Scranton in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

DL&W Coal Hoppers

Photographed By Craig Swain, July 25, 2008

1. DL&W Coal Hoppers Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Hopper cars like these carried the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad's heaviest and most profitable freight - anthracite coal.

With increases in coal production came the need to increase hauling capacity. In the decades before 1900, the DL&W progressed from six-ton-capacity jimmies, to twenty-ton wood drop-bottom cars, to forty- and fifty-ton steel hoppers for hauling coal. Steel hoppers, like those in front of you, were loaded from above and emptied through two bottom chutes. Some railroads used rotary dumpers, which turned the entire hopper car upside down to speed unloading.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1900.

Location. 41° 24.462′ N, 75° 40.252′ W. Marker is in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in Lackawanna County. Marker can be reached from Mechanic Street, on the right when traveling east. Located on an overlook of the rail yard on the roundhouse at Steamtown National Historic Site. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Scranton PA 18503, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance

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of this marker. Long Island Railroad #193 Rotary Snow Plow (here, next to this marker); Claremont & Concord Snow Plow #60 (here, next to this marker); New Haven Trap Rock Company #43 (within shouting distance of this marker); E.J. Lavino & Company #3 (within shouting distance of this marker); 1902 Roundhouse Office (within shouting distance of this marker); Turntable (within shouting distance of this marker); 1902 Roundhouse Section (within shouting distance of this marker); Tank Car (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Scranton.

More about this marker. The background illustration shows The DL&W's coal handling facility at Hoboken, New Jersey, about 1882. On the right side, The DL&W photographed its first forty-ton coal hopper loaded with coal.

Markers on the Overlook of the Rail Yard image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Swain

2. Markers on the Overlook of the Rail Yard

Lackawanna Coal Hopper #81178 image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Swain, July 25, 2008

3. Lackawanna Coal Hopper #81178

Located in the roundhouse of the park. The other cars were undergoing maintenance in 2008.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 6, 2020. It was originally submitted on June 13, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,152 times since then and 58 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 13, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.