Members of the Lionel Collectors Club of America will converge in Scranton later this month to showcase trains and share their love of locomotives with the community.
The club’s 55th annual convention will be held in the city July 20-26 — culminating in an opportunity for the public to attend the trade show and swap meet for free July 26 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hilton Scranton & Conference Center, officials said.
Guests will have a chance to view five modular layouts, meet with representatives from the Lionel Corp., and attend seminars featuring the Steamtown National Historic Site and Lionel on railroading and scenic decorations, said Dennis DeVito, convention manager for the Lionel Collectors Club of America.
“One of our goals is to spread the hobby — we enjoy it and we want to make sure others know about it and can enjoy it as much as we do,” DeVito said.
Alexa Peregrim, director of sales for the Lackawanna County Visitors Bureau, believes the city’s rich railroad history played a part in attracting the club to Scranton.
“We showed them all the major attractions including Steamtown, the Trolley Museum and the Coal Mine Tour, and they decided to book their convention here,” she said.
The convention was originally scheduled to be held in Scranton in 2021, but the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the timeline back four years, Peregrim said.
The Radisson at Lackawanna Station hotel will host the vendors for the trade show, organizers said.
“We’re really excited to finally have this convention in Lackawanna County and showcase the history we have here, plus all the fun things you can do,” Peregrim said. “The nice part about this area is we can utilize both the Hilton and Radisson for larger conferences of this size. They work very well together so we can bring groups of this caliber to the city and they can enjoy themselves. We also showcase all the good things we have here between the restaurants, shopping and culture. Anytime we bring a group in, it’s almost an immediate booking when they see what they can actually experience in Scranton.”
DeVito noted Steamtown was a big draw for the group bringing the convention to downtown Scranton. Many club members also reside in Pennsylvania, he said.
“We’re railroad people and when we had a visit there we were just amazed that Scranton is not the same town you read about in the newspapers. It’s a wonderful community and it certainly meets our requirements to bring our members to town,” he said.
DeVito most looks forward to the camaraderie associated with the annual convention and said the group appreciates the welcoming, supportive atmosphere in Scranton.
“From my perspective, the most important thing about our conventions is the members,” he said. “You get to reunite with people you haven’t seen for a year and meet new people. The train hobby is like many hobbies — most people start for the hobby itself but, as time goes by, it’s about the communication, the relationships and the friendships.”
Steamtown National Historical Site in Scranton on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRPAHER)
Steamtown National Historical Site in Scranton on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRPAHER)