Breaking in a new horse. Wednesday, February 1st of 2023 was a monumental day in the re-birth of the East Broad Top Railroad in Rockhill Furnace, PA. On this day, the first steam locomotive to be restored to active service by the EBT Foundation made its first moves under power, completing a rebuilding process which has taken nearly 3 years. Pictured here is EBT #16, the first of the "big boiler", superheated, Mikados purchased by the railroad in 1916. This engine was the last to be overhauled by the EBT before the railroad shut down as a common carrier in 1956 and she was never run during the tourist era. Judged to be in perhaps the best condition of the 6 engines in the roundhouse, she was selected to be the first to be returned to service. The operation you see here was her first movement under steam in 67 years.
In this image, the crew has been running the locomotive back and forth within the yard and they have alighted to check on the health of their new horse. On the left, EBT Master Mechanic Dave Domitrovich walks around the pilot having just checked the bearings on the engineer's side with his ungloved left hand. The gentleman in the middle, looking over the running gear is Linn Moedinger, retired President and CMO of the Strasburg Rail Road and who has been working as an advisor to the EBT crew. The gentleman on the right is Nevin Byers, who appeared to be firing the locomotive on most of the runs. After making perhaps a dozen runs back and forth the 16 retired to the roundhouse, having completed and apparently successful first day in service.
Because this operation was not announced publicly in advance, my photos from this day were the result of a lucky combination of circumstances. On the previous day, I had hopped a flight from Boston to Baltimore in order to attend a long-scheduled photo shoot on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. After my arrival, I drove part way from BWI to Cumberland, overnighting in Frederick, MD. When I awoke the following morning, I just happened to see a Facebook post that the EBT Railroad had made, depicting an engine steaming in front of the roundhouse. Given that I was perhaps a 90-minute drive from Orbisonia, I elected to take a detour up to EBT instead of driving directly to Cumberland, not knowing if I would be able to see anything from spaces open to the public. The EBT yard is a restricted area and is not open to the public. Fortunately, the operation was visible from Highway 994 and an adjacent parking lot, where numerous locals and myself were able to get a few photos of what was a momentous event for both the EBT crews and the people of Orbisonia. Everyone I talked to was ecstatic that steam had returned to this historic railroad town.
Trains don't run themselves--they're ultimately run by people. This album showcases the hardworking folks that make railroads work, as well as emphasizing the size of these great machines in comparison to their masters. All photos must include a visible h
A look at the one-time coal-hauler, which ran as a tourist railroad for decades and finally ceased operations in 2011. The album includes photos from an October 2010 charter as well as images from the very last Fall Spectacular in October of 2011.
