The East Broad Top's Boiler House is central to the shops complex, and one of its oldest buildings. It is one of the few that has a wood roof rather than corrugated metal. That wood roof has rotted over the years and one of the results is the severe damage to the east masonry wall of the building. We were all afraid that the wall would come down at any time and take the roof with it.

Fortunately, one of our members was able to find an endless supply of bricks of the same type from a demolished railroad building in Ohio, and a local retired mason volunteered his services to perform the heavy repairs on the wall. As you can see, the difference is phenomenal. Work was even done on the brick boilers inside the building as they had deteriorated also. There is a lot of repointing and some repair yet to be done, but the wall can again sustain loads. This is just the beginning of the work this historic building needs.

The next work session at Rockhill Furnace, and the last for 2003, will be November 1-2. If you care about the future of the East Broad Top Railroad, consider joining us. We can use workers of any skill level. Help us save this historic treasure.

Friends of the East Broad Top

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