Steamtown is located on Sth Bridge Ave in Scranton, PA. The museum features exhibits largely acquired from F. Nelson Blount's collection of steam locomotives, freight and passenger cars assembled in the 1950s and 1960s. You can see many of the items from that collection on the NPS Steamtown page of this website.
Steamtown sometimes hosts or stores locomotives that belong to other owners, and the Scranton rail yard is also used by Genesee Valley Transportation, a holding company incorporated in 1985 for several shortline railroads operating in New York and Pennsylvania. This page therefore features a few diesel locomotives that are stored at the museum or that I have photographed in the Scranton Yard, but which are not part of the Steamtown collection. It also shows some of the Genesee Valley Transportation locomotives operating there.
I have visited Steamtown a number of times and the photos on this page are from various different
visits.
Steamtown uses the Scranton railroad yard of the former Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, one of the earliest railroad operators in northeastern Pennsylvania. The railroad started out as the Lackawanna & Western with a line north from Scranton to Great Bend in 1851. In 1853, the Lackawanna Steel Company consolidated the Lackawanna & Western with the Delaware and Cobb's Gap to form the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western.
The DL&W operated for over one hundred years but, in August 1955, Hurricane Diane washed out much of its main line in the Poconos suspending operations for nearly a month. The resulting debts and operational constraints contributed to its ultimate merger with the Erie Railroad in 1960 to form the Erie Lackawanna. In 1976, most of EL's assets were absorbed into Conrail.
Today, the Delaware–Lackawanna Railroad is a subsidiary of the holding company Genesee Valley Transportation, which operates eighty-five miles of track in Lackawanna and Monroe Counties, PA.
RDG #902 & #903 are now owned by the Reading Company Technical and Historical Society but were loaned to Steamtown in 2010 to be used on excursion services in exchange for maintenance.
The FP7 and its successor, the FP9, were part of EMD's very successful F series freight diesels but were designed for passenger service with steam generators fitted in an extended body.Three hundred and twenty-four FP7 units were built from 1949 to 1953 for US railroads, and twenty-nine for Canadian railroads at EMD's subsidiary company General Motors Diesel, London, ON.
#902 & #903 are two of the six EMD FP7 units bought by the Reading Company in 1950 (#900-#905). Two more were bought in 1952 (#906 and #907), and all eight worked into the 1960s. Most had been sold by 1968, but three units, #900, #902 and #903, worked on under the South East Pennsylvania Transport Authority as #4371, #4372 and #4373 until retired in 1981.
#902 was acquired by the Lancaster Chapter of the RLHS in 1983 and stored on the Strasburg Railroad. That year, #903 was bought by the Philadelphia RLHS Chapter and joined #900, also owned by the Chapter, at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. Restoration began in 1986 and, in 1995 restored RDG #902 and #903 were finally dedicated.
The 1,500 hp units weigh 258,000 lbs and are 54' in length, the model's extra four feet of length compared to the F7 to accomodate the steam generator. They are equipped with a 16 cylinder EMD 567 prime mover powering a GM D12D generator to drive four GM D27 traction motors. Delivering starting tractive effort of 64,000 lbs at 25% and continuous tractive effort of 40,000 lbs at 9 mph, they have a top speed of 65 mph.
You can see other FP7s on the North Carolina Transportation Museum page of this website and the Lake Superior Railroad Museum page.
The B&A was incorporated in 1891 and operated for over one hundred years before being acquired by Iron Road Railways in 1995. A few years later, it was declared bankrupt. The decline began in the 1970s, however, and the railroad acquired no new locomotives after 1979.
In 1986, #44 was sold to the Tri State Historical Society and #46 to the Anthracite Railroad Historical Society. Soon after, both units were repainted as CNJ #56 & #57. They were stored at Jim Thorpe, PA, until relocated to Steamtown in August 2009.
When I visited in early 2010, Central of New
Jersey F3 A units #56-#57 were awaiting
restoration to a Delaware, Lackawanna &
Western freight livery and renumbering as #663 and #664.
They were originally bought with two other F3s by the Bangor & Aroostook in 1948, numbered #504 and #506. The B&A already had four F3s, bought in 1947 (#500-#503). All the units were subsequently renumbered #40-#47. The B&A also bought two F3 B (cabless) units in 1948 to add to two bought in 1947 (#600B-#603B).
Designed to haul heavy freight, the F3 was the third in EMD's F series and the second most produced in the series. EMD built one thousand, one hundred and eleven A units and six hundred and ninety-six cabless B units from 1945 to 1949.
They have a Winton 567B 16 cylinder prime mover powering a GM D12 generator to drive four GM-D17B traction motors, one on each axle. At 54' in length and weighing 258,000 lbs, they produce starting tractive effort of 55,000 lbs at 25% and 40,000 lbs continuous tractive effort at 9.3 mph with a top speed of 65 mph.
The makeover of CNJ #57 & #58 was complete when I next visited the museum.
I'm not at all convinced by the "making" of fictitious motive power in this way, but I have to admit the units have been immaculately detailed.
Below, also parked in the yard when I visited was ex-Boston & Maine F3B #4268B, formerly #4228B. Built for the B&M in 1950, it was acquired by the Anthracite Railroad Historical Society in 1991, and is now numbered ARRX #58, although sporting a quasi CNJ livery here.
The F units were the most successful "first generation" diesel locomotives in North America, and were largely responsible for replacing the steam locomotive in road freight service. Their classic features continue to make them great favourites among many railfans.
The Anthracite Railroad Historical Society also has an interest in RDG Alco RS-3 #467, which is owned by Genesee Valley Transportation.
#467 is stored at the Scranton Yard and, although liveried as an RDG locomotive, is part of GVT's Delaware-Lackawanna roster.
The RDG bought #467 from Alco in 1952 as part of an order for sixteen RS-3s. The RDG rostered sixty-seven RS-3s, all acquired from 1951 to 1953.
One thousand, two hundred and sixty-five RS-3s were produced for US railroads, forty-eight for Brazil, six for Cuba, ten for Mexico and five for Algeria. Ninety-eight were built for Canadian railroads by MLW.
NW #300 is on the Virginia Museum of Transportation page and MTFR #200 on the Illinois Railway Museum Yard page.
55' 11" long and weighing 229,000 lbs, the RS-3 has an Alco 244 12 cylinder prime mover powering a GE 581 generator to drive four GE 752 traction motors. They develop 52,500 lbs continuous tractive effort at 10 mph with a top speed of 65 mph.
Several RS-3s have survived.
#109 operates on the Northern Nevada Railway (you can see photos on the Northern Nevada Railroad Museum page of this website). You can see WM #195 on the B&O Museum Yard & Car Shop page, LI #1559 liveried as IC #704, on the Monticello Railway Museum page and LI #1555 on the Gold Coast Railroad Museum page.
This is one of fifteen Alco built RS-11 units delivered in 1956 to the Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific, a subsidiary of Canadian National operating in northern Minnesota.
Built as #3606, it was later transferred to the Central Vermont Railway, at that time another subsidiary of CN through the Grand Trunk Railway.
Sold to the Winchester & Western, it was renumbered #606 then, at Genesee Valley Transportation's Depew, Lancaster & Western subsidiary, it became #180. Sold to Northampton Development Corp., some time in 2008, it is now numbered #2034
Three hundred and fifty-six
RS-11s were built by Alco from 1956 to 1961. Another seventy-five were built by the Montreal Locomotive Works in Canada from 1963 to 1964.
Weighing 250,000 lbs and 56' 11" long, #1804 has a 4
cylinder 251B V12 prime mover powering a GEGT581 generator to drive four GE 752 traction motors. It can deliver continuous tractive effort of 47,000 lbs at 8 mph and has a top speed of 65 mph.
#211 was delivered to the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1962 as #7302, one of ten RS-32 units bought by SP from Alco that year (#7300-#7399).
In 1965, they were renumbered #4000-#4009, #7302 becoming
#4002.
Only thirty-five RS-32s were built, the other twenty-five delivered to the New York Central (#8020-#8044), and these were amongst the last diesels built by Alco.
Sold by SP, #211 went through a number of owners as Crystal Car Line #4002, Municipal Docks #40, Delaware Valley #211 and Tishomingo #211 before joining the Delaware-Lackawanna roster.
Three other RS-32s have survived: DL #2305, #4009 at the Fillmore & Western Railway in Fillmore, CA,
and SP #7304 at the Pacific Southwestern Railway Museum in Campo, CA.
The "RS" stands for "road switcher", a locomotive designed to switch cars in marshalling yards as well as operate on the main line.
#211 is 57' 2" in length and weighs 240,000 lbs. A four cylinder 251C V12 prime mover powers a GE GT581D2 generator to drive four GE 752 traction motors, one on each axle. With a top speed of 80 mph, it delivers 35,000 lbs continuous tractive effort at 8 mph.
This C-420 was one of twelve built for the Lehigh Valley in 1964. It is an example of one of the first in Alco's Century series models.
The Century series locomotives were produced by Alco, the Montreal Locomotive Works and
A. E. Goodwin Ltd under license in Australia between 1963 and 1972, as MLW and Goodwin continued to build after Alco ceased locomotive production and shut down in early 1969. A total of eight hundred and forty-one Century series locomotives in eleven variants were produced over the ten years of production.
Some time in the late 1970s, #414 was sold to the Delaware and Hudson and then, in 1987, to the Southern Railroad Company of New Jersey, a shortline company based in Winslow, NJ. However, the locomotive still bears its LV livery.
One hundred and thirty-one C-420 units were built by Alco between 1963 and 1968. Weighing 250,000 lbs and 60' 3" long, their 2,000 hp 251C V12 prime movers drove a GE GT581 generator to power four GE 752 traction motors, one on each axle. With a top speed of 70 mph, they deliver 38,000 lbs continuous tractive effort at 8 mph.
An M-420, this locomotive was delivered to British Columbia Rail in Canada as #642 in 1973. BC rostered eight M-420s in total.
Ninety-seven M-420s were built by Montreal Locomotive Works between 1973 and 1977 mainly for Canadian National, although two went to Ferrocarriles del Estado in Venezuela. Eleven B units were also built. It was one of the first diesel locomotives fitted with a wide-nosed cab. Pioneered by Canadian National, by the early 1990s, variations on this cab design had become standard.
After being retired in the 1990s, a number of CN's M-420s were scrapped, but many found homes on shortlines across North America. British Columbia Rail sold #642 to Genesee Valley Transportation for its Mohawk Andirondack & Northern subsidiary, where it was renumbered #2045.
60' 3" long, it weighs 272,000 lbs. A 251C V12 4 cylinder prime mover powers a GE GT581 generator to drive four GE 752 traction motors. With a top speed of 70 mph, it delivers 38,000 lbs continuous tractive effort at 8 mph.
This C-425 was bought by PRR in 1965 as #2423, one of thirty-one C-425s delivered between 1964 and 1965 (#2416-#2446).
The Pennsy locomotives retained their numbers when Penn Central formed in 1968 and then with Conrail in 1976, although #2423 was later renumbered CR #5062. It became Morrison Knudson #1601 when bought by that company and then New York & Lake Erie #1601, before joining the Delaware-Lackawanna roster and returning to its original number.
A total of ninety C-425 road switchers were built by Alco between 1964 and 1966, all for US Railroads (the majority were purchased by the Pennsy). At 2,500 hp, they were an upgraded version of the 2,400 hp C-424.
The C-425 weighs 280,000 lbs and is 59' 4" long. It has a 4 cylinder 251C V16 prime mover powering a GE GT581 generator to
drive four GE 752 traction motors, one on each axle. With a top speed of 75 mph, it delivers 57,200 lbs continuous tractive effort at 8 mph.
#3642 is a later model in the Alco Century series. It was one of fifteen ordered by the PRR (#6330-#6344) but delivered to Penn Central in 1968, the latter having just formed from the PRR and NYC merger.
#6342 became #6792 when Conrail took over Penn Central in 1976. Delta Bulk Terminal then bought the locomotive from Conrail, renumbered it #1001 and based it in Stockton, CA. It was bought by Genesee Valley Transportation in 2001 for its Delaware-Lackawanna subsidiary.
Thirty-four C-636s were built by Alco from 1967 to 1968 for US railroads, and twenty for Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México.
The Alco C-6 series are six axle diesels (the C-4 series are 4 axle). At 3,600 hp, the C-636 was the most powerful single engine diesel built by Alco. It weighs 420,000 lbs and has a 4 cylinder 251E V16 prime mover powering a GE GTA11 generator to drive six GE 752 traction motors, one on each axle. With a top speed of 65 mph, it delivers 79,500 continuous tractive effort at 12 mph.
Built by the Montreal Locomotive Works as #4743, this is one of forty-five M-636 units delivered to Canadian Pacific between 1969 and 1970. Nineteen were also built for Canadian National.
The M-636 is a variant of Alco's C-636. The main difference is that it has ZWT-2 trucks constructed by Dofasco, a steel company based in Hamilton, ON, (the C-636 is fitted with Alco Hi-Adhesion trucks). A licensee of Alco, A. E. Goodwin based in St. Mary's, NSW, Australia, also built twenty-nine C-636s between 1968 and 1970. Goodwin was a major supplier of diesel locomotives in Australia.
#3643 weighs 420,000 lbs and has a 4 cylinder 251E V16 prime mover powering a GE GTA11 generator to drive six GE 752 traction motors, one on each axle.
With a top speed of 65 mph, the locomotive delivers 79,500 continuous tractive effort at 12 mph.