PA provides $23 million in grants for 16 rail projects.

kline2102 · **Joined:** Tue Jun 22, 2010 3:41 am **Posts:** 12

This is great news! The East Broad Top gets 2 million out of it too!

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/s ... cts--30044

wesp · **Posted:** Fri Feb 24, 2012 5:50 pm

Is this funding for the standard gauge operation in Mount Union?

Wesley

Joshua K. Blay · **Posted:** Fri Feb 24, 2012 5:51 pm

Reads more like Mt Union Connecting than EBT we all know and love. Still good news though.

Joshua

Mgoldman · **Posted:** Fri Feb 24, 2012 8:07 pm

"• $2 million to East Broad Top to acquire land and right of way, rehabilitate existing track, and build track and a transload facility;"

Let's hope $2 million dollars goes further then analysis and a hammer from Home Depot.

That was the second largest amount granted.

How much was granted last time - it's like deja vue - I had to check the date. Last grant I think amounted to a restored DUAL-GAUGED(!) grade crossing and?

Wasn't there also once talk of hauling garbage or something out of Orbisonia??

/Mitch

robertjohndavis · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 8:10 am **Posts:** 2499

Interesting....

PA kicking money into the CNY as well, which has been NY's foster child. Not strictly preservation, but about as close as it comes. The Erie would be looooong gone otherwise.

Rob

RCman2626 · **Posted:** Sat Feb 25, 2012 6:42 pm

I was wondering how EBT qualified for such a large grant that is reserved for railroads that are 'common carriers?' Do they have an interchange agreement of some kind? I assumed they are tourist operation only? These grants are very competitive and we have never had any kind of luck only being a tourist operation. Without freight service we have never been able to qualify.

junior · **Posted:** Sat Feb 25, 2012 8:21 pm

RCman2626 wrote:

I was wondering how EBT qualified for such a large grant that is reserved for railroads that are 'common carriers?' Do they have an interchange agreement of some kind? I assumed they are tourist operation only? These grants are very competitive and we have never had any kind of luck only being a tourist operation. Without freight service we have never been able to qualify.

Hence the "Mt. Union Connecting Railroad" statement. That is a interchanging freight railroad that has opened up a significant portion of the standard/dual gauge EBT in Mt. Union, connecting with the NS. There are intentions of expanding the service over the now Narrow Gauge only portion, by making it dual gauge.

Richard Glueck · **Posted:** Sat Feb 25, 2012 9:35 pm

I don't suppose any money has been earmarked for a certain Altoona refugee?