Eastern Railroad Discussion > Steamtown Buildings Closed Due to Lack of Heat

Some buildings at Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania, have been closed due to lack of heat.
The issue was described as due to a mechanical failure of the boiler system that park staff are seeking to address. The National Park Service The park said the building will be closed until heat can be restored.

The closures will not affect Santa Train and North Pole Limited excursion trains, which will operate as scheduled.
Affected buildings include the visitor center, theater, history museum, and technology museum. The roundhouse, railroad yard, and grounds remain open. Also closed is the Electric City Trolley Station and Museum.

Portable restrooms have been brought to the park because there is no public access to heated restrooms or running water.  From the akronrrblog

Does Amtrak operate Steamtown?  Oh, excuse me, it is another government agency...................

No steam heat for Steamtown.  :>(

Keep hearing that New England will be shut down for lack of heating oil if it gets really cold, trend going on in the East.

Out 

callum_out Wrote:
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> Keep hearing that New England will be shut down
> for lack of heating oil if it gets really cold,
> trend going on in the East.

All of that reporting seems to come from a statement by the CEO of Eversource, New England's largest utility.  His statement is made in conjunction with an appeal to President Biden to suspend the Jones Act, which requires shipment of domestically sourced gas on US-flagged ships.  This makes transport costs more expensive, which in a price-regulated energy market in New England, takes a bite out of the company's bottom line.  The average person doesn't have enough information to know if a shortage threat is real or not, or is just designed to pressure the Federal government to help Eversource reduce shipping costs.

Dave

The 2020 PADD 1A statistics show natural gas used for 57% of New England heating fuel, followed by fuel oil at 20%, and electricity for heating at 17%.

New England has long been dependent on natural gas imported from Qatar, Russia, Angola, etc. I believe Boston had the first LNG import terminal in the US.

NY has blocked new gas pipelines from the Marcellus shale area of Pennsylvania for decades. There are three older lines in use. And barge imports from Canada and New Jersey.

Times have changed, world natural gas prices are much higher than US prices.

Posted from Android

Not really a big surprise here! Not that long ago, NPS identified $37 million in work that needed to be accomplished at Steamtown NHS. "No heat" is just the tip of the iceberg.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Frederick G. Bailey