It has come to my attention that I want to know if anyone is still aware of the East Broad Top in Pennsylvania. It has been nearly seven years since it last ran and it might have seen forgotten. I have not forgotten it and neither should we. We need awareness again and help this famous eastern narrow gauge railroad to get back on its feet. Anyone got any ideas?

Thanks

Alec

Trust me, it's not forgotten. The search function pulls up the following four topics from 2018:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=41888

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=41197

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=42281

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=42577

And those are just topics specific to EBT - there are plenty of other EBT-related posts within the last year-plus.

Sure, write a multi-million dollar check to the current owner, backed up be a many multi-million dollar bank account to return even a portion of the line to good condition. Simple eh?

Short of that, I don't hold out much hope for the EBT still physically existing in another five to ten years. I hope I am wrong.

Does Kovalchick pay real estate taxes for this property? Transferring ownership to a non profit might be helpful. Unless they are set on monetizing the entire thing for all it's worth. Is that the reason it may not exist in a few years?

Friends of the East Broad Top regularly hold work weekends at the Rockhill shops restoring buildings and rolling stock. This has been going on since the shutdown.
The Orbisonia station is in fine shape. Thanks to FEBT the shop buildings have received much needed attention and as a result nothing is in danger of collapsing. Up on the mountain, the Robertsdale station is restored, and the old post office is to be used as a museum. All equipment of value, engines, passenger cars, restored freight equipment, speeders, the gas electric, all are stored inside under roof.
There are far too many photo essays out there showing only the abandoned rotting segments of the EBT, like trees growing through the rusted hoppers in Mt Union. Yes, some areas are in danger of being redeveloped, but the sites mentioned seem to be OK for now. As almost everyone has determined, all it will take is a gigantic check and the RR is back in business. BTW, don't expect a penny from the state, they don't have money for anything in spite of our high taxes.

brian b

My extremely limited understanding is that the owner wants an unreasonably large amount of money for the line.

How did Steam into History get going? They managed to fix the track up and have a steam locomotive built from scratch. Wasn't cheap.... So finding the money is certainly possible.

Is the goal of the friends to eventually purchase and operate the EBT? Perhaps working with them to create a fundraising campaign would be a good start.

A few years back I recall hearing something about the Mount Union Connecting Railroad and the purchase of around four miles of track for car storage and prospective industrial operations. I don't know how successful that venture has been as of late, but the end goal was to piece by piece buy the entire railroad.

NRHS news blurb from 2013, the numbers have likely changed since then:

http://www.nrhs.com/news/east-broad-top ... bisonia-pa

Are the "East Broad Top Preservation Association" and the "Friends of the East Broad Top" the same group?

The Mt Union Connecting never seemed to get off the ground. They cut trees, relaid the some standard gauge tracks, and played around with an oddball two axle Plymouth engine that they never got running. I don't know if it's the owner, or that no potential customers located there needing rail service. I won't mention the owner because he has received tons of criticism from day one, and I don't have enough facts to pass judgement. Lets just say whatever was supposed to happen regarding Mt Union didn't.
FEBT is mainly concerned with keeping what remains of the EBT from falling down. There are no plans to buy the railroad, unless its some very well kept secret. Along with buying the EBT, Kovalchik wants to include a lot of old mining property all over the mountain, making a high asking price even higher.
I hold out hope for the EBT, but no knight in shining armour seems to be coming forward. Its possible in twenty years all that will be left are the Rockhill facilities and the Robertsdale staion. Most everything in between is gone or in bad shape. Bridges along the r-o-w are in no shape to support a locomotive, even if by some miracle the line could be re opened. Lots of the line is reduced to two rusty rails laying on the ground, waiting to be cut up and stolen. The only real hope is the part between Rockhill and Mt Union, and even that is seemingly an impossible dream.

brian b

It was a very difficult decision on my part, but a few years ago and dropped my membership in the FEBT. I love the work that they do, but I felt that my donations were going nowhere at this point in time. I have since increased my donations to the WW&F and the BR&W. On those lines, I can see my donations being used to further the cause. When you do not own the property, the owner can have a change of heart and do whatever he wants. We are very fortunate that the EBT lasted as long as it has. My parents took my brother and I there in the early 1960's when they opened in the early 1960's. My brother still has an Armspear switch lamp that my Dad purchased in the station for $7.50 when they used to sell artifacts. I wish now that I had gone back out there more times than I did, but hindsight is always great.

Agreed, the FEBT does fine work, but other than what is in Robertsdale, they don't own any of the EBT (unless they know something that I don't), and the owner is free to literally liquidate (at the tip of a cutting torch) the entire property at a time of his choosing. I hope not, but that is what I am concerned about.

If FEBT did nothing, and allowed the buildings to become decrepit and deteriorated, would almost certainly bring out the cutting torches, cheered on by the locals who don't want dangerous buildings in their neighborhood and for the most part have no love for Kovalchiks. See Saltillo station for an example.
If the buildings and equipment are maintained and kept up they have greater value than rotting hulks with condemned notices on them. FEBT isn't dumb, they are all well aware of the situation, and to their credit do the work as a labor of love.
Pennsylvania once had over 400 miles of narrow gauge track. Today, except for the EBT, surviving narrow gauge buildings and equipment can be counted on one hand, almost. Kovalchiks dad loved his big train set, lets hope out of respect, his son and grandson do the right thing, even after exhausting all other possibilities. (paraphrasing Churchill).

brian b

BTW, while it might make no difference regarding the EBT situation, the Kovalchick web site is interesting and, in places, amusing.

For example:

Railroad Crossings and Lights

Stop by our Indiana PA yard on Wayne Avenue and you can purchase authentic Railroad Lights and Crossings

These would look pretty nice in your yard, or confuse your neighbors by putting them up along your street.

Have fun with your HOA by not getting permission to put them up (don't really do that, we don't want you to get into any trouble).

https://kovalchickcorp.com

The Friends of the East Broad Top, a 501c3 nonprofit, is actively working to preserve all aspects of the railroad in one form or another. The East Broad Top is anything but forgotten.

The FEBT is, as noted by several of you, actively working in Rockhill Furnace to restore and maintain buildings and equipment. We have a dedicated group of regular volunteers that consistently do great work. More volunteers are always welcome.

The FEBT does own the Station and former Post Office in Robertsdale that we continue to maintain and restore. We also own two EBT passenger cars, 18 & 29, which are currently stored in Rockhill Furnace.

The FEBT mission to preserve the East Broad Top has not changed. However, the leadership of the FEBT is exploring how our role may shift in order to best continue that mission. The current Board is a fine mix of sage wisdom and youthful energy and are poised to tackle what lays ahead.

While big picture strategy is evolving we are working to improve our communications, both internal and external. This starts with revamping our online presence. Our website is being completely revamped. We are engaging via Facebook and Twitter. Lastly, I am hoping to be more active in such forums such as this. I was hoping to respond to this thread sooner but technical challenges and some professional demands prohibited that.

To be clear, the FEBT and the East Broad Top Railroad Preservation Association are not in any way affiliated. The two organizations have similar root missions but are different in approach and composition.

In short, I see it as our task to prove Kelly wrong (in only this one case, Kelly has an indisputable track record otherwise). The East Broad Top will live on and the Friends will continue to be a key part of the equation. Expect to see much more from the FEBT. Please join/rejoin, contribute, volunteer, and even offer wisdom.

Andy V