East Broad Top sells out Winter Spectacular

East Broad Top Railroad’s freshly restored 2-8-2 Mikado locomotive No. 16 delighted admirers over the weekend by pulling a full schedule of eight passenger trains and two photo freights for the road’s annual Winter Spectacular. All trains were sold out.

The event was a landmark in several ways. First, No. 16 (Baldwin, 1916) has not run since 1956, when the original common-carrier version of the 33-mile narrow gauge coal railroad in southcentral Pennsylvania shut down for the first time. After a three-year restoration, the engine was steamed up two weeks ago and has made breakin trips in the yard and on the main line.

Master Mechanic Dave Domitrovich, who oversaw the restoration and served as engineer for some trips, declared the engine’s performance in its new public role to be “perfect — couldn’t ask for anything more.”

The second item of note is that this was the first steam-powered edition of the winter event in 42 years. As a steam tourist carrier from 1960 to 2011, EBT held a tradition of running an annual winter railfan festival on the weekend preceding Presidents’ Day. After the February 1981 event, the celebration eventually moved to fall.

Finally, this was the first time the railroad deployed all four of its new passenger cars, built by Hamilton Manufacturing of Bellingham, Wash. The first of the cars was delivered July 2022.

The first three cars were 52-seat coaches, but the body of the fourth car, a 40-seat combine with electric wheelchair lifts on both sides, arrived just a week before the event. EBT rushed to get it roadworthy for the weekend, and, at least on Sunday, it was actually used for that purpose.

Crowds were large on both days. Authorities placed flares on the centerline and on both sides of U.S. 522 for a quarter-mile to remind train-chasers to drive safely. The highway parallels the track for about 3 miles. At one spot, cars were parked bumper-to-bumper on both sides of the highway.

In addition to the regular trains and M-1 gas-electric, the road’s five-seater M-3 gas-powered inspection car, converted from a 1928 Nash auto, carried a total of more than 200 riders on short hops. These trips toured trackwork that is advancing southward on the main line about a mile, with a goal of eventually opening up the line as far as Three Springs, Saltillo, Coles, and Robertsdale. —

Two photos, Dan Cupper A Winter Spectacular photo freight moves into position, approaching the Rockhill Furnace, Pa., station.

No. 16 leads a train with three coaches, a new combine with wheelchair lifts, and caboose.