An Eventful Weekend at the East Broad Top
On February 16th, 2023, my wife, myself, and our 6 month old baby headed into the mountains of central Pennsylvania. Before I continue further, yes, this post is just a few months late - but the story is hopefully no less engaging now than it was then! To anyone with an ear to the ground in the railfan community, the reason for our trip is probably no secret. The East Broad Top was welcoming the return of steam for the first time since the line’s sudden closure following the 2011 season, with the reintroduction of newly restored Baldwin 2-8-2 #16. Before the inaugural public run during the annual Winter Spectacular on the 17th, the EBT had planned a private excursion exclusively for shareholders, dignitaries, and official supporters of the railroad. My employer had been granted one seat on the train, which was generously allocated to me less than 24 hours before the train was due to depart. So after a hectic night of planning and getting our baby ready for her first overnight trip away, we arrived at a cold and overcast Orbisonia station to witness (and experience) history.
This wasn’t my first time at the EBT - I had ridden the train during one of the final seasons with the previous owners, in 2009. At the time, the railroad was showing its age, with rough track and weeds-a-plenty, but it was nevertheless an atmospheric experience. Fast forward 12 years and I was given a preview of just how far the new owners had brought the railroad in the their first year, in 2021, with a tour of the authentically preserved (and operational!) shop complex - again, thanks to my employer. Now, standing on the platform in 2023 with the smell of coal smoke mixed with freshly painted passenger cars lingering in the winter air, it was hard to believe that the entire operation had been near-derelict just two years earlier.
Boarding the train, the smell of new wood filled the cars. Things were certainly different now, as #16’s whistle blew and the train slowly lurched forward - pulling passengers for the first time since its firebox went cold in 1956 (#16 was never reactivated under the previous ownership). The ride was much smoother than I had remembered, and - granted, it was mid-winter - but there were no weeds to be seen amid the fresh ballast and newly laid ties. The ride took the traditional route to the wye at Colgate Grove that so many had traversed in the previous 5o years, however plans for expansion southwards were enthusiastically discussed throughout the journey. The train returned to the station a mere 45 minutes later, with many satisfied smiles greeting the platform staff.
During the journey I got talking with a team member of another interesting rail operation based in Orbisonia, albeit one of a very different nature. Since 2020, under the name of Pop Up Metro, this company (officially under the oversight of the Railroad Development Corporation - owners of the Iowa Interstate Railroad) had been testing a pair of former London Underground “D Stock” multiple units that had been converted to run entirely on battery power, rather than conventional 3rd (or in London’s case) 4th rail electrification. The trains were being tested at the adjacent Rockhill Trolley Museum, which operates on another former East Broad Top branch now converted to standard gauge for streetcar operation. Their eventual goal is to market these trains, along with custom-made temporary platforms, to cities and regions exploring the potential of commuter rail, allowing them to demonstrate proof-of-concept with actual passengers, instead of relying on projected numbers and feasibility studies.
For me, the interest in these cars was personal, as I grew up partially in the UK, and have had family in London my entire life. In fact, my grandmother lived within a block of the very line these trains ran on. I delicately asked if it would be possible to see the cars as we approached Orbisonia on the return journey, and to my delight, the response was “sure - want to go for a ride?”. Once we de-boarded the East Broad Top, myself and several other interested passengers followed the Pop Up Metro staff across the yard to their storage track. A few short minutes later, and the former London Underground D Stock appeared from the shed. We boarded at their temporary high-level platform and I was immediately hit with nostalgia from my college days and before. Although the colors were updated to match the striking external paint scheme, the configuration of the interior was largely the same as I remembered from their service life in London. As we made our way down the track, things got even better. The staff member I had talked with turned to our small group and said; “So who wants to drive it?”
After letting a couple of other riders go first, I took my seat at the controls, and crossed a most unlikely item for the day off of my bucket list - I operated a London Underground train! Returning to the station, I texted my wife for her and our baby to meet us for a second trip up the line. On this trip we both got to take turns at the controls, which was an exhilarating experience even for my non-railfan wife! As we passed trees, homes, and alongside a creek, I couldn’t help but reflect on how my baby’s first train ride was on a London Underground train in rural Pennsylvania, while both her mom and dad were driving!
After returning to Orbisonia, it was time to head to the hotel. We’d booked across the river from the Norfolk Southern mainline in nearby Huntingdon and were fortunate enough to get a room with a clear view of the tracks. While wife and baby rested, I headed out to catch some of the mainline action within walking distance from the hotel, arriving just in time to catch the westbound Amtrak Pennsylvanian making its daily station stop. Not long after Amtrak’s departure, several unit coal trains came through, followed by an intermodal and a unit autorack train. Having caught 6 trains, the cold was beginning to become less bareable, so I returned to the hotel.
The next morning I headed out at first light back to Orbisonia to catch the official inaugural steam run at the East Broad Top. This was a recreation freight - the type you would normally have to sign up to chase - with the only seats available to passengers being in the caboose. The crowd was, not unexpectedly, substantially larger than the previous day, but the sun was shining, and #16 put on an excellent show. Following the freight, the consist was switched out, and replaced with the same passenger consist of brand new cars from the previous day. After chasing this, I stuck around for one run of the Brill Doodlebug, which was operating between steam runs, before heading back to the hotel to help pack up and check out.
We made one final stop at the railroad to catch some of the trolley museum’s operations, including their Brill “Bullet”, several trams from Portugal, and the star attraction - the Red Arrow Lines “Liberty Liner”; one of only two “Electroliners” built originally for the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee interurban route. The final catch of the day was a meet between the Liberty Liner and the EBT excursion led by #16. An excellent way to end what was a truly remarkable trip!