East Broad Top breaks ground on new Saltillo station.

NJDixon · **Joined:** Mon Dec 06, 2021 4:36 pm **Posts:** 312

From the Friends of the East Broad Top page on Facebook on April 5th:

Quote:

After three years of planning and fundraising, the Friends of the East Broad Top and the EBT Foundation broke ground April 5 for a new East Broad Top Railroad station in Saltillo, Pa., the current goal of track-reopening efforts by the two organizations. Once complete, the new structure will look almost identical to the original Saltillo station, which was constructed in 1892 and demolished in 2004 after nearly 50 years of disuse.
Before it was razed, volunteers from the Friends took detailed measurements and removed a number of interior details, including the ticket window. A preservation architect and FEBT member, John Bowie, then made a series of drawings for the Library of Congress’s Historic American Engineering Record.
Bowie returned to draw up plans for the new station, which will meet current building-code and accessibility requirements while matching the dimensions and appearance of the original. It will also be in the same location, at the intersection of Railroad Street and Route 655.
The contractor for the new station is Jeff Swope of J.L. Swope Construction. His crews will complete the station’s exterior and make the building weathertight, after which FEBT volunteers will complete the interior. G&H Anderson Excavating has done initial clearing and grading work at the site.
The Friends work closely with the EBT Foundation, Inc., which acquired the railroad in 2020. Since then, membership in the Friends has ballooned to over 2,200, and the organization has achieved one fundraising success after another. The current year’s fundraising campaign, announced in October 2024, has already raised over $300,000 — $30,000 above its goal — with six months left to go.

co614 · **Posted:** Fri Apr 11, 2025 3:07 pm

Hearty congratulations on achieving another important milestone. I would like to encourage my fellow steam lovers to join the Friends of the EBT ( www.febt.org) and be a part of this nationally significant project.

Onwards & Upwards. Ross Rowland

PMC · **Joined:** Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:55 pm **Posts:** 2610

I'm glad they are calling it a "new station" and not a "replica", as I had seen previously. Stations are replaced periodically due to burning down, hit by a derailment etc, but their replacements are new stations, not replicas.

PAsteve3 · **Joined:** Wed Mar 30, 2022 12:30 pm **Posts:** 1

While I believe your point is well taken, I would hope that there would be room for such a structure to be known also as a replica, for by doing so one is respecting the history of the former building upon which the new design is based. Simply describing it as a new build could imply that it might be of a totally-different design.

So rather than either/or, I would cast my ballot for a both/and.

o anderson · **Posted:** Tue Apr 15, 2025 10:13 pm

Very Nice Video on the groundbreaking is found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiTv8cXkifc

I learned the local government representative pronunciation of the town is SAL-tillah...I think. Different from any railfan or historian I know.

co614 · **Posted:** Wed Apr 16, 2025 12:22 pm

Well done video, very worthy of your 5 minutes. Way to go EBT !!! Ross Rowland

Dave_J · **Joined:** Fri Jul 13, 2012 8:52 pm **Posts:** 9

They are making good progress. The foundation walls have been poured.

The_Pine29 · **Joined:** Thu Apr 15, 2021 8:55 am **Posts:** 27

On a Separate Thought

Does anyone have any insight to whether 16 is going to be operational opening Weekend on May 2nd?

The Schedule on the Website says "Diesel", Does this mean M-7 or 19?

Thanks

EBTRRM1 · **Joined:** Fri Mar 01, 2013 11:34 pm **Posts:** 33

I would think "Diesel" means Diesel.

The_Pine29 · **Joined:** Thu Apr 15, 2021 8:55 am **Posts:** 27

Yes, Obviously, Diesel!

M-7 is a Diesel

19 is a Diesel

NJDixon · **Joined:** Mon Dec 06, 2021 4:36 pm **Posts:** 312

The_Pine29 wrote:

On a Separate Thought

Does anyone have any insight to whether 16 is going to be operational opening Weekend on May 2nd?

The Schedule on the Website says "Diesel", Does this mean M-7 or 19?

Thanks

Originally it was to be 19, but it suffered a mechanical failure. So it'll be the M-7. Rough week for tourist/heritage rail.

PMC · **Joined:** Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:55 pm **Posts:** 2610

NJDixon wrote:

Rough week for tourist/heritage rail.

WMSR just announced that 1309 won't be operating this weekend (hopefully next weekend they say).

NJDixon · **Joined:** Mon Dec 06, 2021 4:36 pm **Posts:** 312

PMC wrote:

NJDixon wrote:

Rough week for tourist/heritage rail.

WMSR just announced that 1309 won't be operating this weekend (hopefully next weekend they say).

In addition to Woodstown Central 9 developing a drive axle bearing issue that kicked it out of service, and Frisco 1630 developing an issue that prompted IRM to take it out of service and begin the 1472 early

Ed Kapuscinski · **Posted:** Fri May 02, 2025 9:24 pm

Kinda reminds you exactly why railroads replaced them with diesels, lol.

East Broad Top breaks ground on new Saltillo station.

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