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Railfest➢
After a Covid hiatus, Steamtown National Historic Site brought back Railfest over Labor Day weekend in 2024. My friend Patty and I took the 90 minute drive out to Scranton on the Saturday of the event. Railfest celebrated the past, present, and future of railroading through live demonstrations, exhibits, musical performances, ranger programs, and special displays. Highlights included Caboose Hops, Yard Shuttle rides, and limited guided tours of the historic Lackawanna Railroad Station, now the Radisson hotel. We enjoyed touring the railroad yard and signed up for the steam train trip to Lackawanna Station.
Lackawanna Station➢
We boarded an antique steam train on the far side of the turntable. A conductor in an old time uniform punched our tickets. The train chugged slowly towards the Radisson in downtown Scranton. Once we arrived, we followed a ranger around the ground and into the hotel for the tour.
The Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel in Scranton, Pennsylvania, began as the grand Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Station. Built in 1908 in the French Renaissance style, the structure replaced a smaller brick station nearby.
Railroad president William Truesdale commissioned architect Kenneth MacKenzie Murchison to design the new station, which also housed company offices. Murchison, trained in Paris, incorporated Beaux-Arts elements into the steel-and-brick building. Its limestone exterior, bronze clock, and Formosa marble entryway added elegance and distinction.
Inside, the Grand Lobby boasts a mosaic tile floor, Tiffany stained-glass ceiling, and murals by Grueby Faience. These murals depict scenes from the DL&W line and reflect the influence of artist Clark Greenwood Voorhees.
The building expanded to six stories by 1923 and later featured a radio antenna, showcasing the railroad’s early use of wireless communication. Passenger trains ceased in 1970, and the station sat unused for years. After being listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, it was restored and reopened as a hotel in 1983, preserving its original grandeur.
Railfest Posts➢
- Steamtown
- Lackawanna Railroad Station
Location: 350 Cliff St, Scranton, Pennsylvania
Designation: National Historic Site
Date designated/established: October 30, 1986
Date of my visit: August 31, 2024
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