May I add that all three of them have respect for safety, know what they’re doing around steam and know what will be needed for safe operations?

Even the long-ago crew who May have been dangerous listened to the advice actual steam experts gave them, changed their practices and operated safely. That was then, this is now.

In the case of Gettysburg, the staff refused to listen when at least two visits from real steam experts warned them that they were unsafe. (There May have been more, but I know of two sets of reputable mechanics who were ignored, if not mocked.)

Hi All
It is great to see, that the railroad is in new hands, the new owners will bring in fresh capital and ideas to get the railroad up back and running again. I am a life member of the Friends of the EBT.
In reading the posts, in which they are a lot of great suggestions, on what should be done first, etc, etc. But there was one post that hit the nail on the head.
Where the railroad is located, as we all know is in the middle of nowhere, it is off the beaten path.
A suggestion would be once the Railroad is back up and running maybe the new owners should get in contact with some bus tours, senior centers that go on one-day bus trips. These trips would bring in money, and add revenue to the Railroad. For example this coming October I am going on a senior center bus trip to Vermont, our last stop on the trip will be a ride on the Green Mountain RR after we visit Grafton, and Brattleboro, VT.
All I can say is good luck to the new owners, Pat.

Speaking of branches, half of the wye near Shirleysburg is a short branch to a clay pit.
About 1960, the EBT ran the Brill motor car as far as the high school in Pogue to retain the trackage rights through the new driveways in the school's front lawn.

I had actually heard that the trip with M-1 went all the way to Saltillo, and not just in front of the high school and back. The bridge at Pogue needs a lot of work from at least the piers and decking in order to get a trip like that to happen again. Not to mention other things.

Thanks. I was just curious, as google shows part of the line north of Shirleysburg as "T396".

However, I believe this deal seems to be the best possible outcome which many of us may have hoped for but not so many believed it to be possible any more.

Many thanks to all who have skin in the game!

Mike

Township Road 396, Pump Station Road, is one of those instances that put the "lie" to "the track is all there" claims

As near as I have been able to tell, if the line is ever reactivated, they'd probably have to relocate this road, or realign the track to the side (and there's been some erosion from the creek, as I recall).

There are stretches around that area where the rails can be found only with the help of logging trucks, chainsaws, and metal detectors. we get lulled into complacency by those 500-foot stretches along US 522 still kept mowed and manicured like some landscaping project. Those of us who know the wooded stretches from firsthand observation truly understand that no matter which way any would-be line "reactivators" push from Orbisonia/Rockhill, they have a massive challenge before them, and we have to keep any expectations in check with sobering doses of reality--something Posner, Levin and Moorman have emphasized for the past couple days to those willing to listen beyond the headlines.

Not negating your comment about doses of reality, but, as far as I am aware, unless something has drastically changed, that road has been there since the late 1950's, next to but above the ROW, which sits lower to the west side of the road..eventually, they criss-cross before each take their own direction. It's been that way since I was a kid visiting family in the area in the 1980's and went scouting the area with my Dad on several occasions up through the early 2000's.

The Reality of almost 4 miles of ROW still being owned by another company/organization leaves Mt Union out of the picture for now anyway. Its only 3 1/4 miles to the Aughwick Bridge from the Grove.

So there’s finally an update on #3. According to a comment on this post in the EBT Facebook group, #3 was sold to a group called “Mount Union Industrial RR”. Kurt Bell, who was the one who made the statement, also said #3 wasn’t going anywhere, but also said #3 probably wasn’t going to operate (as expected). You can view the link if you want, it’s a few pictures of the Mount Union Yard, but I didn’t leave out any information, so there’s no need to click it cause all the info is here. The comment is below the 2nd picture of #3 (the tender picture) in the engine house.

https://m.facebook.com/robert.willhite. ... dp=1&mdf=1

Without Kurt himself replying on here, which could happen, it sounds like he may have messed up/butchered the name of the standard gauge railroad attempting to operate in Mount Union.

The original group was organized as the Mount Union Connecting Railroad (formed 1998), which had a small Plymouth switcher which when they shut down went to WMSR and is currently on the Walkersville Southern. The current iteration of someone trying to operate the standard gauge portion of Mount Union is the East Broad Top Connecting (formed 2016/2017), operated by Larry Salone, the former Exec. Director of the Altoona Museum, who is also the owner of the East Broad Top Preservation Association, the group which purchased the EBT from the Aughwick Creek Bridge north to Mount Union.

I did some research and found some interesting facts. The EBTRR&C Co. owns about 12,000 acres in Huntingdon County, split amongst some 80 or so parcels. This does not include the land in/around Mt Union which was sold to the EBTPA.

The shops are about 21 acres, and the station is a separate plot (1.4a), along with some land to the east of the ROW.
There are 'buffer' plots of land to the west of the shops. At least, that's my assumption. The EBTRR&C also owns a few other empty lots in Rockhill.
The land under the trolley museum is a separate plot.
The ROW from the station over the creek is shown, but doesn't have a Tax Parcel number. The ROW north of there is not delineated separately. I'm guessing either the original charter or some type of easement is in effect with these property owners.
Joe Kowalchick personally owns some of the land in this section.

There are 3 separate parcels near the Colgate Grove wye, only one of which has access to Rte 522 (Croghan Pike). Soooo, another entrance could *theoretically* be built here in the future, if the visitor count gets high enough to overwhelm parking in Rockhill. (See ideas for Tour Bus visits, in a previous post).
There's a short section of apparent ROW north of CG near Shirleysburg, again with no Tax Parcel ID.
The largest contiguous parcel is roughly 3600 acres, NE of Orby. This spans Rt 522.

The bulk of the rest appear to be the coal fields around Broad Top City/Robertsdale, which weren't supposed to be included in the sale, from what we know. IDK if that 3600 acre parcel is in-/excluded from the sale.

From what I've heard of the plans, getting the previous operational area restored first makes the most sense. That gets the EBT back into the public consciousness, brings in revenue, and provides tangible evidence when the Foundation starts seeking grants from other more "well-endowed" foundations in the NE part of the country. At least, that's what I'm surmising from the little evidence we've seen so far.

Bake Sales aren't going to raise enough capital to restore the shops, let alone expand operations down to Pogue. *Girl Scout* Cookie Sales might, but I think their profits are already earmarked for other stuff...…..

.

When I had a chance to take a look at No. 3 in the Mount Union enginehouse two years ago, I also noticed the bottom of the smokebox had rusted through due to rain coming in the smokejack.

I was told that one idea is to use the grade of the clay pit spur from Route 522 to Colgate Grove an access road to the grove. There may be plans for a newer and larger pavilion there with food service and perhaps a stage for entertainment. Also, the lots just north of the station at Orbisonia have been used for overflow parking in the past.

My experience form Bucks County, Pennsylvania has been that if there is no Tax Parcel Number, the Tax Assessor probably thought that it was owned and used by a Public Utility, and not subject to local taxes. In that case, time wasn't wasted giving it a number. The State, however, may charge the owner for payment under the Public Utility Realty Tax Act. If a section of the line doesn't show on a tax map, that's a hint that the railroad may not actually own the land, but just be using it.

It may also be the condition of the coaches. While in good condition, many of them have noticeable sagging and "swayback" to them.

Even in the 60's when I rode the line as a kid, the coaches were already well worn, though well cared for. I distinctly recall feeling the cars flex and bend under the strain of the train travelling down the track. The coach "racked" a bit as the train started, and the frame moved one way while the roof seemed to bend in the opposite direction. I thought it was unusual, but maybe it's normal for wooden cars? Even so, it seems like things would definitely be loosening up after all these years.

Now, that's not to say they can't be repaired. Only that it may be a challenge they have to face.

On my last visit, I was shocked at the condition of some of the coal cars in the yard. They aren't taking well to being stored outdoors, and they look like they'd been eaten by giant metal loving moths. Is acid rain a problem in that area?