RAILFAN GUIDES of the U.S.



Todd's Railfan Guide to
SCRANTON PA
NORTH


Map
Sights
Signals
Fire and Police
Floobydust


 

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Map 4 - Scranton to Nicholson via US11


Map


Sights


Because there is a lot on this page to view, I've included the shortcuts below to make it easier.
1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9     10     F1


     1          The Electric City Trolley Museum

The Electric City Trolley Museum is a great museum, and shines out above most other trolley museums.  The full name of it is the Electric City Trolley Station and Museum, but most people I know refer to it in its shortened name.

In 2006, they extended their line by 2000 feet to Moosic and PNC Field, and built a new carbarn for restoration work.

The museum runs on track originally owned by the  Lackawanna and Wyoming Valley RR, now owned by Lackawanna County, and operated by the Delaware Lackawanna RR. 

The rides include a trip through the Crown Ave tunnel!  At 4747 feet long, it was one of the longest interurban tunnels in the United States.  It was built in the 1904/1905 timeframe, and cost a little over a million dollars.  The tunnel is 180 feet underground at the northern portal when it disappears from the river, and about 90 feet deep at the southern portal.

The museum contains a lot of very well done exhibits, has a good interactive kids section, a section that shows off some of their restoration projects, and a big technical section that concentrates on electricity and SIGNALS.

PLEASE NOTE: In cruising the internet looking for information, it seems a lot of people feel the museum is small, but I daresay that most of them haven't been to a lot of Trolley museums.  Yes, the museum is small compared to a railroad museum, but as far as Trolley museums go, it has one of the larger display areas, and some of the best, if not the best, displays.  Orange Empire is a larger Trolley (ok, train museum now) museum, but they haven't done as good a job with the displays as Electric City has.  Some also complained about the cost of the ride, but few have the scenery to match what they offer here... a mile long tunnel and a waterfalls..... where else can you get that?

The address is 300 Cliff St., Scranton, PA 18503-1908, and their phone number is 570-963-6447.
They are open 7 days a week during the summer.  During  the winter, it's Wednesdays through Sundays, except for holidays.
Hours are 09:00 to 17:00 (5pm).
Trolley rides are at 10:30, 12:00, 13:30, 15:00.
Admission is $6, the Trolley ride is $8, and a combo ticket is $10... these are very reasonable prices ya'll!

Check out my Electric City Trolley Museum page here
More info on their website at: http://www.ectma.org/


A picture from ECTM's website.

     
Pictures of the Steamtown station, the trolley barn, and the end of the line at PNC Field, home to the minor league team the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees


     2          The Bridge 60 Tower

I had stopped by pretty late in the day, getting to Steamtown about an hour before it closed on a Sunday, and sitting at the tower patiently waiting for Monday to come was this DL freight.

   

           

         


     3          the Steamtown Wye

Thanks to Mark, I now know this wye is generally referred to as the Steamtown wye.  The Delaware-Lackawanna schedule has the branches listed as Hyde Park and Bloom, while CPR's calls them Steamtown North and Steamtown South.

Easily accessible photo spots are where the green dots are, others are at your own risk.  Neither of the two stations in the map inset are still around.

 

  Teaser 3.
CP train #671 on the CP Sunbury subdivision at the wye.  The train goes from Oak Island NJ to Binghamton NY.  This train is headed to Binghamton, as it looks like it was shot from Lackawanna Ave.


     4          Ex CNJ Freight Shed

 

         


     5          D&H Freight Shed

I'm going to take for granted that according to an 1899 map of Scranton I came across, that this freight shed belonged to the Delaware and Hudson.  This was confirmed upon visiting because there is still a D&H sign there warning people not to trespass.

         


Looking northward up thru the yard.... Don't think trains have been thru here for a while.


This is probably the last business to be serviced on this track, as the yard is well over grown and tracks haven't be used for quite some time.


Going over the intersection at Penn Ave and Olive St, left heads back into Scranton.


View of the bridge above at track level.


Interesting building with angled corner due to the track going by, guess they wanted to maximize the property usage.....  The building is the Dickson Manufacturing Company, one of the first steam locomotive manufacturing company's around (and also seen in 'The Office' opening credits)
More info can be found here.  Thanks to Tim Granahan for the information on the building.


     6          ex DL&W or D&H Tower at Wyoming and Gibson and Grade Crossing

Very little info, no, scratch that, I haven't seen any info on this tiny little tower, but somehow, it manages to survive.  A couple of the seconf florr windows have recently been busted out.  The tracks north of this yard appear to be unused, and the crossing gates are in terrible shape, as can be seen by the photos below.  These gates are typical of all of the crossings up to the "interlocking" a few blocks north.

           

       


     7          Erie Depot

The depot is now Cooper's Restaurant, a very popular seafood restaurant.

 


     8          Interchange / D&H

I thought this was interesting enough to include as an attraction.  I'm sure it will provide many photo ops if you can catch them switching here.   Back in the days, there used to be a roundhouse here.


     9          Former D&H Machine Shops

   

         


     10          Bridge

The location of this bridge makes it easy to access for pictures going either way.  It was on D&H tracks, and it looks like it was built in 1904.  Looks like they're going to put the other track in!... ah, just messin with you, tie replacement, gotta give them credit for spending the bucks.  The north end of the bridge runs into the flood wall built to contain the river, not sure if they have a way to put something over the tracks to help hold the water back, but it looks like the concrete wall is so designed.  An old signal base sits a few feet down the tracks.

 

           


Signals


         Cantilever Signal Bridge

No signals here, but I'm amazed the signal bridge has survived this long.  The telephone poles are in pretty good shape too considering.

       


         Old Signal Bridge and New Unilens Signals

For the time being (this was written in Sep 2011), access to this location was easy because there was a open field and an unfinished house.  Once the house is completed and sold, I don't think the new owners will appreciate you coming thru to get pictures, so if you want to get pictures of them here, make it soon!  Careful tho, a Scranton cop lives across the street, and another one lives a few doors away.

           


Fire and Police


   HQ     Fire Headquarters
Mulberry St.

The fire department has been serving Scranton since it became incorporated in 1866, but it wasn't until 1901 that Scranton had its first paid members.  That lasted till 1907 when they went to an all paid department.  Today, Scranton has 150 firefighters.  Most of the equipment has Bureau of Fire on them instead of Scranton Fire Department.

Their webpage is at: http://www.scrantonpa.gov/fire_department.html

            The City Hall building is on the left with the tall spire.

        Equipment is really squeezed in!

      Memorial to the fallen.


   T4/E9     Truck 4, Engine 9
1047 N. Main St.

I found Rescue 1 here today, but on their website, it's home is supposed to be on Wyoming St (as seen in the list above).

       


Floobydust


Other stuff downtown

 
Scranton Hobby Center
on Lackawanna Ave a block from the Steamtown Mall.
517 Lackawanna Avenue,     Scranton, PA 18503,    
(570) 342-1963

 Bridge detail by Tower 60.

  Harrison Ave bridge going over the railroad and a creek, right off of the Central Scranton Expressway.

  Statue off Lackawanna.


     F1          Cool Repair Shop!

         


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New 08/28/2011
last Modified: 13 Apr 2014