I finally got to visit Steamtown National Historic Site myself in Augutst 2003. There were two of us going, along with the family dog, a sheltie. The plan was to find a near by park, leave one of us with the dog,a lawn chair,some water and have a quick visit, take a few photos then return and let the other person have their turn. Since neither of us are "museum" types we figured on being there about an hour to an hour and a half, then move on toward the final destination of Cumberland, MD.
Since I could not find any suitable park listed on a map or the internet I emailed Steamtown, explained the situation and asked if they had any ideas. The return email was lightening fast. Bring the dog to Steamtown. They have grassy areas, picnic tables, parking near trees... everything we could want. They requested that we keep the dog out of the buildings and noted that they didn't think it necessary to mention about picking up after him if needed. Oh yes, they did
This was only the start of what turned out to be a fantastic visit. The staff were exceptional! They were friendly, knowledgeable and obviously enjoyed their work. It was like being on a model railroad layout.. one to one scale.
Needless to say the "one hour each" visit didn't exactly work out as the day sped by and was gone before we noticed the passage of time. Fortunately it was overcast and a "cold" day for August so even the dog enjoyed himself. If there are any railfans out there that haven't been to Steamtown yet... make the trip... it is well worth it.
Here are our photos. Since we were running with two cameras there may be some duplication... but that's ok since everything deserves a second look anyway. They are divided into two sections...
