In the month since FEBT announced our intent to find the funds needed to bid on one or both of these unique pieces of the EBT's heritage, we have received over $10,500 provided by 67 donors to "bring 18 and 29 home." (In the same period we have also received over $3,750 from 51 other donors to support our general restoration program.) If your contribution was among the 118 donations we received since early May or among the several hundred previous donations we received since we launched our fund-raising campaign last August, please accept our thanks for the important support you have provided to Friends of the East Broad Top.

However, the funds we now have on hand are not yet enough to support a realistic effort to acquire one or both of the EBT passenger cars in Colorado and to continue our progress on the other projects now incorporated in our restoration program. If you have not already contributed to our current fund-raising campaign, we need your financial support now to "bring 18 & 29 home." We will also welcome additional contributions if you have already given a donation to our ongoing fund-raising campaign. Since the resources in our hands before July 20 will determine how seriously we will participate in the auction of EBT 18 & 29, we do not have much more time. And, unfortunately, we cannot now state a dollar amount that will assure our success. We simply cannot know until the actual sale what each former EBT passenger car will cost the winning bidder.

On the other hand, we do know that the additional expenditures required to transport and store one or both cars now in Colorado will not be cheap. The most recent estimate for transporting one of these cars from Fort Lupton to Rockhill Furnace, Pennsylvania, is $6,500. (The East Broad Top Railroad has agreed in principle to provide space on an outdoor yard track if we successfully acquire EBT 18 or 29-or both.) Since one end platform was removed from each car for the trip to its present location, we expect to incur immediate costs of at least $1,000 per car to repair the missing end platform-and its coupler-so the car can be moved once it is at Rockhill Furnace. Recent information indicates that the two cars are in extremely fragile condition. This not only complicates transportation, it also reinforces our need to come up with a realistic plan for storing any passenger cars we move to the EBT under shelter. We are now exploring with the EBT a proposal to erect a FEBT storage building on railroad property that could accommodate any cars we successfully purchase in July-as well as passenger-baggage car no. 16 (which we already hold under 99-year lease). At this stage we do not have any firm estimate for the cost of such a building, but it could easily exceed $15,000.

Our decision to request your support for the effort to "bring 18 & 29 home" was not made lightly. We are well aware of the financial demands of our other current restoration projects: our rehabilitation of the railroad depot and old post office buildings in Robertsdale, the reproduction trucks needed to restore combine no. 16 to operating condition, our assessment of the Saltillo station building, and the new work we are undertaking this year at Rockhill Furnace. But we believe this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Bringing 18 or 29-or both historic passenger cars-back to the EBT is a challenge our mission to preserve and restore the East Broad Top Railroad does not permit us to ignore. Combine no. 18 is probably the oldest surviving piece of EBT rolling stock. Baggage car no. 29 is the sole surviving example of its type of EBT passenger equipment. Since we do not wish to jeopardize our ability to move forward on our other projects, we must rely on you to provide the additional funding necessary for us to bid on the two EBT passenger cars in Colorado.

All directors of Friends of the East Broad Top are encouraged by the response we have so far obtained to support our attempt to bid in the July auction. We continue to explore possible strategies to find additional funds for this endeavor. For example, we may be able to borrow temporarily from contingency funds held in our Life Member Account or negotiate short-term loans from interested lenders. But as a practical matter, the donations we receive between now and July 20 will decide what we can accomplish.

And that's where you come in. Only you can provide the actual cash in hand we will need not only to bid on 18 & 29, but also to transport any cars we successfully acquire to Pennsylvania, to make any immediate repairs required, and to assure secure storage at the East Broad Top Railroad. The directors of Friends of the East Broad Top join me in urging you to commit your resources to this project. Only with your active participation and financial support can we proceed.

Once more, please accept our thanks if you have previously contributed to our fund-raising campaign or if you have already mailed us your donation to "bring 18 and 29 home." If you have not previously decided whether to assist us, I again ask you to send your donations to FEBT restoration fund treasurer Nancy E. Jacqmin at the following address:

Friends of the East Broad Top
Restoration Fund Treasurer
513 Shady Avenue, No. 12
Pittsburgh PA 15206-4447

Mark your check (or indicate on the return envelope) that your donation is to be used to "bring 18 and 29 home." Note that contributions to support our effort to acquire these EBT passenger cars will be treated as part of our current fund-raising campaign. Thus each donor who contributes a donation of $50.00 or more will receive one of our art reproductions of Ted Rose's Mount Union Train.

For more details, visit Can FEBT "bring 18 and 29 home"? at http://www.febt.org/1829.html



FEBT - Can FEBT "bring 18 and 29 home"?

webmaster@febt.org

I commend FEBT for taking action to save 18 and 29. It truly is a "once in a lifetime" opportunity to save these cars and the expenditure of funds and sweat are justified. To reduce costs, have you considered getting a "reduced cost move" by a trucker who might be willing to donate his services? Surely there must be someone out there willing to help the FEBT cause.

> In the month since FEBT announced our intent
> to find the funds needed to bid on one or
> both of these unique pieces of the EBT's
> heritage, we have received over $10,500
> provided by 67 donors to "bring 18 and
> 29 home." (In the same period we have
> also received over $3,750 from 51 other
> donors to support our general restoration
> program.) If your contribution was among the
> 118 donations we received since early May or
> among the several hundred previous donations
> we received since we launched our
> fund-raising campaign last August, please
> accept our thanks for the important support
> you have provided to Friends of the East
> Broad Top.

> However, the funds we now have on hand are
> not yet enough to support a realistic effort
> to acquire one or both of the EBT passenger
> cars in Colorado and to continue our
> progress on the other projects now
> incorporated in our restoration program. If
> you have not already contributed to our
> current fund-raising campaign, we need your
> financial support now to "bring 18
> & 29 home." We will also welcome
> additional contributions if you have already
> given a donation to our ongoing fund-raising
> campaign. Since the resources in our hands
> before July 20 will determine how seriously
> we will participate in the auction of EBT 18
> & 29, we do not have much more time.
> And, unfortunately, we cannot now state a
> dollar amount that will assure our success.
> We simply cannot know until the actual sale
> what each former EBT passenger car will cost
> the winning bidder.

> On the other hand, we do know that the
> additional expenditures required to
> transport and store one or both cars now in
> Colorado will not be cheap. The most recent
> estimate for transporting one of these cars
> from Fort Lupton to Rockhill Furnace,
> Pennsylvania, is $6,500. (The East Broad Top
> Railroad has agreed in principle to provide
> space on an outdoor yard track if we
> successfully acquire EBT 18 or 29-or both.)
> Since one end platform was removed from each
> car for the trip to its present location, we
> expect to incur immediate costs of at least
> $1,000 per car to repair the missing end
> platform-and its coupler-so the car can be
> moved once it is at Rockhill Furnace. Recent
> information indicates that the two cars are
> in extremely fragile condition. This not
> only complicates transportation, it also
> reinforces our need to come up with a
> realistic plan for storing any passenger
> cars we move to the EBT under shelter. We
> are now exploring with the EBT a proposal to
> erect a FEBT storage building on railroad
> property that could accommodate any cars we
> successfully purchase in July-as well as
> passenger-baggage car no. 16 (which we
> already hold under 99-year lease). At this
> stage we do not have any firm estimate for
> the cost of such a building, but it could
> easily exceed $15,000.

> Our decision to request your support for the
> effort to "bring 18 & 29 home"
> was not made lightly. We are well aware of
> the financial demands of our other current
> restoration projects: our rehabilitation of
> the railroad depot and old post office
> buildings in Robertsdale, the reproduction
> trucks needed to restore combine no. 16 to
> operating condition, our assessment of the
> Saltillo station building, and the new work
> we are undertaking this year at Rockhill
> Furnace. But we believe this is a
> once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Bringing 18
> or 29-or both historic passenger cars-back
> to the EBT is a challenge our mission to
> preserve and restore the East Broad Top
> Railroad does not permit us to ignore.
> Combine no. 18 is probably the oldest
> surviving piece of EBT rolling stock.
> Baggage car no. 29 is the sole surviving
> example of its type of EBT passenger
> equipment. Since we do not wish to
> jeopardize our ability to move forward on
> our other projects, we must rely on you to
> provide the additional funding necessary for
> us to bid on the two EBT passenger cars in
> Colorado.

> All directors of Friends of the East Broad
> Top are encouraged by the response we have
> so far obtained to support our attempt to
> bid in the July auction. We continue to
> explore possible strategies to find
> additional funds for this endeavor. For
> example, we may be able to borrow
> temporarily from contingency funds held in
> our Life Member Account or negotiate
> short-term loans from interested lenders.
> But as a practical matter, the donations we
> receive between now and July 20 will decide
> what we can accomplish.

> And that's where you come in. Only you can
> provide the actual cash in hand we will need
> not only to bid on 18 & 29, but also to
> transport any cars we successfully acquire
> to Pennsylvania, to make any immediate
> repairs required, and to assure secure
> storage at the East Broad Top Railroad. The
> directors of Friends of the East Broad Top
> join me in urging you to commit your
> resources to this project. Only with your
> active participation and financial support
> can we proceed.

> Once more, please accept our thanks if you
> have previously contributed to our
> fund-raising campaign or if you have already
> mailed us your donation to "bring 18
> and 29 home." If you have not
> previously decided whether to assist us, I
> again ask you to send your donations to FEBT
> restoration fund treasurer Nancy E. Jacqmin
> at the following address:

> Friends of the East Broad Top
> Restoration Fund Treasurer
> 513 Shady Avenue, No. 12
> Pittsburgh PA 15206-4447

> Mark your check (or indicate on the return
> envelope) that your donation is to be used
> to "bring 18 and 29 home." Note
> that contributions to support our effort to
> acquire these EBT passenger cars will be
> treated as part of our current fund-raising
> campaign. Thus each donor who contributes a
> donation of $50.00 or more will receive one
> of our art reproductions of Ted Rose's Mount
> Union Train.

> For more details, visit Can FEBT "bring
> 18 and 29 home"? at
> http://www.febt.org/1829.html


http://rrmuseumpa.org
c-kbell@state.pa.us

To reduce costs, have you
> considered getting a "reduced cost
> move" by a trucker who might be willing
> to donate his services? Surely there must be
> someone out there willing to help the FEBT
> cause.

One of the museums in the Maryland region has been investigating this option regarding a possible equipment transfer that is effectively coast-to-coast.

The only problem I forsee with Bell's suggestion is that, typically, even if you have a trucker that is willing to donate his services (as we do--or at least we've agreed to pay $1 a mile for expenses, with loading free), said trucker can only justify said donation IF he can wait for or find a paying load in the opposite direction. Thus, in the case of this proposed move from West Coast to East Coast, "our" friendly trucker will have to wait for or haggle for a paying trip from east to west before he can afford to "donate" his eastbound services. Furthermore, in this particular case, the load would be far more "conventional" than a fragile,wooden-bodied passenger car--I don't think our load would even need any permits or special equipment, just a regular trailer. Heaven help us if we were dealing with a steam locomotive or the like!

In our particular case, the storage of the load until it is collected costs nothing, and we can afford to wait. (Actually, there are some donation haggles being worked out as well.) In the case of the EBT cars, however, they will probably be required to remove them within 30 days or the like. Storage fees that may be assessed (often on the level of $100 a day, simply as a deterrent to abandonment) might outweigh any cost savings in waiting for a friendly trucking offer. Best to have the monies in hand for the worst-case scenario, then act accordingly.


Cape Cod RR grade-crossing accident story
lner4472@bcpl.net

This is a perfect opportunity for the railfans in the Keystone State who have been blessed with a bounty of railroad related museums and collections to really do something significant to maintain and restore the fabric of a real "gem". The EBT really has the potential to be the crown jewel in our Commonwealth's surviving railroad heritage.

Think forward 50 years and you can almost hear the carping of the next generation lamenting of the loss of these two cars. Don't let them get away!!!

This is a great opportunity to do something for the future. Not withstanding your affinty as a SPF or your died in the wool committment for the Reading or other Anthracite carrier or your interest in the logging roads that once infested our sylvan hills, try to make an effort to support the purchase and return of these two cars.

The next generation, those now enamoured with "Thomas" will surely appreciate what you can do now to save a part of this Commonwealth's history.

Send a check!

Do it today and save 3 cents on the postage!!!!

v-scarpitti@worldnet.att.net

Union Pacific has been generous in the past with transporting historic equipment. Not sure what their current policy is, but the Drawer ranch is not too far from the tracks in Ft. Lupton. Also, I believe the Trailer Train folks were helpful with the move of Steamtown equipment from Vermont to Scranton. Last I heard, one old wooden combine was still sitting on a Trailer Train flat more than 15 years after the move.

ryarger@rypn.org

Moving anything described as “fragile” via today’s railroads probably isn’t such a good move. The Strasburg had its LO&S car shipped down from Mass. on a flat car, and it arrived about three feet closer to one end of the car then it was at the beginning of the journey. A lot of half-assed repairs were evident in the tie downs and blocking, so I guess the “DO NOT HUMP” signs might have been missed.

When the drivers of the UP steam engines were sent to Strasburg for overhaul, they came via 18 wheeler. When asked if they would come by flat car, the powers that be in Cheyenne said, “Hell no, we want them to get there!” A sad commentary, but that’s the way it is these days.

> Moving anything described as “fragile” via
> todayÂ’s railroads probably isnÂ’t such a good
> move.

I second the response. Look at the fact that owners of even modern bilevel rail equipment have paid me dearly to escort their equipment being transported by conventional trains--meaning, holding the hands of crews and yard clerks making sure they don't hump the car or put it on the fromnt of a long freight train. Consider the recent derailment of a freight train near Baltimore caused by the mishandling of other modern passenger cars within a freight train--in spite of both written orders and a rider.

In this case, we're talking wooden-bodied cars somewhere around a hundred years old. I'm not sure I'd even trust a special shipment of a solo car!

lner4472@bcpl.net

Although I am not directly involved in the planning, it is my understanding that donation of the transport cost in part or in whole is being explored. If anyone has specific suggestions as to a shipper who would be willing to do so, feel free to e-mail me and I will forward it on to the project coordinator.

I will point out that the shipper is prefered to have experience in moving similar equipment, for obvious reasons. At least one if not all of the shippers contacted so far are so experienced.


FEBT - Can FEBT "bring 18 and 29 home"?

webmaster@febt.org

> Union Pacific has been generous in the past
> with transporting historic equipment. Not
> sure what their current policy is, but the
> Drawer ranch is not too far from the tracks
> in Ft. Lupton. Also, I believe the Trailer
> Train folks were helpful with the move of
> Steamtown equipment from Vermont to
> Scranton. Last I heard, one old wooden
> combine was still sitting on a Trailer Train
> flat more than 15 years after the move.

Trailer Train was extremely generous; it appears in the present (and fifteen years ago "present") that they have more of the 60' OTTX cars than are needed to haul the goods. They have given these cars to Steamtown and several other museums that I know of. But also, when "we" moved the equipment down from Bellows Falls, all of the trains were special moves, not over twenty cars, and not over fifteen miles per hour!

Steve Zuiderveen


SZuidervee@aol.com

> Union Pacific has been generous in the past
> with transporting historic equipment. Not
> sure what their current policy is, but the
> Drawer ranch is not too far from the tracks
> in Ft. Lupton. Also, I believe the Trailer
> Train folks were helpful with the move of
> Steamtown equipment from Vermont to
> Scranton. Last I heard, one old wooden
> combine was still sitting on a Trailer Train
> flat more than 15 years after the move.

Why UP???

The auction site is much closer to the BNSF.