Celebrate 200 years of American railroading at Railfest 2026 Steamtown National Historic Site will celebrate the past, present and future of American railroading during Railfest 2026, taking place Sept. 4 to 6, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The park’s premier annual celebration features three days of historic train rides, visiting railroad equipment, locomotive shop demonstrations, exhibits, music, ranger programs, hands-on activities and displays from community and railroad partners. General admission to the park and Railfest is free. This year’s Railfest marks an extraordinary convergence of national and local milestones: the 200th anniversary of railroading in the United States, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the 110th anniversary of the National Park Service and the 40th anniversary of Steamtown’s enabling legislation. The celebration officially kicks off with an opening ceremony on Sept. 4, at 10:30 a.m. “Railfest celebrates not only America’s railroad heritage but also the people, partnerships and communities that keep that history alive,” said Jeremy Komasz, superintendent of Steamtown National Historic Site. “Following an incredible summer that brought more than 111,000 visitors to Northeastern Pennsylvania for the Big Boy Reunion, we’re excited to build on that momentum and welcome visitors back to Scranton for another celebration of our shared history.” Steamtown’s 1929 Baldwin Locomotive Works No. 26 will take center stage with “No. 26 in ’26,” providing steam-powered Scranton Limited rides throughout the weekend. Visitors can also experience caboose hops, photo run-bys, maintenance-of-way equipment rides, Big Boy No. 4012 cab tours, model railroad layouts and demonstrations inside the park’s historic Locomotive Shop. Railfest will bring an impressive collection of visiting railroad equipment to Scranton, including the Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad’s famed Nickel Plate Road PA No. 190 and a special commemorative locomotive from Norfolk Southern. Visitors can also see the public debut of a half-scale replica of Union Pacific No. 119, representing one of the locomotives present at the 1869 Golden Spike ceremony. The Union Pacific Railroad Museum’s traveling exhibit, All Set for the West, will also explore the historic relationship between America’s railroads and national parks. Throughout the weekend, dozens of railroad, cultural, historical, recreational, educational, civic, tourism and preservation organizations will participate in Railfest’s Community Partner Expo. Additional activities include railroad-themed musical performances, special walking tours, hands-on demonstrations and World War II-era military vehicle rides supporting restoration of Steamtown’s historic Troop Sleeper. Visitors can also participate in evening railroad photography opportunities in partnership with the Iron Horse Society and the park’s first “Life on the Railroad” Costume Contest on Sunday. General admission and parking at Steamtown National Historic Site are free. Fees apply for train rides and some special activities. Some advance train tickets will be available through Recreation.gov beginning Wednesday, August 26, with a limited number available for walk-up purchase during Railfest. For the complete Railfest schedule, ticket information, parking details, participating organizations and the latest event updates, click here. Programs, equipment, train rides and activities are subject to change.
Steamtown National Historic Site Event “Railfest” Returns Mark your calendars! Railfest returns to Steamtown National Historic Site (NHS) Labor Day weekend: Saturday, August 31, and Sunday, September 1, 2024. This year’s celebration will be offered in partnership with the Iron Horse Society, Steamtown’s official philanthropic partner. Both organizations are excited to be collaborating to provide an interactive and immersive experience celebrating railroading’s past, present, and future. Details are still being ironed out for the weekend-long event which is expected to include activities such as train rides, community partners, ranger-led programming, live entertainment, and more! Updates will be forthcoming. Stay informed by visiting www.nps.gov/steamtown or @SteamtownNHS on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Learn about the Iron Horse Society by visiting https://theironhorsesociety.com/ or @ironhorsesociety on Facebook and Instagram. Located in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, Steamtown NHS is open 9:30am to 5:00pm, daily. From Interstate-81 follow exit 185 (President Biden Expressway, formerly known as Central Scranton Expressway); then follow the brown and white signs to the park entrance at Lackawanna Avenue and Cliff Street (GPS: N 41.41, W 75.67). General park information is available by visiting the park website anytime. www.nps.gov/steamtown
Railfest Returns to Steamtown Steamtown National Historic Site’s 2022 Railfest weekend is being offered in partnership with the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum’s Arts on Fire event held at the Scranton Iron Furnaces. Both sites are excited to be collaborating to provide an interactive and immersive experience showcasing our community’s history. In addition to free admission, there will be no cost for Steamtown’s short train rides, the Scranton Limited and the Caboose Experience. Free transportation between Steamtown and the Iron Furnaces will also be available. Steamtown will host a ribbon cutting ceremony at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 11th to celebrate the restoration of the Union Pacific “Big Boy” No. 4012. Shortly after the ceremony, scheduled tours of the cab of the “Big Boy” will be provided by NPS staff and volunteers. Special programming will be offered throughout the weekend, including tours of Mattes St. Tower, demonstrations of Maintenance of Way equipment provided by the New Jersey Trackcar Excursions group, hand car demonstrations, tours and demonstrations within the locomotive shop including updates on the Boston & Maine No. 3713, special Railfest-exclusive Junior Ranger activities, scheduled Ranger Programs, and of course, our short train rides, the Scranton Limited and the Caboose Experience. Several community partners will be in attendance with site information and exhibits. For those interested in genealogy, our Historian will be on-site with the Lackawanna Historical Society to assist those digging into their family history. Arts on Fire at the Scranton Iron Furnaces will take place 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 11th, kicking off at 11 a.m. with a ceremonial lighting of the furnace. Arts on Fire will feature Lackawanna Markets arts vendors, arts demonstrations, food trucks, music by Bryan Banks, Steamtown’s “Ring of Fire” demonstrations, and the return of Hot Metal to the furnaces. The Lackawanna Historical Society will feature a community participation mural project, and artist and sculpture professor Brian Glaze will fire up his cupola furnace and melt iron. Scratch blocks will be available for your artistic expressions in cast iron. Steamtown’s Railfest weekend continues into Sunday, June 12th with an excursion to Gouldsboro, departing from Steamtown at 11 a.m. and returning at 3 p.m. Tickets for this excursion may be purchased in advance online through recreation.gov by searching “Steamtown National Historic Site”, or on-site at the Information Kiosk during regular business hours. Please note: due to limited crew availability, there will be no Yard Shuttle available on excursion day, only the Caboose Experience. Stay informed by visiting www.nps.gov/stea or @SteamtownNHS on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Learn about the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum by visiting www.anthracitemuseum.org or @AnthraciteHeritageMuseum on Facebook and @AnthraciteMuse on Twitter.
Railfest to Return to Steamtown National Historic Site Steamtown National Historic Site (NHS) is pleased to announce the return of Railfest on Saturday-Sunday, June 11-12, 2022. This year’s celebration will be offered in partnership with the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum’s Arts on Fire event at the Scranton Iron Furnaces. Both sites are excited to be collaborating to provide an interactive and immersive experience showcasing our community’s history. New for 2022: there will be no cost of admission for the event! Details are still being ironed out for the weekend-long event which is expected to include activities such as an iron pour, live music, arts programming, and more! Updates will be forthcoming. Stay informed by visiting www.nps.gov/stea or @SteamtownNHS on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Learn about the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum by visiting www.anthracitemuseum.org or @AnthraciteHeritageMuseum on Facebook and @AnthraciteMuse on Twitter.
