Steamtown was established by F. Nelson Blount, and opened in North Walpole NH in 1960 in former B&M facilities. Space quickly became a problem and in 1964, Blount began the process of moving his collection across the Connecticut River to former Rutland RR property. The move was more or less complete by 1966, but hard times were ahead: Blount died in a plane crash in 1967, and promised funds from the state of New Hampshire did not materialize. Steamtown moved to Scranton in 1984, and had problems there as well. The US government created the Steamtown National Historic Site and took over the collection in 1986. The new park opened in 1995. We visited there in 2004.
The coaling tower at North Walpole.
5 Sep 1964
A string of old wooden boxcars.
5 Sep 1964
CN 4-6-4T #47, Montreal Locomotive Works, September 1914. #54896. The only Baltic tank locomotive in the United States.
5 Sep 1964
Mogul #96
AC&Y 4-6-0 #304, ex-NKP #44 Alco Brooks Works Dec 1905 #38831
5 Sep 1964
Pacific #1246 and #2929 CP 4-4-4, CLC 1938 #1943
5 Sep 1964
Mass Electric #1
5 Sep 1964
Bullard Co #2, 0-4-0T
H.K. Porter 1937
5 Sep 1964
NKP #759 2-8-4 Berkshire
5 Sep 1964
MEC #519 2-8-0 Alco (Schenectady), February 1913. Builder's no. 52991
GTW #6039 4-8-2 Baldwin Locomotive Works, June 1925. Builder's no. 58463
5 Sep 1964
2-8-0 #15 approaches Riverside, VT
Baldwin Locomotive Works, June 1916. Builder's no. 43529
ex-Rahway Valley, now in Scranton
Bellows Falls VT
5 Sep 1964
#15 on the way to Chester.
5 Sep 1964
#15 running around the train at Chester.
5 Sep 1964
Coupling back onto the train for the run back to Riverside.
Chester VT
5 Sep 1964
#15 heading out of Chester.
5 Sep 1964
Later that same day #1293 had the afternoon run to Chester.
5 Sep 1964
Checking her out before heading up the line to Chester.
5 Sep 1964
Running around the train.
Chester VT
5 Sep 1964
About to couple onto the rear of the train.
Chester VT
5 Sep 1964
More buggies beside the North Walpole roundhouse.
8 Jun 1965
I climbed up the hillside a ways to get some panoramic shots of the yard and collection of power. That's UP #4016, a 4-8-8-4 Big Boy.
8 Jun 1965
#2929 CP 4-4-4 (CLC 1938)
8 Jun 1965
An overall view of the engine facilities.
8 Jun 1965
This shows how tightly packed the display of locomotives was.
8 Jun 1965