The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

melvind wrote:Also don't skip the mansion at the Edison site. It's fun and much less phonograph related that the factory itself.

Dan

Ditto. My wife and kids were lukewarm about the Edison lab, but they still remember Glenmont.

George P.

Not phono related but if you like trains there's Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, PA.

http://www.nps.gov/stea/index.htm

Yes, and as a Canadian he'll recognize most of the steam locomotives there! <A little toungue in cheek jab at how we preserved our steam locos...> John

AllWoundUp wrote:Not phono related but if you like trains there's Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, PA.

http://www.nps.gov/stea/index.htm

If you go, be sure and take the shop tour.

If you want to see trains, skip steamtown and go to Strasburg in Lancaster County. They actually operate their steam engines regularly (I believe in July one on weekdays and two on weekends, making it the only place east of the rockies where regularly scheduled steam trains pass each other.)Also, you get to enjoy the scenery of Lancaster

American Treasure Tour in Oaks, PA has many crossover interests. It's a private collection stored in a building the size of a Wal-Mart (100,000 square feet I believe) open (currently) only to group tours and contains a small number of phonograph items, but mostly a large number (probably in the neighborhood of 80-100) of nickelodeons, 20 or 25 band organs, antique cars, animated store window displays, etc.

If you call or write you may be able to "piggyback" on a tour group with open seats.

The decor in the "nickelodeon room" consists mostly of LP covers mounted on the walls, as well as photos of musicians of yesteryear.

http://www.americantreasuretour.com

If you go to Scranton (Steamtown), be sure to check out the Trolley Museum at the west end of the site. This operation is not part of the Steamtown National Historic Site, but is funded by Lackawanna County and run by a dedicated group of volunteers who restore and operate the cars. At present the operating trolley is a 1926 Brill center-door from the Red Arrow (Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Co.), IOW around the same vintage as many of our phonographs. http://www.ectma.org/museum.html

As for Strasburg, to me the most interesting part of it is the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum, which is across the highway from the Strasburg RR. Here you will find beautifully restored (cosmetically) examples of locomotives and rolling stock, mostly from the Pennsylvania Railroad but also others, all very professionally displayed under roof. Many other examples await restoration in the adjacent yard storage area.

There is not much restoration work going on at Steamtown these days, due to budget constraints. But the displays are awesome.

There is another Edison site at Menlo Park that just reopened this summer. I have not been there yet, but here's the link:

http://www.menloparkmuseum.org/

One more recommendation for Steamtown. If they have a locomotive under live steam, it is very cool to be there at the end of the day when they bring it back into the round house for the night. There is an elevated walkway around the inside of the round house that you can stand directly in line with the bay and watch them bring the locomotive in and begin the end of day maintenance. Very cool.

Also, as mentioned previously, I'll second the recommendation to see the PA state railway museum.