Eastern PA is a big area. Altoona is central PA. Scranton is northeastern PA. Strasburg is southcentral/eastern. All of the above are hours away from each other. Is there a particular place in PA you are going to?
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Difficult parameters. If you hit the Curve right, you can see a lot of trains in a short time and head into Altoona to the Museum. The East Broad Top is not all that far away. Strasburgh and the PRR Museum are going to take a while. The good news is that there are lots of other attractions in the area and your companions could drop you off and pick you up later. Steamtown is good and the optional ride is very short. I see a suggestion for Kingston, NY and, if you get that far, don't miss the Walkway Over (Across?-I can never remember) the Hudson on the old NH bridge. A spectacular vantage point and good for everyone. Plus you can see the old NYC water level route at Poughkeepsie with Metro-North and Amtrak action and a fair amount of traffic on the CSX River Line...from several hundred feet above.
Mike
Bruce Kelly When I lived in the Northeast, more than a decade ago, traffic over Tunkhannock (aka Nicholson) Viaduct was pitifully light. I have a friend who moved from the Northwest to the outskirts of Scranton about a year ago, and he tells me the traffic there is still very minimal. He says there's a daily southbound out of Binghamton in the afternoon that's pretty reliable, but beyond that he says it's pretty hit and miss. Last time I checked more closely on the operations there with some local sources, it sounded like the kind of place where you really get only one or two chances for a daytime shot of a train on the bridge. Just showing up there and waiting for something could result in a very long wait, unless you actually saw something getting re-crewed and ready to depart from Binghamton or Scranton/Taylor.
When I lived in the Northeast, more than a decade ago, traffic over Tunkhannock (aka Nicholson) Viaduct was pitifully light. I have a friend who moved from the Northwest to the outskirts of Scranton about a year ago, and he tells me the traffic there is still very minimal. He says there's a daily southbound out of Binghamton in the afternoon that's pretty reliable, but beyond that he says it's pretty hit and miss.
Last time I checked more closely on the operations there with some local sources, it sounded like the kind of place where you really get only one or two chances for a daytime shot of a train on the bridge. Just showing up there and waiting for something could result in a very long wait, unless you actually saw something getting re-crewed and ready to depart from Binghamton or Scranton/Taylor.
Currently, I'd say about 7+ trains a day come though here at minimum. I live about 4 miles north of the bridge, and I can watch the trains go by on the same line.
Yeah...what do you want to see? See trains move? Passenger? Freight? Ride? History? Steamtown is quiet different than when you saw it last. Altoona is great, too. The Curve is most interesting for train watching, 99% freight of course, but the Railroaders Museum in Altoona has a unique perspective in that it reflects the human aspect, how railroaders worked and lived, and not about nuts and bolts. Strasburg would be good too...the Strasburg Railroad plus the Pennsylvania State Railroad Museum plus the National Toy Train museum--and if no one is a railfan, you're deep in Pennsylvania Dutch Country with something for everybody else. Jim Thorpe is a great town filled with stuff: the untouched Asa Packer (LV Pres.) mansion, gravity railroad museum, lots for the whole family. OR Honesdale/Hawley area for the D&H gravity railroad, the D&H Canal, and lots of other neat stuff..follow the canal bed all the way to Kingston, NY if you wish! Ride trains? Amtrak from Harrisburg east or go to Philadelphia and ride trains, light rail and trolleys-above or underground! Narrow guage? East Broad Top. Several coal mines and museums, several caves,...there is a lot for everybody, anybody, Just decide what you want to see, look it up, and see it and do it.
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AFAIK, traffic over both bridges is sparse at best.
My visit to the Strasburg RR was exactly that - a visit to the SRR. I did wander across the street to the PA Museum. As for the rest of the Lancaster area, I have no clue, but I suspect is it rather touristy. Again - a diversion for the non-rails. You can visit SRR and the museums, and they can shop...
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Thanks for the input!
tree68 Steamtown is more than just a train ride - but you'll have to check with them on shop tours and the like. A trolley museum is next door, and if you have to entertain the non-railfans, there is a mall right across the tracks.
Steamtown is more than just a train ride - but you'll have to check with them on shop tours and the like. A trolley museum is next door, and if you have to entertain the non-railfans, there is a mall right across the tracks.
I visited Steamtown few years ago (early 2000s, I think) and the static displays didn't do much for me. Interesting stuff to see, but I didn't have a personal connection with anything so it didn't mean much to me. I tried contacting them about 3713 and the shop tour, but they never got back to me...hopefully they will soon, or someone else here will know.
Our trip plans will most likely include the Pennsylvania Dutch country, so Strasburg was one of the places I'd like to look into more. Is it really touristy (lots of photographers, crowded) or is it more open and laid-back? I don't really enjoy crowds, especially when trying to take photos.
Traffic on Starucca looks pretty light, but maybe there is some on Tunkahannock...would I be right to assume that?
Thanks again!
Strasburg RR and the PA museum (and Toy Trains, IIRC) are in the Pennsylvania Dutch country.
Just an hour or so south of Strasburg is the B&O museum in Baltimore.
I believe there is a tower preserved in Harrisburg.
Slightly further afield are Starucca and Tunkahannock viaducts. Not much else there tourist-wise, but both are awe-inspiring.
Enjoy your trip!
I'm taking a trip to Eastern Pennsylvania this fall, and wondering what railroad items I should attempt to work into my trip plan. I'm traveling with non-railfans, so hardcore trainwatching like Horseshoe Curve is probably out of the question, unless you think it's really a must-see. My main railroad interest is photography, if it helps direct your recommendations.
- Steamtown has been considered, but I'm not all that into a historic train ride as it's just like the commute I do every day...except in a different train! Do they still have shop tours in the fall, and is the schedule different than the summer? I'm specifically interested in B&M 3713, which is undergoing restoration. I emailed Steamtown via their website a week ago but so far haven't heard back.
Thanks in advance!
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