Steam special in Pennsylvania September

[tim o'm]

The Steamtown National Historic Site and Canadian Pacific Railway have announced that a steam powered excursion will take place in Scranton, PA, headed for Nicholson and will stop atop the Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct. The train's presence will be a feature of the Bridge Day festival in Nicholson, PA. The train leaves at 1:00 PM on Sunday, September 9, 2007 with an expected return to Scranton of 4:00 PM. Tickets cost $41.00 for adults, $36.00 for seniors, and $30.00 for children.

From 1989 to 1992, the National Park Service at Steamtown NHS ran 26 miles from Scranton to Kingsley, PA on the same route on weekends in the summer and fall. Steam locomotives featured were Canadian Pacific 4-6-2 no. 2317 and Canadian National Railways no. 3254. No 2317 is the expected power on the Sept. 9 train, since it was inspected and approved by the Canadian Pacific's steam director, who is based in Calgary, Alberta. For the day, this steam locomotive, built for passenger service in 1923, will be an official CP locomotive.

Other special passenger trains run on this stretch of track and beyond took place in 1995, the Grand Opening year of the Steamtown museum, when Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 no. 261 ran excursions to Binghamton, NY and to Syracuse, NY. In 1995 and 1998, passenger trains run by the New York Susquehanna and Western RR ran from Syracuse to Scranton. The 1995 trip featured 2-8-2 no. 142. The most recent public passenger trains over this line was in April, 2000, when the NPS, CPR and Amtak teamed up for a weekend of train trips between Scranton and points on the New York State border. The Amtrak train did not enter the Binghamton railroad yards at that time.

[AntonioFP45]

Ah, if only that Pennsy K-4 could be repaired and be able to run again.........

Would be so appropriate in Pennsylvania.

[tim o'm]

This steam special made for quite a ride. Canadian National Railways No. 3254, a 2-8-2 served as the loco of choice for this trip, due to bearing trouble sidelining no. 2317. The trip was only 24 or so miles, but the rail line and the terrain is much different from the Pocono route that Steamtown usually takes. The train was full, with approx. 450 riders. Some people thought the speed reached 45 mph, but with such smooth track, it was hard to tell.

The train was seated on the viaduct for 15 minutes in each direction, and the engineer whistled off from time to time to fill the valley with sound. It was fantastic. A bit north of Nicholson, in Hop Bottom, PA, the train was serviced, and the locomotive repositioned itself for the southbound return.

After it was all over, the Canadian Pacific and Steamtown staffs breathed a sigh of relief. No injuries, no mechanical flaws, just a lot of humidity. Here's hoping the CP/NPS partnership lasts a long time in the future.