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Steamtown National Historic Site and #4012

The cab of a black steam locomotive. The number in white is 4012 under a glass window. The rivets are visible in two rows running left and right, above and below the numbers.
Cab number of #4012

Back to Big Boy Locomotives after some detours. On June 10th, I visited the Steam National Historic Site. This is a real national park, run by the federal government "in celebration of the machines that built America" as my tour guide put it.

If you're a rail fan, you should make this trip. For one thing, it's huge, and they have a ton of unique and beautiful artifacts to explore. Secondly, National Parks need visitors, lest certain administrations decide to do away with them entirely. Sorry, enough politics.

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Yes, it's the same Scranton of The Office fame. I didn't really see any The Office themed stuff when I ventured downtown. This is surprising, but I didn't seek it out either. I'm a train nerd, not a pop-culture nerd.

Scranton, PA was home to the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad. The company was built specifically to haul coal from northern Pennsylvania to customers in the New York City area. It was one of the earliest American railroads, getting its start in 1851, and continuing until merging with the Erie Railroad in 1960. The merger failed, and the government took over the combined Erie Lackawanna as part of Conrail in 1976. Steamtown took over the abandoned rail yards, roundhouses, and maintenance buildings in 1984. The venture was originally a private one, but failed to receive the expected visitors. Lobbying successfully brought the site under the control of the National Park Service in 1995.

The centerpiece of the exhibits is the roundhouse, rebuilt to 1932 specifications, at the height of the railroad's success. There's a large technology museum that explains the inner workings of steam engines and railroad operations. Another area explains the history of the site and of the Lackawanna railroad. Then there are the locomotives themselves, with equipment around the turn table and several pieces preserved in roundhouse stalls.

A round concrete area with railroad tracks. On the left the pit of the turntable is visible. There are are several steam locomotives and a round house building with metal frames painted red and glass facades
Roundhouse structure at Steamtown National Historic Site
A gray and black steam locomotive in a shed. On the front of the locomotive you can see the brass bell hanging under a number board that says 759. A small American flag is next to the bell
Nickel Plate #759 in the roundhouse

Among other highlights was a tour of the shops where the museum is working to restore Boston and Maine #3713 The Constitution. Unfortunately, efforts to restore this locomotive have been rocky and at times mired in controversy, but they're still working on it after almost three decades.

A steam locomotive under construction. The boiler has the jackets removed, exposing the gray/green skin underneath. The forward access hatch is open. The piston shapes are on the locomotive but are incomplete. Bolts and other things are protruding from the surfaces. The wheels are removed. In the foreground attached to the frame is a schematic the workers are using to put the machine back together.
The boiler and pistons of Boston and Maine #3713
A round black headlight on a wooden stand. The light is illuminated. There is a number board that says 3713. the bell is visible on the left in the background.
Boston and Maine #3713's restored headlight

The star of the show for me was 4012, of course. Sadly, she will never run again but will continue to be displayed for people to see. The cab was open later in the day, and I was granted some "alone time" with the locomotive, as the museum staff person stated once I told him my plan. (I thought it was amusing).

A gray and black steam locomotive from the front. The shield underneath the headlight says Union Pacific 4012
Big Boy #4012
A person holding a red handle that controls a steam locomotive. There are other red handles and valves on black control services
Me being a giant nerd and moving the "reverser"

One thing I loved about #4012 was how nice they've kept the interior, and they allow you to sit in the seats and handle things. It's educational to see all the labels, there's something beautiful about seeing the locomotive as it would have been for the engineers and firemen of the day.

#4012 was one of the original pieces of Steamtown when the museum was still privately owned in Vermont. It's in good condition and at one point it was suggested it could be restored. However, due to the size of East Coast railroads, it would be difficult to operate there. The museum staff have no plans for operational restoration.

Another interesting fact: UP offered founder F. Nelson Blout a 4-6-6-4 Challenger as well, but he didn't have the space for it.

#4012 was moved to Scranton in 1984.

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Jamie Larson
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