FEBT Timber Transfer
Vol 13, No. 4
Spring, 1997
Contents:
TT 13-4 Mixed Freight:
Arford, EBT Handcar Make the "Discovery"
On Friday, May 2, Friends of the East Broad Top sponsored the EBT More Than a
Train Ride (MTATR) information booth at the second annual Discover Fair, held
at Altoona, Pennsylvania's Jaffa Mosque. Sarah Endriss, MTATR project
coordinator, and Reginald Arford, FEBT Director and museum curator,
distributed information about the EBT, FEBT, and the community projects
organized by MTATR along the EBT corridor to the more than 1,000 school
children and their families who visited this year's Fair. The star exhibit of
the FEBT-MTATR display was the East Broad Top Railroad handcar from our
museum collection. As the photograph demonstrates, Reggie and the handcar
attracted plenty of attention! Among the FEBT members who assisted Reggie in
transporting the handcar from Robertsdale to Altoona for the occasion were
Jim Bacon, Vagel Keller, Ruth Kosowski, and Bill Miller.
New Kit from Baltimore Custom Car Shops
Bob King, whose flatcar kit was reviewed in the last issue of the Timber
Transfer, has released another kit in On3. This is for the EBT's interesting
little maintenance of way tool car. This little four-wheel buggy was usually
found trailing behind one of the EBT's speeders, or parked on a handcar
set-out stub along the line where track work was being performed. The
prototype is still extant at the Rockhill shop complex. The kit utilizes a
Grandt Line Fairmont push car kit as a base. The body is a detailed resin
casting, to which the peaked roof is added. Kits such as this provide the
detail and texture that help animate the model railroad scene. The kit lists
for $15.00. Contact Baltimore Custom Car Shops at 3418 Woodstock Ave.,
Baltimore, MD 21213-1123, or call Bob at 410-366-7328 for further information.
Hickory Ridge Models Releases M-3, Trucks in HOn3
Hickory Ridge Models has released two new EBT items in HO scale. The first is
a brass model of the M-3 inspection vehicle. This little unit is not much
bigger than a minute, as the photo comparison to a nickel shows. At the
moment, the models come unpowered. However, Hickory Ridge is working on a
mechanism for this unit. There is a shortage of the 10mm x 10mm motors needed
to fit inside the unit. The workmanship on the models appears to be of high
quality, and even as a static piece, it should find a home on many layouts.
The model is priced at $169.95. The company has also released brass Vulcan
trucks. They are well-detailed, and pivot on one side for equalization, which
should provide excellent tracking over less-than-perfect track. The trucks
are $13.50 per pair. There is a discount available for purchasing five or
more pair. Write for details. Hickory Ridge Models can be contacted at Box
212, Kimberton, PA 19442.
EBT Featured on CNN
The East Broad Top once again has been featured before a national television
audience. Last year it was featured in a program detailing the National Trust
for Historic Preservation's "11 Most Endangered" landmarks. Last summer, the
film team from CNN's "Across America" program filmed a feature on the EBT and
the efforts at its preservation. Host Larry Woods rode the train, toured the
shops, and interviewed some of the principals involved in the preservation
effort, including Stanley Hall, Nathan Kovalchick, and Martin Brown. The
program was first aired on Sunday, May 11th. The film piece ran six minutes,
followed by a live studio discussion for another five minutes.
The "Across America" series appears to be CNN's answer to the old "On the
Road" program that featured Charles Karault on CBS. While CNN may not have
CBS' market, it is still an important venue. The piece on the EBT was
scheduled to run throughout the following week, which should considerably
increase its impact. Only good things can come from such broad public
exposure.
Contract Awarded for Repair of Robertsdale Post Office
FEBT President Hank Inman has announced the awarding of a contract for
structural repairs to the old Post Office owned by FEBT in Robertsdale, PA.
The contract between FEBT and Rex Smith General Construction of Huntingdon
was signed on June 2, 1997. Included in the contract are: repair,
reinforcement and shingling the roof, installation of gutters and drainpipes;
exterior drainage improvements; restoration of the windows and replacement of
the "lost" portion of the front wall; sealing of the crawl space and
installation of rough plumbing; and repairs and reinforcement of the second
floor. As of the end of the first week in June, the crawl space had already
been concreted and a sump pit installed. Materials were being assembled to
begin roof repairs, which is the likely next step.
The total contract comes to approximately $46,000. Of this, half will be paid
for by the combination grant and loan program awarded to FEBT by the
Southwestern Pennsylvania Heritage Preservation Commission. The terms of the
grant/loan allow for credit for "sweat equity" labor to be counted. By terms
of the grant/loan program, all funds have to be committed for reimbursement
by September 1, 1997. Therefore, this phase of the rehabilitation of the Post
Office should be complete in time for the Reunion this fall. To date, the
efforts of volunteer crews working at the Robertsdale site have totaled over
$5,000. Additional volunteer work will be needed again this year, both on the
Post Office and the EBT depot. For information on volunteering, contact Hank
Inman at 2016 Park
Avenue, Richmond, VA 23220. Phone (804) 353-0817.
East Broad Top Begins 1997 Season
Spring is the season of rebirth, and once again the EBT awoke from winter
slumber to face once again an uncertain future. Approximately 25 members of
FEBT assembled at Orbisonia to mark the beginning of the 1997 operating
season on the EBT. In line with most of the weather this spring in the
mid-Atlantic region, Saturday June 7 started off damp, and stayed cloudy and
chilly all day. Despite the weather, the turnout on this first day appeared
to be decent. Locomotive No. 14, with veteran Tom Holder at the throttle, did
the honors. The next day, Sunday, was sunny and warmer. The visitors included
a bus-load of folks on a tour of industrial heritage sites sponsored by the
Smithsonian Institution. The EBT will retain it's operating pattern of recent
years, running weekends-only, with trains departing Orbisonia Station at
11:00 a.m., 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.
