It has been two years since the last fall Reunion of the Friends of the EBT. I was anxious to see what changes might have occurred since the EBT Foundation took over management of the railroad in February 2021. So early in October I drove the 500 miles from Cape Cod to the twin boroughs of Orbisonia and Rockhill, Pennsylvania. I made arrangements to stay at Pogue Station, an old farmhouse about two miles south of Orbisonia used as a general store, post office, and flag stop for the EBT. From my bedroom window I could see the EBT tracks. It has been 65 years since a train ran there, but that may soon change!
Annual reunions traditionally started on Friday evening in the elementary school across from Orbisonia Station, and lasted through Saturday. But there was a whiff of change in the air this year. The reunion was scheduled to start Friday morning in Robertsdale, some 20 miles south of Orbisonia. There visitors could see the new FEBT museum located in the old Robertsdale post office across the tracks from the depot. The depot now has a new red standing seam roof, installed this summer thanks to contributions from the FEBT.
Several steel hopper cars have been moved to tracks near the station, where they were once weighed before the trip north to Mount Union and the junction with the Pennsylvania Railroad. Hand car rides were offered all weekend long on a restored section of track. (Those things are harder to pump than you think!) Here is a photo of me standing on the handcar.
Before leaving on our tour, we had a surprise visit from Henry Posner, the Chairman of the Board of the EBT Foundation, who praised the FEBT for their faithful work over many years when the future seemed bleak. Posner told the crowd that other members of the Board were on site for the weekend, and that all of them saw the FEBT as a valuable partner in rebuilding the railroad. In candid remarks, Posner hinted that plans are in place to reopen the track south of Rockhill, with a long range goal of restoring operations from Orbisonia all the way to Robertsdale. The Foundation is conferring with bridge and tunnel engineers about the status of the 210-foot-long steel deck trestle over Aughwick Creek, and the two long tunnels at Cooks and Sideling Hill. Two of the six steam engines that have been stored in the roundhouse at Rockhill are currently being restored, with steam operations planned to resume shortly.
On Saturday activities moved to Rockhill, where we were astonished by newly ballasted track and ties! Together with the FEBT, the railroad is working to upgrade track and switches that have suffered from ten years of neglect after tourist operations shut down in 2011.
The elementary school gymnasium across from the depot was the site for registrations, contests, clinics and the FEBT Company Store. Ron Pearson and Ric Case brought a six foot long diorama of Mine #9 in exquisite detail. No one was surprised when the mine scene won first place for structures!
That afternoon we heard a powerful presentation by the new EBT Archivist Julie Rockwell, hired by the Foundation to sort through 150 years of documents, maps, operating orders, reports, survey instruments and ephemera that had been stored on the second floor of the station, in the basement, in the old farm house used for the yardmaster’s office, and a raft of other cubbyholes. Long range plans include digitizing much of this material to make it available for historical research. There are literally thousands of documents to sort through, an unparalleled treasure of industrial archaeology stretching back over a century and a half.
Although no steam engines were operating this year, there were plenty of other opportunities to ride the rails. Single cylinder “pop pop” track cars ran continuously to the south end of the yard and back, a distance of over a mile.
For those looking for something more historic, the M-1 gas electric motor car was running as well. The M-1 was constructed by the railroad in 1927 with plans and parts from Westinghouse and Brill. It was, in effect, a kit-built car designed to carry mail and a few passengers when it was too expensive to fire up a steam engine. I was lucky enough to get a seat on a rare night trip. What a treat! As the M-1 backed down the wye, there was a sudden thump-thump from below and the train stopped dead. The conductor stepped down with his lantern and inspected the trucks, then assured the engineer we were still on the rails. A good thing, since no one was looking forward to walking back in the dark! But soon the M-1 was humming south again, arriving safely at the Rockhill Trolley Museum.
I should add that Orbisonia is not only home to the East Broad Top Railroad, but also to the trolley museum. A variety of historic trolleys and light rail vehicles ran all day Saturday and Sunday. Returning EBT trains used a short section of dual gauge track to drop off passengers at the museum. The Foundation is looking for ways to keep visitors interested and on site for more than a quick train ride. Stopping at the trolley museum is designed to attract visitors to extend their stay. Another attraction is the newly restored shop complex, which guests are welcome to visit. The railroad has found that with the combination of trains, trolleys and the shops, guests are now staying an average of four hours.
And speaking of the shops, special tours led by EBT General Manager Brad Esposito were offered both Saturday and Sunday. Additional tours of the FEBT’s restoration work were also offered. On Sunday there were activities all day at both Rockhill and Robertsdale, making the reunion a three day event! I opted for the Sunday shop tour. The tour began in the 8 stall roundhouse, which has been recently upgraded with a new fire suppression system and better lighting. Fire suppression has been extended to the shops and several other buildings. Esposito explained that two of the six Baldwins were in relatively good condition for refitting and restoration: Number 14 and number 16. Locomotive 16 was in the best condition, having just been shopped before the railroad shut down in 1956. One of three heavyweight engines, it weighs around 80 tons – not what you would expect from a narrow gauge locomotive!
After exploring the roundhouse we walked over to the locomotive and machine shops, originally built in the late 19th century and upgraded in the 1920s. The massive presses, lathes, punches and other historic machines were powered by an overhead system of pulleys and leather belts, all driven by a large single stroke steam engine in the powerhouse. Steam was generated by two large coal fired boilers, no longer in use. But several years ago, members of the FEBT had cleaned and restored the one cylinder engine to run on compressed air. The engine now runs quietly and smoothly, just as it did in the days of steam.
The new owners of the railroad brought in outside specialists to stabilize and level the trusses and shafts in the ceiling, so that the entire antique belt driven system now runs as it did a century ago. It was incredible to see the steam engine quietly hissing, the governor spinning and the flywheel turning as it did when the shops were operating. Several machines are now able to operate using the overhead belts for power. We watched a large planer smoothly move back and forth more quietly than I had expected. I always assumed that the belt system must have been incredibly noisy, but it is not! Management is gradually restoring many of these magnificent machines to use in repairing and servicing the locomotives and rolling stock. The goal is to restore the EBT to it was so many years ago.
The 9 hour ride back to Cape Cod that Monday left me with plenty of time to reflect on the changes taking place on the East Broad Top Railroad. Narrow gauge enthusiasts are familiar with railroads like the Durango and Silverton or the Cumbres and Toltec. But there is no other narrow gauge road anywhere that has survived intact from end to end like the EBT. The entire railroad – the right of way, the structures, the locomotives, the rolling stock and the shops – have by a historical fluke survived just as they were on that April day in 1956, when the shop crew went home and never came back! That the railroad has survived is a miracle. And together the EBT Foundation and the Friends of the EBT are working to ensure that the railroad will be around for a long time yet to come.
