View allAll Photos Tagged Scranton
Seen along the Lake Scranton Walking Trail in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.
R&N PISB charges past the former station at Old Forge PA along the former DL&W heading for customers in the Keyser Valley area on the west side of Scranton. We're near milepost 3 despite the Conrail and DL&W mileposts here stating otherwise. Also, why is there a lawnmower to the right of the mileposts? This was attempt No. 4 at this angle.
In this R&N storyline today we'll go after what I showed up looking for. The GP38-2's painted in the Reading Co's last scheme which was applied to their GP39-2 and GP40-2's.
I think I photographed 9 or 10 trains on the Scranton Branch during the trip. I fought clouds for much of it, though never on cloudy days. The branch is fantastic for photographers. In it's 7 or 8 miles between Pittston and Taylor there's side-by-side running with the former Lehigh Valley, a flyover, former DL&W mileposts, a through truss bridge, a former station, a cut, an S curve, and an iconic easy to do elevated shot. Traffic and timing are very consistent, Monday through Friday the PISB (Pittston-Scranton Branch) is pulling into Taylor between 830 and 9am. Weekends are a little different with the PISB doing double duty and handling the interchange with NS at Taylor. On these days they also usually split their power instead of keeping both engines on the head end. During my stay this job was the nearly exclusive domain of a pair of the RDG painted* GP38-2's.
The surprise was the Pittston yard job. When I showed up to Pittston for the first time since probably 2006 (Pittston back then had been my only experience with the R&N) I wasn't surprised to see a Caboose there. I was surprised to see it used the next day and then absolutely flabbergasted when I figured out that the normal move for the yard job was to shove the entire way up the Scranton Branch to Taylor! Every now and then there will be an exception where supposedly the hitch a ride on the rear of the PISB up there but it didn't happen while I was there watching (Though once or twice I would see it mentioned in John Cudo's post to the Friends of the Reading and Northern Railroad Facebook group).
Anyway usually late morning the YJPI1 shoves to Taylor Caboose-first and returns with it tucked in between the locomotives and the inbound interchange. The line orientation is more east-west than north south so the PISB is aiming into low sun in the morning and coming back towards the sun in the afternoon. The yard job makes itself a mid-day affair.
4/2023 - Scranton, PA
I may not have been treated to a Pocono run or Carbondale run, but I did shoot the DL interchanging with NS at Taylor Yard. This was a first for me. In this shot they're shoving a long string of cars into the siding.
Seen along the Lake Scranton Walking Trail in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.
The RBMN Office Car Special is seen entering the Scranton Branch at BLOOM after laying over at Pittston the night before.
RBMN OCS
RBMN F9A 270
RBMN F7B 275
Seen along the Lake Scranton Walking Trail in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.
Seen along the Lake Scranton Walking Trail in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.
The shadows are long and the suns rays are just minutes from disappearing as Steamtown's big Canadian National Mike #3254 finishes putting its train to bed after a long excursion to the Delaware Water Gap for the National Railway Historical Society, back in June of 2010. In this scene, her crew is just awaiting the signal that the switches ahead are properly lined and she'll shortly begin the journey through the yard to the roundhouse, where she'll bed down for the night.
Alas, the 3254 is no longer active in 2020. Just a couple of years after this image was captured, the locomotive was retired for the foreseeable future. She suffered from problems associated with a bent frame, which was the result of an accident during her working career with the CN. Her boiler certificate was also about to expire.....so she needed a lot of work. With restoration of the B&M 3713 already underway, the park made a decision to sideline this girl. She is restorable and stored indoors in the roundhouse. It's just that at the pace at which Steamtown restorations proceed, it will likely be a long time before she steams again.
Delaware Lackawanna BR1 rounds its way out the south end of the wye at Scranton as it makes its way down to Taylor yard. For power is DL MLW M630 #3007 & DL M636 #3602.
"Lackawanna" F3A 663 (Bangor and Aroostook 44) and Lehigh Valley C420 414 were lounging around the Steamtown shops on a beautiful afternoon during Foamfest 2025.
The Electric City is unquestionably one of the finest spots anywhere to catch old school power both in a museum setting and out working for a living.
8/2021 - Scranton, PA
When I was done checking out the Von Storch Shop, I figured I'd head over to the DL's yard to see if there was any activity. Bingo! I randomly stumbled into this shot of the 3007 taking grain cars to the siding near Nay Aug Tunnel. I waited up the line but unfortunately they didn't head to the mill that day. They saved it for the next day.
DL PO-75 passes the former Erie Lackawanna signal bridge in Scranton behind the University with RS-11 DL&W 1804 leading.
Seen along the Lake Scranton Walking Trail in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.
A trio of the Delaware-Lackawanna's 4-axle Alcos spend a nice Sunday tied down at Bridge 60 Tower, waiting for the call to work on Monday morning. I was just passing thru Scranton this day heading to Cooperstown, and of course the weather wouldn't be near as stellar when I returned two days later.
Steamtown's big Canadian National Mike #3254 pulls the NRHS "Pocono Express" past the University of Scranton as she approaches her final destination: Scranton's Lackawanna Station. Since Steamtown engines normally face east on their off-site excursions, this opportunity to catch a westbound steamer in evening light was an unusual and most welcome event to say the least!
Seen along the Lake Scranton Walking Trail in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.
Steamtown's No. 3254 is seen backing up from Dale to it's train at the Moscow station. November, 2010.
Early morning at Bridge 60 in Scranton finds two consists ready for the day's work. Four 4-axle units idle on the Vine Street Branch. The three 6-axle units closer to the tower will soon power a "Pocono Ordinary" east out of town.
DL 2452 C425 (ex-EL 2452)
4/2023 - Scranton, PA
The next day, my goal was to shoot the DL's ALCOs. I had my fingers crossed for a Carbondale job, but I would have been okay with a run up the Pocono main as well. Instead of either, all I got was a job to Taylor Yard for interchange. I think this makes 2 of 5 DL visits where I only got a couple shots. Win some / lose some. There are two crews in this shot moving about. One is getting ready to head to Taylor with a cut of cars for NS.
4/2023 - Scranton, PA
Steamtown itself is a no-drone zone but I can at least peer in from a distance.
EL eastbound into Scranton Pa.on 07-21-1973. GP35 2564,U25B's 2515,2520, U36C 3317,E8 815?,GP35 2577. Howard Kent Jr.
Seen along the Lake Scranton Walking Trail in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.
DL&W Interlocking being retired by Conrail; mainline to Binghamton curving right, Bloomsburg Branch curving left
4/2020 - Scranton, PA
Their small train assembled, DLWR 1804 pulls by the tower and starts its journey toward Slatford.
After watching the crew change out their lead unit from 3643 to the 3000 we headed out to set up for our first shot. We were surprised by these units headed to Carbondale which arrived before our train to our surprise.