EBT No. 15 Next up for Restoration

Pennsylvania tourist railroad East Broad Top said the next steam locomotive that is expected to be restored to operating condition will be 2-8-2 No. 15.

The locomotive last ran in 2011. It was built in 1914.

In February the EBT operated 2-8-2 No. 16 following the completion of its restoration.

No timeline for the restoration of No. 15 has been announced, but officials hope restoration work can begin this year.

EBT has six 2-8-2 steam locomotives and it hopes to eventually restore all of them to operating condition.

Scenes From the EBT Winter Spectacular

There may not have been any snow on the ground to indicate that it was still winter, but the Winter Specular at the East Broad Top Railroad in Pennsylvania was, in a word, spectacular. Scores of traveled to the historic narrow gauge railroad to witness and photograph the triumphant return of steam to EBT rails. Here are some of the many scenes from the event.

Photographs by Todd Dillon

Daybreak Tour on the EBT

Sunday morning at the East Broad Top Railroad Winter Spectacular was an early start, arriving at Rockhill Furnace at 5:30 a.m.  We were part of a limited group called the hostler tour.

This would give us access to the EBT crew doing early morning maintenance and getting ready for the day’s runs.

Of course this made for some excellent photo opportunities as well.  Here’s a few.

Photographs by Todd Dillon

More from EBT Winter Spectacular

Here are some more highlights from the Winter Spectacular on the East Broad Top Railroad starting at 8 a.m. with a photo freight and then at 10 a.m. with a passenger train evert two hours after until the last trip at 4 p.m. was pulled by East Broad Top No. 16.  The alternating hours starting at 11 a.m. were run by the M-1 a Brill doodlebug. The photos shown here were made on Saturday.

The top image shows the train Rockhill Furnace just after 8 a.m. The next two images are returning at Runk Road. The last two photographs were made of the passenger at an overhead bridge.

Photographs by Todd Dillon

Sunday Morning at the EBT Winter Spectacular

This past weekend the East Broad Top had its Winter Spectacular. The star of the show was EBT No. 16, a Baldwin 2-8-2, which has not seen service since 1956.

Thousands of people flocked to Rockhill Furnace over the weekend and I got many good photos including a special access hostler’s tour on Sunday morning.

Here are a few pics from Sunday morning with more to come.

Article and Photographs by Todd Dillon

EBT Memories

I’ve been trying to recall all my visits to the East Broad Top Railroad.

It all started with the first time my Dad took me in the 1960s. I don’t have any photographs, but I do remember the 2-8-2 running that day was No. 14.

My next visit was a 1980 long weekend that I took with my Mom and little sisters. I do have photos of that trip with 2-8-2 No. 15.

From 1987 to 2011, I attended seven Fall Spectaculars that during six of them had four 2-8-2s operating (Nos. 12, 14, 15 and 17). 

The only year they had an engineer for an hour program, I did that with my brother-in-law Karl, running No. 15.

With the return of 2-8-2 No. 16, I again am hoping for a visit this year. The photos above are from Oct. 8, 1995.

The top photo shows No. 17 on the turntable with No. 16 slumbering inside the roundhouse. Maybe this year I could get the locomotives in switched positions.

The bottom photo shows No. 17 viewed through the barn standing near Runk Road. I thought the barn was gone since then, but have seen photos posted from this weekend with No. 16 and the barn.

Article and Photographs by Edward Ribinskas

EBT Steamer Has Shake Down Run

East Broad Railroad operated 2-8-2 No. 16 on Thursday in preparation for an upcoming event.

Trains magazine reported on its website that the Mikado steam locomotive built in 1916 by Baldwin operated for the first time since 1956.

At the throttle was Master Mechanic Dave Domitrovich while Nevin Byers was the fireman.

No. 16 will pull most of the excursions that will operate during the Winter Spectacular on Feb. 18-19.

Tickets for the Feb. 18 trips behind No. 16 are reported to be sold out while tickets for the Feb. 19 trips are selling quickly. Some trips will be powered by a Brill gas-electric car.

EBT No. 16 Ready for Revenue Service Runs

East Broad Top Railroad said last week that it will operate 2-8-2 No. 16 during its Winter Spectacular later this month.

No. 16 is the first EBT steam locomotive to be restored to operating condition.

EBT posted on its Facebook page a video of the Baldwin-built steamer moving under its own power on Feb. 1.

A news release from EBT said No. 16 “will play a key role” in the Feb. 18-19 Winter Spectacular event, including providing steam power on all previously scheduled excursions.

Since the EBT Foundation acquired the former EBT in 2020 excursion trains have featured a gasoline-electric car.

No. 16 last operated in 1956 and was built in 1916. It is expected to handle most EBT excursions this year.

Steam Sunday: One Day on the EBT

The East Broad Top has been my favorite narrow-gauge railroad since 1962 when my parents took me there after we visited Washington. Fast forward 20 years to May 1, 1982. Jim Bacon, Paul Woodring, and I visited the EBT, and it was then that I took this photo of EBT 12 heading back to Orbisonia, Pennsylvania. How blessed we are that soon steam is supposed to return to the recently reopened EBT.

Article and Photograph by Robert Farkas

EBT Restoration Work Continues to Progress

Officials of the historic East Broad Top narrow gauge tourist railroad in Pennsylvania said track repair and restoration of shop facilities continues at a rapid pace.

Track work has involved replacing thousands of crossties while the shops in Orbisonia have been stabilized.

EBT has purchased a standard-gauge tamper that it converted to narrow gauge use.

Excursion trains are currently operating over 2.5 miles of track between Orbisonia and Runk Road fill.

Work on the Orbisonia shops has included restoring line shafts in the main building and stopping the structure from sinking further into the ground.

Officials said the shops were built over a marsh and in some places structures had sunk as many as 3 feet.

Every building in the complex has been restored to a level footing.

On Sept. 16, EBT held a golden spike ceremony to mark the first time since 2011 that a train has operated to the Colgate Grove picnic area where trains have traditionally been turned.

EBT hopes to be able to resume regular excursions to Colgate Grove by late this year.

No date has been announced yet when steam operations will return to the EBT although shop forces continue to work to restore the railroad’s fleet of five steam engines.

The first steamer expected to return to operation will be 2-8-2 No. 16, which last steamed in 1956 and never operated during the tourist era.