 2026, Steamtown offered free train rides and special programs, a sign that rides are usually paid.

Can you ride a train at Steamtown?

Yes. As of October 2026, short train rides of about 30 minutes run around the historic railyard on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through November 8, with a ranger narrating along the way. Longer excursions to the Poconos and the Lackawanna Valley run on select weekends into the holiday season and take separate tickets.

How do I buy Steamtown train ride tickets?

Excursion tickets are sold online through recreation.gov, and the park says it cannot take ticket requests or reservations by email. Popular holiday trips such as the Holiday Express sell in advance, so book early. For questions about the schedule, call the information line at (570) 445-1898, staffed 9:30 am to 4 pm daily.

Do you need a ticket to see Big Boy No. 4012 at Steamtown?

Big Boy No. 4012 is a static exhibit on the park grounds, and the park does not list a separate ticket to see it. It is one of only eight surviving Union Pacific Big Boys and the only one on exhibit in the eastern time zone. It returned to display on May 5, 2021 after a cosmetic restoration that began in 2019.

Does Steamtown offer tours?

Yes. Rangers give tours of the locomotive shop, talks about Big Boy and regular turntable demonstrations. Organized groups of 10 or more can request ranger-led programs such as How a Steam Locomotive Works, Turntable Talk, Roundhouse Talk, Life in a Caboose and Railway Post Office Car by filling out the Educational Reservation Inquiry Form.

What events are coming up at Steamtown National Historic Site?

As of October 2026, the park lists its 40th anniversary celebration from October 23 to November 1, a Fall Foliage Trip to the Delaware Water Gap on October 24, the Holiday Express to Moscow Station on November 27 to 29, the Santa Train stop on December 5, and the North Pole Limited on five December dates.

Is Railfest happening at Steamtown in 2026?

The park has not posted a Railfest for 2026 on its main pages. Steamtown has hosted Railfest in past years, including 2016, when the Mount Washington Cog Railway's Peppersass visited. For 2026, the big celebration is the 40th anniversary from October 23 to November 1. Check nps.gov/stea or call (570) 445-1898 for any Railfest news.

Does Steamtown have Christmas trains?

Yes. In 2026 the Holiday Express to Moscow Station runs November 27, 28 and 29, leaving at 11 am and returning at 2 pm. The Iron Horse Society runs the North Pole Limited, a one-hour steam train ride with Santa and Mrs. Claus, at four times on December 6, 12, 13, 19 and 20, and advance tickets are strongly recommended.

Is there a gift shop at Steamtown National Historic Site?

Yes. The Park Store sells gifts and memorabilia to remember your visit, and it is a good place to pick up something for a young train fan. Its hours follow the park's, so check the current schedule on nps.gov/stea, especially in the off season when the park is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Why is Steamtown National Historic Site significant?

It is the only National Park unit devoted solely to steam railroading, and it sits in the old DL&W Scranton yards, where 3,000 to 4,000 workers once kept trains repaired. The site keeps parts of the 1902 roundhouse and shops and original outbuildings from 1899 to 1902, all listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Can you go inside the trains at Steamtown?

Yes, in several of them. Visitors can climb into some open cabs and compartments and walk through a mail car, a railroad executive's car with dining and sleeping areas, a boxcar and two cabooses. There is also a re-created DL&W station with a ticket window and a cutaway steam locomotive.

Is Steamtown good for kids?

Very. Kids can walk through cabooses and a mail car, watch the turntable spin a locomotive, ride a short train around the yard on weekends in season, and earn a badge through the Junior Ranger program. The site is an active railyard, so keep children close and follow the park's posted safety rules.

Is Steamtown National Historic Site wheelchair accessible?

The park says that as a general rule the site is flat, with ramps for wheelchairs. For details on specific buildings, train rides and services, see the accessibility page on nps.gov/stea or call (570) 445-1898. The flat layout also makes it easier for families pushing strollers.

How long should I spend at Steamtown National Historic Site?

Plan on half a day to see both museums, the roundhouse, Big Boy and the yard. The park suggests adding 30 minutes to your expected time if you are taking a train ride. A full-day excursion to the Poconos or the Delaware Water Gap can take you from morning until evening.

What train museums are near Steamtown?

The Electric City Trolley Museum is about a mile away, and the Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour is also in Scranton. The Stourbridge Line and the Wayne County Historical Society's Stourbridge Lion replica in Honesdale are about 24 miles away, and the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway in Jim Thorpe is about 38 miles away.

Keep exploring

More family train guides from Rally

Kelsey Cecil