Kitbashing EBT's Third #6

When the East Broad Top ceased operatons in 1956, its locomotives were put in storage at the Rockhill shops -- all but two, that is. Two standard gauge 0-6-0 Baldwins remained at Mount Union, stored in the two stall engine house.  The standard gauge engines were used in the dual gauge yards to shift both EBT 3 foot gauge hopper cars and PRR standard gauge hoppers.  Coal was transferred from the narrow gauge hoppers to a coal cleaning and sorting facility, then deposited in the Pennsy hoppers for shipment.  Each of the two switchers was the third to carry that number.  Third number 3, purchased from Baldwin in March of 1923, still sits in the engine house, stored inoperable.  Third number 6, built by Baldwin in 1907 (c.n. 30046) was sold in 1975 to the Whitewater Valley Railroad, a museum line in Indiana.  Number 6 served tourist operations for a number of years, and is currently stored inoperable.

In an earlier post I described how I modified a Mantua 0-6-0 to resemble EBT #3.  Number 3 was a thoroughly modern locomotive for the time, with 21x26 cylinders, 175 pounds of boiler pressure, and a tractive effort of 33,500 pounds.  Number 6, on the other hand, was built in 1907 and had a design that was very much pre-1900.  It has been speculated that the engine was built for stock by Baldwin, and the EBT, shopping for a readily available engine, took what was on the lot.  The following is a photo taken soon after #6 was placed in service.  Note that she had a long link indicating that the narrow gauge was still using link and pin couplers.

Number 6 had a long narrow boiler, a single air pump, and a wooden cab.  At 84,200 pounds over the drivers, she was considerably out-weighed by #3, which weighed 137,000 pounds.  Number 6 had 48 inch drivers, 17x24 cylinders, and only 160 pounds of boiler pressure.  It comes as no surprise, therefore, that for most of its life, #6 was stored as a back-up for #3, emerging for a couple of weeks in the summer when #3 was down for repairs and maintenance.  Here is a photo from the 1950's with Number 6 posed at the Mount Union water tank.

Below is a photo from the same era with #6 working the yard one summer while #3 was in the shop.  This is the side that one would see on my layout.  Since there was no dual gauge wye to turn standard gauge locomotives, both #3 and #6 always faced the same way, toward the engine house.

Then several years ago, I ran across an article that first appeared in the December 1990 Railroad Model Craftsman magazine: Modeling EBT N0. 6 by Dean Mellander.  The author started with the MDC Roundhouse 0-6-0 kit, patterned after a Southern Pacific prototype.  The model had the correct size drivers, and the wheelbase was less than a foot too long.  I filed the article away and more or less forgot about the project ... until the 2014 NMRA North East Region Convention in Palmer, Mass.  While shopping for bargains at the dealer tables, I came across the very same MDC kit.  I also picked up an upgrade for the engine that included a new frame and a can motor!  That led to the decision to build and kitbash EBT #6 as part of the requirements for the AP certificate in motive power.

In the next installment of this series, I will explain how I modified the Roundhouse 0-6-0 to create a working model of EBT #6.  The project required extensive modifications of the boiler and cab.  I also had to find a way to mount both standard and narrow gauge couplers on the engine and tender, as found on the prototype.