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 Posted - October 11 2021 : 11:59:45 PM
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A thread about a wonderful Pennsylvania treasure.
Start with its history before turning to a tourist attraction.
Over 100 years of history in central Pennsylvania for this railroad.
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Posted - October 12 2021 : 12:18:50 AM
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I was there once back in 1995.
One of my friends from Queens was spending the weekend at the railroad.
He drove me from Altoona to Orbisonia and back. Only a few photos.
Most photos I took at Altoona and the Horseshoe Curve. Before digital cameras.
I do not drive so I took Amtrak to Altoona round trip from New York City.
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 Posted - October 12 2021 : 12:32:27 PM
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Some internet videos from this weekend.
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Posted - October 12 2021 : 1:32:29 PM
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A very interesting slate of videos, none of which I'd seen.
So many narrow gauge lines were built on the premise that
being half sized, it would be 50% cheaper to operate with
100% of the revenue. The economic reality was that these
custom made one offs cost 150% to make, and transloading
freight from narrow to standard for through freight was
hugely labor intensive and also caused a lot of damage claims.
Additionally, the light rail, frequently laid next to near level
water courses, were plagued by floods and ice flow damage.
Additionally, labor costs were not 50% of standard gauge, and
upkeep was just, if not more, expensive. Lastly, the Class Ones
at the time typically threw every roadblock they could at the
narrow gauge competitors, tying them up in court for years and
years over right of way issues, especially diamond level crossings,
forcing the narrow gauges to transload at great expense and
inconvenience to the shippers. How the EBT turned a nickel, I'd
love to find out.
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Posted - February 20 2023 : 10:37:31 PM
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Steam engine is running again on the East Broad Top.
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Posted - February 20 2023 : 11:00:12 PM
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Another cool internet video.
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Posted - February 21 2023 : 07:30:31 AM
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Do not let the return of steam power blind you to the real news. The new owners are well along in their quest to restore the line to service, and in addition to the traditional tourist run north of Orbisonia, restoration efforts are well underway on the track to the south that hasn't been used since 1956. The plan is to restore service incrementally, to Three Springs, Saltillo and beyond. Restoration is also underway on a second steam locomotive. They have 6 and hope to eventually have them all under steam. 4 new passenger cars have been built that fit right in with the existing ones, one of which is wheelchair accessible (important to me because I have a handicapped wife who loves steam locomotives.)
They have also commissioned a study on what condition the two tunnels are in, and what it would take to restore them to service. It will be nice to ride the long out of service track when it opens.
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Posted - February 21 2023 : 10:39:55 AM
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Great thread. Thanks for the update Jeff.
Randy
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Posted - February 21 2023 : 7:41:58 PM
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I read about the restoration of track south of Orbisonia.
They had run speeder cars for years on a portion of the track.
With more money available they have ambitious plans for expansion of service beyond the 5 miles of operating trackage.
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Posted - February 21 2023 : 7:51:08 PM
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An old internet video from 2009 along a portion of the southern route.
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Posted - February 21 2023 : 8:18:34 PM
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They were offering speeder rides when I visited in 2006, but I didn't take one. In the video you can see the brush was cleared and the track made passable for a speeder car but nothing else. You can see a couple of spots where the ballast had washed away from under the track. These are the places with fresh limestone ballast instead of the cinders used elsewhere. You can also see places where the track had sunk into a mudhole. These soft spots would probably not hold the weight of a train.
Photos I have seen show the right of way stripped of all underbrush, track and ballast. The roadbed will be stabilized and compacted before new ties and rail will be laid in the roadbed and ballasted with fresh limestone. It is a ground up rebuild, and if the line north to Colgate Grove is any indication they will do a good job that will last for many years.
I'll try to find some photos online. Better yet, I plan to take the wifey out to see the railroad in action this year. Last time we visited, before she had her stroke but after it had shut down, we wandered the shop area looking at the locomotives in the roundhouse. Everything was locked up, and nobody was around.
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Posted - February 21 2023 : 8:26:04 PM
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https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/east-broad-top-gets-1-1-million-from-state-for-restoring-track-other-projects/
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Posted - February 23 2023 : 12:15:35 PM
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More internet videos.
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Posted - February 23 2023 : 3:15:12 PM
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They did a great job on the track. This is no longer the meandering 10mph railroad it was under the Kovalchicks. Those trains are MOVING! Wonder if the rest of the line will be rebuilt to 25mph standards?
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Posted - August 14 2023 : 8:50:47 PM
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Looks promising.
From April of this year.
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Posted - August 14 2023 : 8:57:43 PM
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Repairs to the track south of Orbisonia continues.
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Posted - August 14 2023 : 9:03:14 PM
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Posted - August 15 2023 : 10:38:24 PM
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"East Broad Top begins restoring main line south of Orbisonia.
About 8 miles of track closed since 1956 is being renewed.
By Dan Cupper on June 3 2022.
The long awaited restoration of the narrow gauge East Broad Top Railroad’s main line south.
Long dormant for nearly seven decades is under way.
A three-pronged approach involves EBT Foundation.
Also full-time staff and a volunteer track gang led by Gene Tucker of the Friends of the East Broad Top.
Also a crew working for G&H Anderson Excavating a local contractor.
Together they are hacking away at brush, clearing dumped garbage.
Many falling trees repairing or replacing culverts and draining standing pools of water.
Water that has soaked the roadbed since the last regular train left here in 1956.
All of this will lead up to installing fresh ties.
Re spiking much of the existing 85 pound rail.
A large percentage is in good condition.
Ditching the right of way and ballasting and surfacing the track structure.
The first goal is to reopen the eight mile stretch between EBT’s headquarters at Rockhill Furnace and Saltillo.
A former junction with EBT’s Narco Branch that once boasted a station water tank and wye.
Long-range EBT plans to reopen another twelve miles to the end of the line at Robertsdale and Woodvale.
Two company towns in the mountainous mining area that once supplied the semi bituminous loads for coal trains.
This is rugged territory with the line climbing 2.75% grades and traversing a horseshoe curve and two tunnels in need of significant work.
EBTF and the Friends are turning their attention to the more scenic southernmost part of the line.
The line penetrates the former deep mine region.
Looks very promising."
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Posted - August 16 2023 : 06:19:34 AM
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I am going on vacarion next week. I hope to visit the EBT and see how the track restoration is proceeding. I;m sure wifey will enjoy the ride. SHe always loves our trips to the mountains. I've heard they now have a wheelchair accessable coach.
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Posted - August 16 2023 : 06:55:00 AM
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Have fun visiting there. Some track is in use for light equipment.
At Three Springs.
At Robertsdale.
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Posted - July 05 2024 : 7:44:20 PM
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Posted - July 07 2024 : 2:06:49 PM
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These were taken on my vacation last August. I have concentrated on the line being rebuilt so few photos of the train itself. The current plan is to rebuild the line south to Saltillo, the foot of the climb up to Robertsdale, and the site of a wye where they can turn the trains. Beyond that point, there is a sustained grade approaching 3% and two tunnels that will require extensive work to put back in service.
The train awaits departure at Orbisonia.
Leaving Orbisonia for COlgate Grove. Currently, the line is in service 5 miles north of Orbisonia to the grove where there is a wye for turning the train, and picnic tables. You have the option of leaving the train there, and catching a later one back to Orbisonia.
Rebuilding the switch at the south end of the yard. You can see the coaling dock and the rockhill shop complex in the background,
These four photos show the route 475 crossong about a mile south of the yard. Track rebuilding has progressed to this point with the right of way cleared for another couple of miles south. Enough ties have been inserted to keep the rails in guage, and it is suitable for speeders to run on. Later they'll come back and insert and spike the remaining ties. Currently, track has been completed and is operable by trains to here. Rebuilding of the track has been completed another mile south to Jordan Summit, but coordinating with PennDOT over the closure and rebuilding of the road crossing means trains can't yet run beyond this point.
Right of way has had a base level of ballast added up to the Jordan SUmmit bridge, and cleared beyond the bridge. As of this time track has almost reached this point. They've made alot of progress in the past year.
The trestle at Pogue, the largest bridge on the line. Bespite appeareances, engineers have determined it is structurally sound.
These views of the passing siding at Pogue give some idea of the state of the rest of the railroad. SOuth of this point, it disappears into the woods and except for a few places it is very hard to find. This area has since been cleared in preparation for track work.
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Posted - July 07 2024 : 5:55:25 PM
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oh I bet PennDOT would have to install a modern crossing signal on that road too
Another reason I want that fake Galloping Goose #8 
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Posted - September 20 2024 : 6:04:20 PM
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Here is a video showing the progress they have made in the past year on rebuilding the line. Compare these to the photos above that I took last summer, and you can see how much they have done. This was a run on the rebuilt section south of Orbisonia that hadn't seen a train since 1956. This appears to be a run with the M-1 doodlebug backing to the end of track to pick up a flat car.
Microbuss, apparently, Penndot did not make them install a crossing signal on RT 475. They are now less than a mile from the RT 994 crossing, the high school, and the Pogue bridge. 994 is a much busier road than 475, so we'll see if they have to install gates or a signal there. In the meantime, it appears they will flag the crossing
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Posted - September 20 2024 : 7:23:26 PM
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| I love following the progress being made on the EBT. From sold out train rides, to music events, to special trains (It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown), it is fantastic to see a piece of history come to life.
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Posted - September 20 2024 : 8:30:14 PM
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Very nice. Thank you for sharing.
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Posted - September 22 2024 : 8:57:51 PM
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Hopefully she will be on that restored trackage next year.
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Posted - September 24 2024 : 8:29:42 PM
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how far do they want to rebuild the track?
all the way into the last town?
which I forgot 
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Posted - September 24 2024 : 10:42:34 PM
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quote:how far do they want to rebuild the track?
all the way into the last town?
which I forgot
Originally posted by microbusss - September 24 2024 : 8:29:42 PM
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The immediate goal is Saltillo, 9 miles from Orbisonia. Eventually they'd like to rebuuild the entire line, but to get beyond Saltillo they have to rebuild two tunnels, which will cost millions to do. Saltillo was the base of the climb to the Broad TOp coal fields, and had a wye to turn helper engines, so it is a natural first goal for the railroad.
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Posted - September 24 2024 : 11:18:00 PM
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quote:A very interesting slate of videos, none of which I'd seen.
So many narrow gauge lines were built on the premise that
being half sized, it would be 50% cheaper to operate with
100% of the revenue. The economic reality was that these
custom made one offs cost 150% to make, and transloading
freight from narrow to standard for through freight was
hugely labor intensive and also caused a lot of damage claims.
Additionally, the light rail, frequently laid next to near level
water courses, were plagued by floods and ice flow damage.
Additionally, labor costs were not 50% of standard gauge, and
upkeep was just, if not more, expensive. Lastly, the Class Ones
at the time typically threw every roadblock they could at the
narrow gauge competitors, tying them up in court for years and
years over right of way issues, especially diamond level crossings,
forcing the narrow gauges to transload at great expense and
inconvenience to the shippers. How the EBT turned a nickel, I'd
love to find out.
Originally posted by Chops124Â -Â October 12 2021Â :Â 1:32:29 PM
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East Broad Top was built to serve the coal fields on Broad Top Mountain. It came up from the east side hence the name. The west side was served by the standard guage Huntington & Broad Top, which abandoned a few years before the EBT shut down. Coal traffic kept many short lines afloat long after they would have otherwise shut down, and this was especially true in EBT's case. There were narrow guage lines in a couple of the valleys to the east, and they were gone before ww2.
Coal traffic also minimized the issue of transfer to standard guage cars. In the old days, coal had to be moved to a prep plant, where it was cleaned and sorted by size. Thuus, it had to be unloaded and reloaded into other cars anyway. EBT's prep plant was in Mount Union, where it connected with the Pennsylvania RR. Another commodity hauled was gannister rock, used in making the firebrick that lined steel and glass furnaces. There was a firebrick plant in Mount Union, so the gannister rock was unloaded there as well. What little general freight there was usually was hauled in standard guage freight cars, and EBT had a crane in Mount Union that would lift one end of the car up at a time to the trucks could be swapped out for ones of the appropriate guage. Thus the only freight hauled in narrow guage cars would have been unloaded in mMount Union regardless of the guage of the railroad.
This made the EBT rather unique in that respect, and it minimized the effect of the guage change on the railroad's profitability.
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Posted - October 12 2024 : 3:14:42 PM
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Posted - October 12 2024 : 3:16:45 PM
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Posted - October 12 2024 : 3:20:27 PM
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Posted - October 12 2024 : 3:46:25 PM
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| What a ride!
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Posted - October 12 2024 : 4:02:39 PM
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well I saw a vid as they can now cross a highway yay 
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Posted - October 13 2024 : 4:16:02 PM
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quote:What a ride!
Originally posted by Chops124Â -Â October 12 2024Â :Â 3:46:25 PM
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The best is yet to come. They should reach Pogue trestle sometime next year, and on the other side is a passing track where they can run around the train. After that, Saltillo where there is a wye to turn the trains, and eventually up the mountain to RObertsdale through two tunnels.
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