East Broad Top Pictorial 2001

Summer Celebration, June 6-7, 2001

These photos are presented in roughly chronological order. Person and vehicle identifications are always in the order from left to right. All photos taken with a Canon Eos RebelXS camera with either a Tamron 28-80mm lens or a Canon 75-300mm lens. Film is Kodak Gold 100. All photos in this section copyright 2001 by William Adams.

#20 [2001jun6,orby1] 600x408 (45k) - 1200x816 (121k)
First class car #20 spotted at the station for boarding.

Orbisonia Platform [2001jun6,platform] 600x408 (52k) - 1200x815 (138k)
Preparing to depart.

First Train [2001jun6,orby2] 600x406 (47k) - 1200x811 (130k)
The crew boards #15 for the first train of the season.

#15 Waits [2001jun6,orby3] 600x408 (68k) - 1200x815 (198k)
#15 simmers between trains.

Blacksmith Shop [2001jun6,smith1] 600x405 (62k) - 1200x810 (164k)
Looking SE in the blacksmith shop. At left is the steam hammer, and at right is the mechanical hammer.

Blacksmith Shop [2001jun6,smith2] 600x409 (60k) - 1200x817 (163k)
Shiny new flue tubes destined for the locomotives.

Blacksmith Shop [2001jun6,smith3] 600x408 (52k) - 1200x816 (135k)
Overhead roof trusses with the top of the steam hammer and the overhead trolley track used to help move heavy items around the shop.

Blacksmith Shop [2001jun6,smith4] 600x412 (58k) - 1200x824 (148k)
A slightly racked and somewhat stocked stock rack. It holds raw tube, round, square, and hex rods. For the same reason a hobby shop will have a display rack of brass tubes & rods, so the EBT had one (several really) in iron.

Blacksmith Shop [2001jun6,smith6] 600x407 (60k) - 1200x813 (153k)
Here's that stock rack from the side.

Blacksmith Shop [2001jun6,smith5] 323x480 (28k) - 605x900 (68k)
June 1954. The railroad would close 2 years later.

Blacksmith Shop [2001jun6,smith7] 600x409 (58k) - 1200x818 (155k)
One of the forges.

Blacksmith Shop [2001jun6,smith9] 323x480 (40k) - 606x900 (100k)
A closeup of the forge showing the rest and melted firebricks.

Blacksmith Shop [2001jun6,smith10] 600x406 (65k) - 1200x811 (176k)
The two forges along the east side of the shop.

Blacksmith Shop [2001jun6,smith11] 321x480 (41k) - 602x900 (103k)
Leaf spring fabrication and repair was a regular job for the EBT's blacksmiths.

Blacksmith Shop [2001jun6,smith8] 600x410 (52k) - 1200x820 (144k)
The annealing oven, where steel leaf springs were given their springiness through controlled heating and cooling. Note the counterweights on the doors, they're cart wheels and link&pin coupler pockets, no longer needed after the EBT switched to automatic couplers.

Blacksmith Shop [2001jun6,smith12] 600x403 (52k) - 1200x806 (143k)
Looking north from the shop-side door.

Foundry Hoist [2001jun6,foundhoist] 600x405 (43k) - 1200x810 (115k)
A detail shot of the trolley on the foundry hoist. This allowed the load to be moved radially in and out from the hoist.

Casting Tumbler [2001jun6,tumbler] 600x407 (53k)
A tumbler in the foundry used to clean flash from the castings.

Colgate Grove [2001jun6,15colgate] 320x480 (52k) - 600x900 (136k)
#15 pauses on the wye at Colgate Grove.

RTM Extension [2001jun6,blacklog] 324x480 (55k) - 607x900 (142k)
The Rockhill Trolley Museum has extended tracks along the EBT's former Shade Gap branch to Rt 522 at Blacklog Narrows. At this time, the track is laid and ballasted, awaiting final aligning and tamping.

Scale Car [2001jun6,scalecar1] 600x405 (60k) - 1200x810 (169k)
For the first time in many years, the EBT had its scale test car out. This car had a known weight (30000 pounds) and was used to calibrate the narrow gauge track scales.

Scale Car [2001jun6,scalecar2] 324x480 (41k) - 607x900 (101k)
The "B" end of the scale test car, with similar hand brake to that on the Orbisonia.

Scale Car [2001jun6,scalecar3] 600x410 (50k) - 1200x820 (132k)
Some of the contractor's equipment in Mt. Union.

Tank Car [2001jun6,tankcar1] 600x410 (46k) - 1200x819 (127k)
EBT #116, the single remaining EBT tank car. Built from a steel flatcar, it is still used in photo freight service.

Tank Car [2001jun6,tankcar2] 325x480 (38k) - 609x900 (103k)
The retainer on the end of the tank.

Tank Car [2001jun6,tankcar3] 600x405 (56k) - 1200x809 (161k)
EBT #116 in profile.

Machine Shop [2001jun6,shop1] 326x480 (43k) - 612x900 (107k)
The machine shop. At center is the electric motor mounted on an unused planer which was used to power the overhead line shafts after the railroad discontinued use of the twin boilers.

Rockhill [2001jun6,shop2] 600x410 (51k) - 1200x819 (146k)
Looking west between the machine shop at leftand the blacksmith shop at right.

Rockhill [2001jun6,shop3] 600x403 (39k) - 1200x805 (118k)
Looking north between the balcksmith shop at left and the foundry at right. The 4 rails in the grass are 3-foot gauge in the center and standard gauge to either side, allowing more efficient nesting of wheelsets for contracted machining.

Rockhill [2001jun6,shop4] 323x480 (30k) - 606x900 (71k)
Looking southeast atthe machine shop. Those are narrow gauge wheelsets.

Rockhill [2001jun6,shop5] 324x480 (32k) - 608x900 (78k)
Looking north. At left is the sand tower, beyond it the stone farmhouse that stood before the EBT bought the property in the 1870's. Beyond the farmhouse it is the roundhouse and attached bus garage. At right is the boiler shop.

Engine Service [2001jun6,15service] 600x407 (58k) - 1200x814 (146k)
After returning to Orbisonia station, there's still plenty of work to do. Here the engineer cleans the ashes from the fire.

Boxcar #170 [2001jun6,box170] 600x402 (53k) - 1200x804 (142k)
EBT #170, a wooden sheathed boxcar with steel frame is the oldest freight car on the property and also sees photo freight service.

Shed [2001jun6,shed1] 600x404 (52k) - 1200x808 (147k)
EBT sheds on the wye in Rockhill.

Shed [2001jun6,shed2] 600x402 (72k)
The shed inside the wye was recently stabilized and sits on a new wooden foundation.

Rockhill Wye [2001jun6,track] 323x480 (46k) - 607x900 (115k)
A westward view along the dual gauge portion of the Rockhill wye. This is a handy illustration of a narrow gauge diverging switch and beyond it a standard gauge diverging switch.

Saltillo Station [2001jun6,salt1] 600x406 (49k) - 1200x812 (138k)
Saltillo station still stands.

Saltillo Station [2001jun6,salt2] 600x402 (59k) - 1200x803 (161k)
Saltillo station.

page by Bill Adams