One of my favorite photos of the EBT from its common carrier days, was a shot of a Gulf, Mobile & Ohio 40' steel boxcar being hauled amongst the narrow gauge cars behind one of the EBT's steam locomotives. Now there comes a report on the TRAINS website, that the EBT Foundation is looking for some vintage era standard gauge cars to replicate this type of movement. Brad Esposito, General Manager of the current non-profit owners of the line says that they still have 2 sets of transfer trucks on hand along with about 7 of the aluminum coupler adapters, which are needed to mate the standard gauge car with the 3 foot gauge equipment. This is a real neat idea! Anybody got a surplus vintage standard gauge freight car?

Les

Maybe they'll rebuild the timber transfer? Ok, ok, just joking.

Interesting thought though.

If they can rebuild the Georgetown Loop high bridge I think we could replicate the timber transfer. Quite a bit cheaper than the bridge too.

Priorities, guys. I thrust them to know what they are doing, and what order to do things in.

Nothing is impossible with money. I’d argue that it’s quite likely that the EBTF, if/when they decide to expand trackage further south that they will rebuild some of the long gone important structures that once existed on the line. Structures like the Saltillo Station and tank house for example, maybe former small passenger shelters, you get the idea. If they ever get to Mt Union, that discussion can certainly occur.

However, it needs to be reminded that the EBTF does not own the Mount Union Yard, and currently does not have any operating rights or agreements with the group that currently possesses the northern 4 miles of line, the EBTPA (the operators of the line between 2009 and 2011). There currently are no plans of the EBTF to go to Mount Union, or do anything with the yard at this point, and I don’t suspect there will be plans up there going forward until either an agreement is made (which from what I understand isn’t a priority), or the EBTPA sells the track.

Unfortunately, any discussion about what could be done in that yard is moot at this point. Maybe in the future. But not now.

Please note that the Foundation is just looking for standard gauge freight cars. They do not need the Timber Transfer, or the yard at Mt. Union, to show how standard gauge cars were handled over the 3' gauge rails of the East Broad Top.

Les

CSX has a couple 40' boxcars available for donation up that way somewhere. I'll get particulars and forward the info to the Friends.

That's a shame on them not going to Mt Union. I wonder if they did, would it become an Amtrak stop? I have a feeling there would be enough customers to make it worth while.
What is the status of the Former Mt Union Connecting Railroad? I've not seen much, in a decade.

Mt Union really isn’t that large of a population center and there doesn’t appear there’s a possible place for the trains to stop without some major work being done. Not to mention that service there just isn’t frequent enough to really be all that beneficial for the EBT if it ever got there.

As for the connecting railroad, I know just as much as you do. Probably inactive or just in the car storage business.

But just a reminder: it’s not entirely impossible for the current group to go up there. Situations can always change. At this point, it’s not a goal for them because there’s many, many variables involved that prevent them from doing so. Maybe in the future however things could change.

One of those variables being that the EBT Foundation doesn't own the Mt. Union portion, that was not included in the sale, as the Kovalchicks did not own it.

I would think the long term benefits of owning that portion, if possible, in the future would be fairly strong.

The ability to generate a base line of revenue from car storage, even standard gauge car work or a small freight transload operation like Strausberg could be a major benefit to the EBT in the long run. Not unlike TVRM's "non-passenger" revenue. But this of course would require the ability to interchange standard gauge equipment.

About 1970, some of the narrow gauge hoppers at Mt. Union were sold to the White Pass & Yukon RR. and loaded into standard gauge gondola cars for interchange to PennCentral. Instead of firing up one of the standard gauge steam switchers in the nearby engine house, to do the switching, the Mack Diesel was borrowed from Rwy. to Yesterday.

Speaking of the Mount Union end of the EBT; is the

EBT #3 standard Gauge 0-6-0 switcher (BLW,
c/n 56325) still stored in the engine house there?

There was also another standard gauge switcher at White Water Valley Railroad in Indiana; that may still exist.

What great work the foundation and Friends are doing!

Ted Miles Friends Member

Unless someone did an EXTREMELY good job of theft or whatnot......... yes.



I believe the best description might be "in kit form".........