It's good to see that in TripAdvisor the red caboose still seems to be holding up well.

Stayed there once many years ago, kids (now in their 30's) loved it, my wife indulged me for one (1) night. 'now can we go to a real motel?'

Our caboose motel in Titusville seems to be fairly popular and in good condition. (Oil Creek & Titusville)

There's also one near Mt. Shasta in California that I've seen but not stayed in.

When you could pick up ex-Class 1 cabooses by the dozen for scrap price, not a bad plan, but now, you'd have a real hunt on your hands to come up with any volume of cabooses. One or two are still out there in the third-hand market, but anything left on a class 1 as a shoving platform isn't suitable for man nor beast.

Railfans might love the adventure, but mom wants a clean bathroom. Just sayin'.

Still there with a new name. I was in Minturn in early December and it is much more "ritzy" than it was when I was last there in 1997. Lots of new housing.

http://minturnmountainmotel.com/

Interesting, on the map it says the "Minturn Saloon" (I assume the old watering hole near the bunkhouse) is "temporarily closed". http://minturnmountainmotel.com/location-directions/ I doubt it would have the same ambiance of a place you will need to fight your way out of in order to leave the way it did through the seventies and eighties.

Nice story in Trains magazine (no paywall): https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews ... ectacular/

I'm also very impressed with the quality of the passenger cars - check out the roofs at the end of the film.

The new cars are exact replicas of the original EBT coaches using 21st. century materials and of course state of the art braking systems, roller bearing trucks etc. The combine enables them to meet current ADA requirements. They will provide decades of reliable service.

A 5 car train of the original equipment is being restored and will be available for charter, special events etc.

This coming weekend will be a busy one as the Sat. trains are sold out. There are still tickets available for the Sunday excursions behind # 16.

Congratulations again to the EBT team for all the progress they have made towards bringing this national treasure back to life.

If you're able I invite you to join the Friends of the East Broad Top ( www.febt.org) and be part of this great journey.

Thanks, Ross Rowland

The new passenger cars for the EBT are constructed by the Hamilton organization that has built the new cars for the White Pass. This Washington State firm is related to the Hamilton Construction firm that exists in Skagway, Alaska.

EBT has received three coaches and now -TODAY- received the the fourth car, a combine. The EBT posted on its Facebook page a photo of the combine arriving.

For those who stay away from Facebook here is a reduced version of that image:

Also notable in that clip is how little sway there is compared to the last years before the shutdown.

There was a lot more sway visible in the past, and you felt it, too.

That it's been reduced as much as it has says a lot about all the trackwork that's being done.

[redacted]

Yes, they've done a ton of track work between Rockhill and Colgate. My guess from viewing it from a not so great Google photo is the wye can turn a train of up to about 800 ft. in length?? If that's ballpark correct then a 2-8-2 and 10 cars should fit??

I believe it's their current plan to run the new 4 car set as their " standard" train and keep the original or " heritage " equipment for special celebrations.

From the online photos of the restored mainline trackage between Rockhill and Colgate I would think it easily qualifies for FRA Class 2 designation, which if correct will permit speeds up to 25 mph, plenty fast to let them meet their 3 trains a day on 2 hour headways advertised summer schedule.

Sure is great seeing this national treasure come back to life.

Ross Rowland

The combine is also designed with power lifts on both sides for wheelchairs

I've ridden in the WP&Y Hamilton built cars, which have wood interiors. Very nice, and there's really nothing to tell the casual rider that they're not a hundred years old.

Using these for base service while conserving the historic cars is as it should be. I assume they will add more new cars as traffic builds.

And a wheelchair accessible open window coach! If only WM Scenic would get the message :-(

Yes, I believe the long term development plan calls for a total of four 5 car combine (ADA compliant), 3 coaches and 1 first class parlor car trains for a total capacity of approx. 200 passengers.

That will be some years down the line when they've been able to return the entire 31 miles of railroad to service and expect to carry approx. 200,000 passengers a year.

All steam powered of course. Ross Rowland

So here's something I wasn't expecting.

I have a weakness for cool local coffee spots, the type of place that you typically associate with bougie urban areas.

Well, in doing research for my trip up to the EBT this weekend I did a little scouting and lo and behold, there are a whole gang of them all along the Pittsburgh Line, including one IN Orbisonia.

Here's my list: https://goo.gl/maps/VmxT1eRHBz73P41s5

I feel like this type of place is a good indicator of "tourist infrastructure" and I am pleasantly surprised.