In July of 1995 Anita and I made a long trip through Pennsylvania, stopping at many sites famous in the annals of Railroad Enthusiasts. We started at the new Steamtown Museum in Scranton, which we toured and rode the excursion to Moscow PA and back behind the former Canadian Pacific 4-6-2 # 2317. Afterward, we went down into the Lackawanna Coal Mine Museum, which was a cool relief after the heat of the day.

We took a lesurely drive down through Hazleton and Mauk Chunk (now called Jim Thorpe), then rode in a caboose behind a 1920 0-4-0T Porter on the Wanamaker, Kempton and Southern. We visited Roadside America in Shartlesville, then stopped in Reading, where members of the Reading Company Historical and Technical Society were preparing for their Saturday evening "Ice Cream" excursion.

We toured Valley Forge National Historical Park on Sunday morning, the Franklin Mint and Longwood Gardens on Sunday afternoon, and that evening were in Strasburg for the evening excursion to Paradise behind the former Canadian National 2-6-0 # 89.

The next day we visited the Pennsylvania State Railroad Museum and did tourist things in the beautiful Amish country of Pennsylvania, topping it off with an over-night stay in the Red Caboose Motel.

Off to Gettysburg the next day, where we toured the Gettysburg National Military Park and rode on the Gettysburg Railroad. Because of the boiler explosion on June 25, we had to settle for the trip behind GP-9 # 39. From there, it was time to head for home. On the way, we stopped briefly in Cumberland Maryland and started our plans for the following month, when we would return there to ride the Western Maryland Scenic Railway and the Potomac Eagle in Romney, West Virginia. But that's another story ...

Official Steamtown website
Steamtown Volunteer Association
Unofficial Steamtown USA Home Page
and to the Davis, Rob: Guide to Trains in Scranton PA at 'Inline Bob's' "Ahead of the Torch"

Strasburg Railroad Home Page

Map of Horseshoe Curve! from MapBlast