| Steamtown National Historic Site Returns to the Rails for Tobyhanna Ice Harvest
SCRANTON, PA – As Old Man Winter takes hold of our region, and shades of white and gray replace the oranges and reds in the trees of the Pocono Mountains, Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, PA will offer a mid-winter steam excursion to the annual Ice Harvest Festival and Demonstration at Tobyhanna, PA. On Saturday, January 14, 2006, a trainload of hearty travelers with steam locomotive no. 3254 in the lead, will travel to the Tobyhanna railroad station, and be transported to Mill Pond no. 1, where historic tools and equipment will be used to actually gather blocks of ice from the pond. The replica ice house stores enough ice to last well into the summer months. The Tobyhanna Ice Harvest excursion departs at 10:00 a.m., with return at approximately 2:45 p.m. Tickets are $25.00 for adults, $20.00 for those aged 62 and older, and $15.00 for children 6 to 12 years old. Under 6 requires a ticket, but no admission charge.
Tobyhanna is the highest elevation point along the Pocono Mountain Route, and as the popular saying goes, “it’s always cooler in the Pocono’s.” Several large ice houses on the Pocono lakes once provided ice year-round to households in the New York metropolitan area, before modern refrigeration came along. At the Tobyhanna pond, historic tools will be employed for cutting and shaping the ice for storage. A wooden turn-of-the 20th Century boxcar stands nearby.
Steam-powered train excursions are rare in the winter months, and there is always the likelihood that the pond will not be frozen. Nonetheless, tours of the village of Tobyhanna will be conducted as an alternative. The Tobyhanna passenger and freight station, built in 1908 will be open and light refreshments available through the Pocono Mountains Chapter of the
National Railway Historical Society.
Steamtown National Historic Site Returns to the Rails for Tobyhanna Ice Harvest
Located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Steamtown is open daily from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. From I-81, follow exit 185 (Central Scranton Expressway); then, follow the signs to the main entrance at Lackawanna and Cliff Avenues.
Additional details regarding interpretive and educational programs and activities and weather related cancellations may be obtained by calling (570) 340-5204 or toll free (888) 693-9391, or by visiting the Steamtown web site at www.nps.gov/stea.
Editors Note: Photos, slides and digital images are available upon request
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