Ride Lady Lois at Railfest 2026 — WWII M3A1 Stuart Tank Experience in Scranton

At Railfest 2026 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the Tank Ride aboard Lady Lois (an M3A1 Stuart) hands you two turret seats and fifteen minutes that feel like history under your skin. Located at the Steamtown staging area, this is not a museum rollback: Lady Lois is an original World War II light tank that runs under its own power. The ride gives you the sound of the Liberty-like radial engine, the smell of hot metal and diesel, and the track-shake that taught crews to move fast and light. Lady Lois was built in 1944 in Berwick by American Car and Foundry, a company more often remembered for railcars than armor. That hometown origin is a running theme here: the tank and the DL&W Troop Sleeper No. 3621 share a regional story of wartime production and mobilization. A portion of every ticket goes straight to the restoration of that Pullman troop sleeper, an austere steel car that once moved soldiers from training camps to embarkation points. The experience starts with a check-in at the tank staging area and a focused safety briefing. Riders climb onto the hull and lower themselves through the turret hatch into one of two true crew seats; it is an enclosed, intimate space that rewards calm and mobility. The ride itself runs roughly 15 minutes—enough time to feel how the Stuart’s suspension works over rough ground and to ask the crew about restoration details. The Iron Horse Society-based crew are mechanics, historians and storytellers; their knowledge turns machinery into lived narrative. This outing is unique to the Scranton festival scene because so few working WWII tanks accept passengers, and fewer still operate in a heritage-rail setting where armored vehicles and troop sleepers tell connected stories. The vehicle’s light armor and maneuverable tracks exemplify why the Stuart was prized: speed and reach where heavier tanks could not follow. Nearby, the restored railcars anchor the site in regional industrial history. Practical notes: riders must be at least 8 years old, wear closed-toe shoes, and be able to climb and lower themselves through a hatch without assistance. The turret is tight and the ride is loud and rough; skip it if you have heart, neck or back conditions or are pregnant. Check-in is 20 minutes before departure; seats are limited and sales are final unless a run is canceled. For adventurous visitors who want a tactile, short-form immersion into World War II machinery and regional wartime industry, this tank ride pairs raw mechanical immediacy with a conservation mission—your fifteen minutes help restore a living piece of rail and military history. Plan to linger afterward: crew members welcome questions and the adjacent troop sleeper offers a quiet, weathered window into soldier life.