From the NewsWire:
https://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2020/02/14-east-broad-top-sold-plans-full-operations-by-2021
Wonderful news! Revived from near-death is not an exaggeration. Glad to see the new group has the expertise and finances to make it happen.
Lot of good memories from trips out there in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Might be a fun one to work on when I retire . . .
Cue the anti-rail folks: This would make a great trail!
Fortunately; the EBT is ALL private property. It’s also far enough removed from the tree hugger crowd they most likely don’t even know it exists.
You have to wish them[EBT Foundation] well! [wow][yeah][bow]
[4:-)] NOW! I wonder if they will have a concessioneer to furnish some
Amish ‘Pick-up trucks’ to run to ‘end of track’?[:-^]
Buggy rides around Rockhill Furnace/ Orbisonia while waiting for the train or trolley!
Nearby Raystown Lake (large by PA standards) and tourism is a lot more active out that way than it was 40 -60 years ago. The main EBT station at Rockhill Furnace / Orbisonia is on US 522 and not far off another big highway in the area, US 22. Only about 10 - 12 ‘crow’ miles north of the PA Turnpike I-76, but there’s no interchange where US 522 crosses it - Willow Hill about 5 miles to the east has crummy local roads, but Fort Littleton is only about 3 - 4 miles west and does have a decent local road paralleling the Turnpike.
Crummy? You get to go up and over the one ridge. Actually a nice/scenic ride, unless someone is terrified of driving on grades.
I LOVE driving on grades, North Jersey’s full of 'em, and that’s where I learned to drive! “If you can make it there, you’ll make it anywhere!”
Even more fun in the dark with poor visability, ask around! [:O]
Yes, but is there any hope at all that any of the rest of the line could be restored? I rode on the EBT about 25 years ago while it was still operating for tourists. I thought the ride was way to short. At that time rails were still in place all the way to Union, PA although they hadn’t been used for years. I think some of the rails are still in place south of Rockhill Furnace as well. Not sure what kind of condition they’re in.
Regards,
Fred M. Cain
There’s always hope, but let’s get them running something somewhere first.
You have to learn to walk before you can run. Zug’s right.
Get one or even better two locomotives up and running. Rehab that five miles of track. Then see what follows.
Follow the vastly more detailed threads on this subject on RyPN if you want details on the pros and cons of opening ‘more of the railroad’ to tourism, and on what kind of schedule. Of course, there are many opinions, not all backed up by the necessary volunteer effort or dedicated finance to make it happen.