by Alex Mayes
To mark the 60th anniversary of its opening as a tourist railroad, the East Broad Top Railroad held a three-day celebration August 13-15, 2020. The event also celebrated the purchase of the railroad by the EBT Foundation. The original East Broad Top was a three-foot gauge common carrier which hauled primarily coal from central Pennsylvania to a connection with Pennsylvania Railroad in Mount Union, Pa. Due to declining revenue, the EBT was shut down in 1956 and was purchased by the Kovalchick Salvage Company, whose owner, Nick Kovalchick, recognized the significance of this incredible 19th century railroad and decided to preserve it rather than scrap it. In 1960 the EBT came back to life as a tourist railroad, hauling passengers aboard steam-powered trains from the Orbisonia station to Colgate Grove, 4.5 miles to the north…
Mikado 17 is coupled to vintage freight cars in the Orbisonia yard on August 12, 2020. Alex Mayes photo