Inside the Visitor Center at Steamtown National Historic Site

OPERATING HOURS

The Visitor Center at Steamtown National Historic Site is open daily from 10 AM to 4 PM, except when closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Keep in mind that times can always change, so be sure to get the latest schedule on the National Park Service’s official Operating Hours and Seasons web page for the park.

AMENITIES

• Information desk where you can pick up a free park brochure and find out when Ranger programs are being held
• Park film shown in the auditorium
• Exhibit area
• Restrooms

There is a separate book and souvenir store located on the roundhouse plaza near the parking lot.

Book and souvenir store at Steamtown National Historic Site

Tickets for the short train rides held on the weekends are not sold at the Visitor Center. Get your tickets at the booth on the plaza.

Train ticket office at Steamtown National Historic Site

PARK FILM

The 16-minute film Steel and Steam plays every half hour starting at 9:30 AM in the Steamtown National Historic Site auditorium. This is one of the better National Park Service films that I have seen. It is an actual movie with actors and actresses who have speaking parts. A retired steam-era railroad employee recounts the impact the railroad had on his life from the time he was a young boy prior to World War I up through the 1950s. There is no objectionable material. Kids will find it highly enjoyable.

Auditorium at Steamtown National Historic Site

EXHIBITS

Exhibits in the Visitor Center lobby detail the founding and evolution of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad railyard, which is now occupied by Steamtown National Historic Site. Along with a written accounting of what occurred at the railyard during a particular time period, there are detailed, color-coded maps that show new, existing, and demolished structures. The second photo below is the current map. The only original structure at today’s park that is accessible by the general public is a section of the 1902 roundhouse.

Exhibits on the history of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad station at the Steamtown National Historic Site Visitor Center

Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railyard from 1960 to 1995

SCHEDULING YOUR TIME

If you watch the park film and read through all of the information in the DL&W Railroad history exhibit, plan to spend an hour at the Steamtown National Historic Site Visitor Center. If you don’t have any interest in reading all the materials, a half hour should be a sufficient amount of time to at least catch the film and give the exhibits a quick look.

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