One more time, since there seems to be some who have been living in a cave:
The K4 #1361 isn’t, and never was, a project of Steamtown NHS or the National Park Service. Steamtown was kind enough to provide shop space when the K4 got kicked out of the original shop where the work was started. Since the removal from the curve, the K4 has been the responsibility of the Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona, who funded and oversaw the restoration work.
Plus, over the summer months, Steamtown does have steam powered trips to the Moscow PA station and back. Check the website for the schedule.
Steamtown, the U.S. Park Service at its best. Government money well spent. Built in and around the D.L.& W. Roundhouse, a steam switcher gives you a ride around the town to the Station that is now a Radison Hotel. Weekends, steam powered (x CN passenger locomotives)passenger train down the Main line. Look over a “Big Boy”, use the elevated walkways around the rebuilding of steam locomotives, its got it all. Oh yes, a large Trolley Museum with rides is next door.
In Strasburg PA, the Strasburg Railroad, National Toy Train Museum, and The State of Pennsylvaina Railroad Museum are all grouped together. Ride behind Strasburg steam, view GG1s and E6 Atlantics at the State Museum.
You would really have to check months/hours of operation for any of these places to plan an itinerary. For my own biased self, Spring through Fall, I’d zero in on Steamtown, Strasburg and the B&O museum and possibly the Smithsonian’s American History in DC. That would be an intense week.
This assumes you’re not interested in diesels and your companion shares your expectations for the trip.
I’d like to revisit Steamtown and Coopertown baseball on one long weekend or Roanoke and Cass on another.
I resisted East Broad Top for so many years because I just knew it would upset my railfanning universe. When I succumbed, the Eastie did exactly that. We’ve since camped in out of the way places on the dormant portions, taken the shop tours, ridden the trains, and helped with the armstrong turntable on the last (putting her to bed) day of a season.
In any case, I would try to go to several places in a fairly concentrated area.
It was operational when it came to NRM. It was also cosmetically restored (new paint, cab work) when it came there too. NRM should be ashamed to have it on display, along with the MILW E8 sitting behind it
NRM thought that it needed it’s own Thomas locomotive to run, so they took the plymouth locomotive from Algoma Hardwoods, in Algoma, WI and turned it into Thomas. After copyright suits, and other problems, they re-painted it black, removed ther trademark face, and let it sit.
Why is NRM wishing to get rid of it’s Menasha Woodware wooden boxcar? Maybe because they don’t take pride in what they have.
They have a SP S6 locomotive, that they needed to re-paint C&NW for some reason. Then they got Manistique & Lake Superior S3 #3, and re-painted it into GB&W colors. Just within the year, they re-painted the S6 into GB&W colors. It this is the National Railroad Museum, then what is their reason for re-painting these locos into the fake paint of their hometown roads?? (I don’t care IF the S6 was loaned to the GB&W for a few months. The paint is still fake)
Steamtown would be my choice. All the reasons have already been mentioned. I went a few years ago and went on a steam excursion, quite unique. They also had a WWII reanactment encampment going on the weekend I attended. Right next door is somekind of trolley museum and on the other side of Scranton is the Lackawana County Coal Mine Museum and Mine Tour. That place is awesome. You could spend half a day there. Not to far off is the B&O Museum in Baltimore. That too is quite interesting. Good luck in your planning and hope you have a good time regardless of wherever you go.
I know you did not ask but I must say the IRM is my first choise. Not open till spring but so much to see and the best bunch of people that volunteer to work there. And things change too. I’m a member and go a number of time during the summer.
I do like Steamtown but not as much or different things to see. Still hard to think our goverment runs this place. They do a great job.
