In the heart of downtown Scranton sits Steamtown National Historic Site, a working railyard-turned-museum built on the same ground once occupied by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. The rail line was founded in the mid-1800s by a group of iron executives looking for a way to move their product to larger markets, and it went on to haul not just iron but anthracite coal and passengers across routes stretching north to Buffalo and east to Hoboken, New Jersey.

The yard fell into decline as coal use waned through the 20th century, eventually shutting down entirely in 1980 after decades of disrepair. Much of what visitors see today traces back to the collection of F. Nelson Blount, a New England seafood processor and railroad enthusiast whose vintage locomotives and rolling stock became the foundation of the site. The National Park Service took over the property in 1986, restoring the historic roundhouse and building out new facilities to house the growing collection.

Today, Steamtown holds the distinction of being the only National Park Service site dedicated entirely to the history of steam railroading. The 52-acre site includes an active locomotive repair shop, a roundhouse with a working turntable, and more than 20 locomotives alongside roughly 75 pieces of rolling stock, including diesel engines, passenger cars and cabooses. Among the standout pieces on display is the restored Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4012, a 1.2-million-pound locomotive that once hauled heavy loads over mountain terrain and remains one of only seven Big Boys still on public display nationwide.

Entrance to the visitor center, museum and grounds is free year-round, with seasonal train excursions available for a separate fee — giving visitors a chance to experience, rather than just observe, the industrial history that once powered Northeastern Pennsylvania’s economy.