After an absence of 18 years, the Bellefonte Historical Railroad Society will resume Rail Diesel Car public excursions over a branch of the Nittany & Bald Eagle Railroad on Oct. 28-29.

This was made possible by the return from Rail Mechanical Services of Columbia, Pa., of the group’s repaired RDC-1 car No. 9167. It also follows agreements reached with NBER and the Susquehanna Economic Development Authority-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) Joint Rail Authority, which owns the former Pennsylvania Railroad track on which NBER operates.

Events will kick off with a VIP run aboard No. 9167 on Oct. 27, followed by seven half-hour trips on Oct. 28 and four 90-minute trips on Oct. 29, according to Cody Martin, the railroad society’s recording secretary. He’s also a qualified engineer and conductor for NBER — one of the North Shore family of short lines –—who expects to run the car during the reopening weekend.

Since 2005, “mechanical, regulatory and operational issues forced BHRS to suspend [regularly scheduled] service” with the RDCs, according to the group’s website. In the interim, the group relied on periodic speeder runs and, from 2009 to 2019, seasonal runs with leased coaches from car owner Jeff Pontius of Sunbury, Pa., and NBER power.