So.... who owned the cars? Also, did the EBTPA request their removal?

Why do I have the nagging suspicion they want the property cleared so it can be sold for redevelopment? This happened at the Butte Anaconda & Pacific shops when the company was taken over by Patriot Rail--everything is (except the roundhouse, and maybe the carshop) has been razed and cleared off, with the property being sold off, in part, to the county for a senior center.

Michael Seitz
Missoula MT

Man, if they want the yard removed for re-development, all the EBT preservation communities must protest. I want to see EBT operations expand to Mt. Union, not to see the place scrapped. And I'll bet half the cars could have been saved for photo freight use. You know Joe had the money to expand the operations to Mt. Union until the RR museum of PA decided not to settle there. If they are going to remove the Mt. Union yard and the cars, this is a travesty that must be protested. How many EBT preservation/restoration communities are there anyway, besides the FEBT of course?

Bob

Is it just me, or does something just not smell right in Denmark...?

http://news.psu.edu/story/200274/2006/1 ... ate-fellow

http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/conte ... ml?nav=742

http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/conte ... ml?nav=725

Not sure I understand the revelence of the articles you linked, all are at least 5 years old. Anything NEW on Mr. Salone?

I got to protest this removal of the Mt. Union yard and all the EBT preservation communities should do the same. If the RR museum of PA had settled there, this would NEVER have happened. Instead the RR museum and the EBT would be running things in Mt. Union simultaneously. Who do I protest this razing of the Mt. Union yard to? And how many EBT preservation communities are there that could do the same? I don't think things "are right in Denmark."

Bob

So incredibly sad that after all these years the final result is that the fabric of EBT is still - and suddenly - being scrapped.

I guess no one of means cares.... Or someone who claims to care, really has ulterior motives. It would seem the purchase of the Mount Union yard brought forward the demise of a sizable portion of the EBT. With "Friends" like that, who needs enemies?

Mount Union yard will simply fade from existence and become a memory like Dick Jensen's steam engines.

From this: EBT's Mount Union Yard


to this.... EBT's Robertsdale Yard


and I suppose eventually into a Walmart.

/Mitch

> yet the cars are not owned by the preservation society.

From what has been published on line, the rail and buildings were not included. The cars appear to be fair game. If that is correct, then this was a brilliant deal. This section of the EBT is now in different hands and free and clear. Its a deal that any number of us probably could have pulled off, but it was Salone who did it. Like it or not, his group now owns it. The idea that the rail and buildings are still owned by the EBT would seem to indicate that income from a potential operation on the rails would go back to the EBT. Again, a potential brilliant move by all the parties involved. Why didn't any of us think of this?

J.R. May

Maybe because the sale of the land WITHOUT the cars or buildings meant an end to their very existence.

The cars were put up for sale by EBT, not Salone nor the preservation society. The land purchase just seems to have put the a sizable portion of what was left of the EBT in harms way.

/Mitch

I have received backchannel communications from two separate trustworthy individuals in central Pennsylvania indicating that the supposed plans for the property being cleared involve a freight-car-repair/rehabilitation facility. Take this as rumor until confirmed.

Not like there aren't quite a few of those scattered about central Pennsylvania already......

I have heard second-hand that Mr. Salone plans to open a railcar repair facility in Mount Union. That would explain the need to clear the area of derelict equipment and trees. Besides, the equipment remains the property of Kovalchick Salvage and they can do with it what they will. I presume the workers from Valenti are sub-contracted by Kovalchick to do the actual cutting.

And to those weeping and gnashing their teeth over all this, I would point out that this equipment has been for sale for over 50 years. As a matter of fact, about two dozen EBT hoppers, plus other cars, have been purchased over the years by White Pass & Yukon, Cumbres & Toltec, Tweetsie and others. The Friends of the EBt were invited by Mr. Kovalchick to select some items for preservation, so instead of boo-hooing about the loss of these cars, why not send a donation to the Friends to help with the restoration, or better yet, park your keyboards and become volunteers.

Here's some clarification...

The EBTPA is not scrapping the cars. Kovalchick Corp. sold them to another scrap operation.

The EBTPA has the mortgage on the LAND ONLY. The sale of the yard did not include buildings, rail, nor rolling stock.

Kovalchick Corp. still retains ownership over the buildings, rail, and rolling stock. They can do whatever they want with it. Well, too late. They already sold them.

Well the truth is the EBTPA not only purchased the property they got the buildings, the rail, and some of the rolling stock . If you look you will see hoppers marked with a PA that are staying and also two bay hoppers were purchased by FEBT that they will restore .

The QuitClaim Deed dated July 18, 2013, available at the Huntingdon County Courthouse, for the Mount Union yard says otherwise. Specifically, on the bottom of its page 7, the QuitClaim Deed says:

Chapter Two:



More at the Newswire at Trains.com (subscribers only).

I don't think the rail line is going anywhere or being abandoned, it will be around a long time.