With five days to go before the East Broad Top Railroad's annual Fall Spectacular, No. 15 eased out of the roundhouse Sunday morning without her tourist-era white trim, which Nevin Byers had painted over in the early hours of Sunday morning. But the big surprise -- heard for miles around -- came when Daniel Gilliland laid into the 15's whistle cord to cross Meadow Street a few minutes later. The notes that sounded were high and very loud, and when the final note came it was piercing and shrill and unmistakable. No. 15 was carrying the whistle of No. 17, one of the railroad's three big superheated workhorses.

The 17's whistle is a favorite of the EBT's train crew. As I understand it, the plan is to keep it on the 15 at least through Saturday. Meanwhile, No. 17 will also come out of the roundhouse sometime this week. For Friday's afternoon photo train and night photo session, she'll be posed southbound with a freight train on track three near the south end of the yard. That will let photographers get shots of her as No. 15 passes southbound on the main with the nine-hopper coal train that the crew made up last week (including both the side-dump hopper and the four-bay). There's also talk of getting the M-1 in the picture for the night photo session -- with coach 8, her original trailer, which she hasn't pulled in several years. For the rest of the weekend, No. 17 will be spotted northbound on track three at Meadow Street at the head of the coal train, which will have combine 15 on the far end. The freight consist will run as part of a mixed train that will alternate with the passenger consist Saturday and Sunday.

In other pre-Spectacular news, the roundhouse got new gravel last week, completing repairs made after a water-line break the week before. The M-7 is getting a new traction motor and a new generator early this week. The M-3's 5 p.m. Friday trip to Colgate Grove has sold out, and a 6 p.m. trip has been added. Tickets are still available for M-1's rare night run on Saturday, before the concert and fireworks. The full schedule is available on the EBT's Web site.

Oh, and the leaves are just beginning to turn.

-- Lawrence Biemiller