Visiting Scranton, PA

[TrainWatcher]

Hello folks, got a question hopefully someone in the area can answer. I will be visiting the Scranton area for the first time to chase NKP 765 from Steamtown to Binghampton and back in September. I can't help but notice the DL being close and knowing their historic Alco collection, I'd love to get some photos of their roster (especially that LV C420 or RS-3). So I have a few questions:

1)How railfan friendly are they?
2)What is their schedule normally? I plan on coming into town on Friday midday and leaving late Sunday to head to Altoona.
3)Are there any good spots to see their power or facilities without trespassing?

[SemperFidelis]

They are very friendly, especially if you stay a safe distance and/or take the time to introduce yourself.

The old factory at the stub end of South Washington Avenue is a great place to view thier shop operations. The owners of the site are very friendly and always take time to greet my sons when we are there. Not acting shady, waving in a friendly manner, and introducing oneself to the people in the area goes a really long way. It is private property, so respect the rules and the operations.

Directly across the railroad from that factory are a few roads and parking lots that provide excellent access to the shop location also with no permissions required.

If the shortline is running a train down the Pocono Main, the back side of the college is a great place for viewing from public roads as is a beautiful condo complex called The Mill just to the north of Nay Aug Park. Speaking of...the Davis Trail in Nay Aug Park has a beautiful overlook of the tunnel, accessible only by foot but well worth the short walk. A most dignified war memorial is located on the south end of the trail, dedicated to men from the area who've died in our recent wars. Deeper in the park, poorly maintained, and much less accessible is a memorial to the over 200 (!) men from the area who died in our nation's short involvement in the First World War. Also in the park is an old Gravity Railroad Coach and two mining carts.

I might be chasing that run also, so keep an eye out for a guy in a Marine Corps cover in a Nissan Leaf. Maybe I will actually meet someone from railroad.net face to face!

If you need a place for a free dinner or lunch my wife will be in Prague (6 weeks of unbridled freedom for me!) so feel free to look me up on PlugShare.com and stop by.

[SemperFidelis]

This is the area of which I speak:

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To the north is the factory which, though private property, really is worth a stop by. The owners are wonderfully nice people.

To the south are some roads and parking lots you can easily view operations from.

[TrainWatcher]

Cool, thanks for the invite, I'll keep that in mind. I'll be visiting from Michigan and am looking forward to checking out Steamtown and the surrounding areas, as it's been on my "bucket list" for sometime. Also, cleaning up on the GVT Alco fleet will be a major bonus besides hearing the chug of that Lima Berk thru the Poconos.