All aboard!

It's easy to get caught up in the romance of steam locomotives at Steamtown National Historic Site. Spewing smoke and lumbering through Scranton, these big, black steel beasts lure those who wish to relive yesteryears - and those who only played with Lionel train sets as kids.

So, hurry and find a seat. The conductor is eager to get up the tracks to the Pocono Mountains and all their autumn colors.

With the conductor's crisp hand signal, the engineer on the old Canadian National Railway engine No. 3254 puts the wheels in motion. Nearly 600 people pack into 10 antique rail cars at Steamtown on a weekend, anticipating the 27-mile trip to Tobyhanna.

With excursion trains no longer operating in York County, and the Strasburg trains in Lancaster County offering only a 45-minute trip, Steamtown passengers spend an entire afternoon seeing the orange and red and yellows of fall that cover the Pocono Main Line along the scenic Roaring Run.

Located in downtown Scranton, Steamtown is named for the railroad industry that built the city. In 1930, when coal was the railroad's main cargo, Scranton and its train yards were booming with 143,000 people. But demand for anthracite coal dropped off quickly;

the steady rumble of trains became an occasional whistle and Scranton's population began a slow decline to its current 74,000.

Downtown development, which includes the Steamtown Mall and the historic site, is hoping to bring back businesses and the people.

Nearly 80 volunteers spend their time here, but they don't call it "work." Today's conductors, firemen, engineers, exhibit hosts or steel and woodworkers might be retired airplane pilots, priests, school teachers and doctors. These are railroad buffs in their glory, and they'll gladly escort passengers into their world.

Inside, the museum explains rail history, both here and nationwide. A 250-seat theater shows an award-winning video. And only during a tour through the repair shop will visitors fully grasp the size of these steam-driven monsters. Take time to see workers shaving, bending and cutting massive pieces of metal, which become boilers, axles, wheels and bodies.

Now in the shop are three locomotives, including the famed Pennsylvania Railroad No. 1361, often referred to by its PRR classification, K4s, for tender and boiler repairs. The K4s is the engine usually associated with trains being pulled around the Horseshoe Curve in western Pennsylvania. Only two are known to exist; the other is at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg.

A switcher, a Baldwin Locomotive Works 0-6-0, is normally used for Steamtown yard operations and is expected to be finished in late spring or early summer 2006. It's been in the shop for boiler repairs since 2002.

The Boston and Maine Railroad No. 3713 was patch-repaired for most of its life, and the 12 repair shop employees are finally replacing the firebox and smokebox. That engine won't be finished until 2007 at the earliest.

Adjacent to the repair shop, turntable demonstrations at the rail yard's center are scheduled daily at 9:30 a.m.

But the 110 rail cars, cabooses, engines or utility cars lure visitors outside. Visitors wander to the overhead walkway to the Steamtown Mall to get a birds-eye view of trains passing underneath them, then scramble down to catch the next excursion.

Daily short trips around the railroad yard on the Scranton Limited train last 20 minutes to 40 minutes. But the best ticket in the house is for the Tobyhanna Excursion, a 54-mile, five-hour trip up to Tobyhanna Mills, a 1,300-foot climb.

Paralleling Roaring Run, the trip takes visitors through colorful third-growth forests, past Elmhurst Reservoir and stops atop the mountain, giving passengers a chance to stretch, check out the Tobyhanna station. Snacks and drinks are available there. In January, the train stops at the Ice Harvest Festival, showing how ice was "picked" for storage in the nearby ice house.

The 10 steam-heated cars for autumn trips are crowded and sometimes sold out, and reservations are recommended. Tobyhanna trips are scheduled for Sunday and Oct. 29, leaving at 10:30 a.m. and returning at 3:30 p.m.

For those wanting a shorter trip, the 32-mile Moscow Excursion is available Saturday and Oct. 30. This trip takes the same route but stops at Moscow, about halfway between Scranton and Tobyhanna. Boarding begins at 12:30 p.m. and returns to Scranton at 3:30 p.m.

Even if you don't plan on taking the longer excursions, expect to spend the day here. For those who somehow resist the call of steam engines, the Steamtown Mall is just a short walk away.

IF YOU GO

Steamtown National Historic Site is in downtown Scranton, 150 miles and 2½ hours northeast of York on Interstate 81. From I-81, take exit 185. Stay in the left lanes to downtown Scranton and turn left at first traffic light. Follow Lackawanna Avenue past seven traffic signals. Just beyond the Greyhound/Martz Bus Terminal, use the left turn lane to turn from Lackawanna Avenue onto Cliff Street.

To contact Steamtown National Historic Site, find schedules, hours and tours, visit http://www.nps.gov/stea/. Or call toll free 1-888-693-9391.

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MORE PLACES TO VISIT

· Adjacent to Steamtown National Historic Site is the Electric City Trolley Museum. Call 1-570-963-6590 or visit http://www.ectma.org/museum.html for more information.

· Claws 'N' Paws Animal Park is in Hamlin, 18 miles east of Scranton. Open until Sunday. Call 1-570-698-6154, or visit http://www.clawsnpaws.com

· Lackawanna Coal Mine tour, also in Scranton, is open through November, takes visitors 300 feet down into a coal mine. Take Route 81 north to Exit 182 (formerly 51), then left at first traffic light to next light on Davis Street. Left onto Davis Street and continue 3 miles (Davis turns into Union Street after the river) and at Keyser Avenue take a right and go 2 miles. The tour is on the left. For details, call 1-570-963-MINE, or visit http://www.lackawannacounty.org/attractions_coal.asp

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