Pennsylvania - Day 29 - Scranton

Lackawanna State Park, near Scranton
Sunday, 29 April 2018

Our campsite the previous 2 nights was near what's called Lower Lake at Promised Land State Park.  This morning the dogs and I walked down to the lake and learned that boaters are prohibited from going beyond a certain marked area because there's a pair of nesting Bald Eagles near there.  Apparently they've been returning to nest there since 1999 and most years have fledged at least one chick.  Pretty neat, huh?

We drove into Scranton to the Electric City Trolley Museum.  Scranton got the nickname Electric City when, in 1886, it began using the world's first electric streetcar.  Before that, all streetcars were horse-drawn.  

By 1903 they'd figured out how to use AC power to transmit electricity over long distances without too much resistance on the lines draining all the power.  Then substations were set up to convert the AC to DC, which is what the streetcars used, but DC can't travel more than a few miles without losing steam (so to speak).  The AC use allowed electric trains to spread way out to the surrounding area, allowing suburbs to grow because people could now commute easily.  And the coal industry relied heavily on the trains to bring the coal out of the mines and then ship it into town.

In 1913, I think, the Wilkes-Barre and Hazelton Railway was built.  It stretched for 30 miles and was a remarkable railway: over that 30 miles it covered a 1200' change in elevation, crossed 3 valleys and 2 mountains, plowed a 2700' tunnel through a 3rd, and never had more than a 3% grade.  Now that sounds like something the highway department needs to study.  How come I've been dealing with 10% grades almost daily if the railroads had it figured out more than 100 years ago?

One of the other remarkable things about the W-B and H Railway is that it used 3rd rail power rather than overhead wires and, for the first time, it covered that 3rd rail so it wouldn't be subject to power outages due to snow or ice, and so it would be safe for pedestrians to step on - because they didn't touch the rail, they stepped on a wood plank that covered it.  It worked so well that the next year the New York City subway system adopted it.

Operating steam train at the museum

It was all very interesting and I enjoyed it a lot, but when I got back to the RV I found the temp inside had dropped into the 50s.  And by the time everybody ate lunch it was even colder - the wind was blowing, increasing the wind chill.  I'd intended to go to the Steamtown National Historic Museum just across the parking lot but decided to skip that and the Anthracite Heritage Museum nearby and head to our campground.  But honestly, if the weather'd been better - both museums offered rides on trolley and train, respectively, and I think it'd've been a hoot to go.  Just way too cold today.

This park is only about 15 miles north of downtown Scranton and - yea! - I've got a wi-fi signal and multiple TV channels to get weather reports.  There's talk of some snow showers tonight and temps in the low 30s, so I'll wait and see whether I go back into Scranton tomorrow to pick up the things I missed.