The National Trust for Historical Preservation's "Preservation Magazine" has an EBT article in their March/April 2008 issue. Here's the link to a "teaser" article:

[url=http://www.preservationnation.org/magazine/2008/march-april/feature4.html]
End of the Line? The storied East Broad Top may soon be derailed[/url]

The full article will be posted on May 1; printed copies are apparently available on newstands now.

--
Chris Webster
http://www.speakeasy.org/~cwebster

Doesn't the precarious nature of the EBT come up every year about this time? Seems its demise is almost here each spring.

In my experience the NTHP only prints the real deal in the magazine, which by the way gets smaller and smaller (that's thinner) every year. As a member (and photographic contributor) I find myself shamelessly pushing friends and acquaintances to subscribe to Preservation magazine -- anything to help the cause, right?!

This is a wonderfully written, beautifully photographed story which will no doubt open some virgin eyes to the ongoing plight of the EBT.

Linn Moedinger's "six Baldwins" quote is worth the yearly dues in and of itself.

Great job Lawrence amd Cameron!

Stephen

The text below is the "response" by a friend of mine who won't post here:

"There is is a much greater liklihood of your being struck by lightning TWICE within the next five minutes than the EBT shutting down this year. I got a copy of the artcle that was in Preservation for National Trust, and it is just somebody's opinion, like many such articles are. The EBT's website already has the 2008 schedule posted, and I understand they have two private charters scheduled already. Addiionally, they have several special events advertised for 2008. Click on the link below for details.

http://www.ebtrr.com/

Yes, Stan Hall wants to retire, but there are others in that economically depressed area that would come forward to fill his shoes-he is not indespensable. If Joe Kovalchick wasn't asking so much for the EBT, a buyer would certainly be found. As the article states, he has turned down several offers over the past few years as being too low. As he advances in age eventually he WILL sell the EBT.

I have a feeling that due to the age of the employees and the equipment an attitude of despair has developed over the past few years. However, the Friends of the EBT is a large, energetic organization and they have done an AMAZING amount of work to improve and preserve the EBT's buildings and equipment over the past 20+ years. I've been at the EBT when the FEBT members were on the premises conducting a work session, and there were about 100 people on site work on a wide variety of projects. If if weren't for the FEBT the condition of the facilitues would be deplorable."

As for me, I've yet to locate a copy of Preservation for me to peruse, and I've already ranted in this forum in the past about my own feelings on the matter. No change.

The gist of the story in Preservation, was that the place is a treasure, that the operation cannot sustain itself, and that its future is very uncertain.

I have the magazine, and yes, it basically gives the owners a free pass on the prior history of failed sales. These stories seem to support a form of blackmail: give me the money I want or I destroy this treasure. Given this is an economically depressed area of rural Pennsylvania, what is the real value of the real estate, right of way, etc.?

You know, my friend's e-mail had me thinking about these very issues.

I'd love to know just what the net worth of the company's total holdings, including such things as mineral rights, coal, timber rights, real estate, etc. are REALLY worth and whether they are considered taxable real estate by Huntington County. I would assume so, and although the aggregate total may not be that big, I'm curious as to if the potential loss of tax income has been considered by the county and other parties that would be involved. Nonetheless, I doubt that the assessed value is anywhere near what the company wants for itself. And it may be an economic "backwater" of Pennsylvania, relatively speaking, but it isn't THAT depressed.

You want to find out what the real estate is worth? Go find out what the adjacent property owners are willing to pay for the hunks of right-of-way that adjoins/cuts their properties.

Ugly third-hand rumors have said for a while that the company has plumb run out of mineral/timber rights to sell off to keep the railroad going.

From the EBT website: Attention: The EBT does not accept credit cards at this time.

What year is this? I use my credit card to buy food and drink at the wawa. When an outfit is asking $12-18 for a single ticket, how can you not accept plastic? I understand there is a charge per purchase, but this is 2008. So grandma buys the tickets, but finds out she doesn't have enough money to buy each of her 4 grandkids a $15 T-shirt. Probably costing them more than they are benefiting.

The EBT isn't the only "time capsule" up there. I believe that last time I was up there, my cell phone stopped working a little north of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and didn't go live again until somewhere around Mt. Union. Maybe the EBT depot has upgraded from rotary to touch-tone phones by now. I think one of the last real phone booths I saw was in Orbisonia.

And we wonder why it would be hard to attract competent business management material to the area. Maybe if I put a sushi bar next to the pizza shop.........

That would work! I always hit the sushi bar a couple blocks away from Steamtown.

Sandy, maybe you need a different carrier, mine works (in places) around Orby. "Can you hear me now?"

Seriously, I do find it a little pound foolish not to take plastic, since they do accept checks, which are easier to lose money on. I think it may have to do with tying up a phone line for approvals. I'm guessing that the area may not have the phone line capabilities, I don't know, although the Sheetz in town does do the PA lottery, and that is by data line.

As a general rule, I think that leading the blind should be done with charity but:

Failing to take plastic today can only be characterized with words that indicate a cognitive deficit.

I visited EBT last summer and after buying tickets, had only $40.00 left. I bought one thing, instead of several. But heck, FEBT saved 2 and change % -and forewent the margin on each additional item.

First of all, depository services aren’t free. Banks can charge for: a monthly fee just to have an account, fees for each deposit (more if it’s a night drop), fees for each withdrawal, fees for banded currency, fees for rolled coins, fees for returned items. You name it, they charge for it. As less cash is used, their activity base is diminishing and the fees expanding and are going up.

Second, because of widespread acceptance few people expect to need cash. You want your customers to have a three step purchase process, (e.g., I like this, I like the price, buy), not add a fourth step of needing to have cash on hand. The whole point of marketing and salesmanship is reduce barriers to purchase- part of what nationally known marketing guru Philip Kotler describes as “possession utility”.

Third, advertising “we don’t take credit cards” may avoid customer “disappointment”, but it also says “we have cash” and if you don’t know why that’s bad, well then just google up Willie Sutton and see the quote attributed to him.

Fourth, it increases the possibility of (internal) fraud. Now while everybody’s hackles are up in indignation, please keep in mind that a recently sold tourist line (in Pennsylvania, no less) was the victim of fraud a couple years back.

The reason that the big issuers can charge what they can, is that they provide a service that’s valuable.

There is a non-profit in town with which I work. It has to be a contender for the most basic, shoe-string, hand-to-mouth operation you've ever seen--just shy of the proverbial Stone Age. They take donated books and sort and shelve them for free giveaway, all stamped "Not For Resale: This Is a FREE BOOK". It's one man, a bunch of volunteers, and a mortgage. The guy reportedly lives on donated food, ramen noodles, and the like. They take aluminum cans and printer cartridges for recycling to raise money for the mortgage. I joke that they should burn old computer manuals for heat in the winter.

I tried handing them some cash as a donation for some exceedingly-rare (non-RR) books that showed up on the shelves--$500 or more on eBay; it allowed us to keep the "free" copies and sell the others to raise money for a good cause, and divert some of the money to them.

The response: "We don't do cash donations here. You may donate through PayPal on our website, or make out a check. It keeps us from being robbed and makes the bookkeeping more transparent and accountable."

I was in a very literal "ghost town" in Arizona two years ago--not a tourist trap, but very literally the saloon still open in a town of one family sitting where there had been a town of 200 in copper mining days. (Cleator, Arizona, if you want to look on the map.) They took credit cards.

I won't pass judgement on the EBT's credit card policy, except to note that this is just one of several quirks that make EBT a throwback to a more simple time. And one way or another, like so many other things that make EBT "special" (for better or worse, depending on your point of view), it won't stay this way forever. If you like EBT the way it is, enjoy it while you can.

Alan Maples

The bank(s) in Orbisonia-Rockhill Furnace are sure missing a bet. It or they could approach EBT about putting an ATM machine in the ticket office or gift shop. Probably make enough on fees to give the EBT a split.