The East Broad Top is a narrow guage passenger and freight hauling line in Pennsylvania. The line was originally constructed in the 1870s with the first rail being laid in Mount Union on September 16th, 1872. Construction continued through Aughwick and Shirleysburg and then 11 miles to Orbisonia in 1873. This is where the major shop complexes were established. The railroad would later extend a further 19 miles to Robertsdale into some very rugged territory. Stiff grades upwards of 2%, the stiffest being at Saltillo, Sideling and Raze Hill Tunnels are iconic spots as well as 12 bridges dotting the line. The line was abandoned a first time in April of 1956 and then again in the Fall of 2011. Let's move on to our main locomotives starting with the Mikados. The Small 3 (12-15): EBT 12: East Broad Top #12 is a 2-8-2 Mikado type locomotive built in 1911 by Baldwin Locomotive Works. #12 is the smallest out of the 6 mikes and was found not to be strong enough to pull the heavier trains on the EBT and would spend the later common carrier years sitting in the Orbisonia roundhouse. 12 was the first engine to be brought back for tourism in 1960. 12 would run tourist trains until 2000 being sidelined with firebox issues. In TSW, 12 will only run passenger trains and with the year this is set passengers were in a slight decline. EBT 14: East Broad Top #14 was built in 1912 by Baldwin and is essentially a beefed up version of #12 which meant it could handle the heavier trains, 14 was brought back for tourism sometime in the 60s and ran until 2008. Like the rest of the fleet, they ran till the bitter end in 1956 after coal and passenger demand plummeted and revenue was at an all time low. In TSW, 14 will run lighter freight trains and passengers EBT 15: 15 was built by Baldwin in 1914 and is an exact copy of 14 with the only differences being her whistle, bell and number. 15 was the second engine to be brought back in 1960 for tourism. 15 was the last engine to run when the railroad would close again in 2011. 15 will run the same as 14. The Big 3 (16-18) EBT 16: 16 was built by Baldwin in 1916 as the first of 3 larger mikes for the heavier freights. 16 ran until the end of common carrier operations in 1956 and was also overhauled around that time. 16 was also planned to be restored for tourism in the 60s but her boiler paperwork was destroyed following a water leak in the roundhouse. 16 is now presently being restored to operable condition. EBT 17: 17 was built by Baldwin in 1918. The second of 3 'Big Mikes', 17 did much of the same work as the rest of the fleet. 17 ran until the end in 1956 but was restored in the 60s and ran until 2001. 17 was often used for the EBT's Fall Spectaculars and was often a maintenance pain with superheaters that were constantly on the fritz. EBT 18: 18 is the largest of the 3. Built in 1920, 18 is often regarded as the young one. 18 did the same as the other mikes and ran until the end. Interesting fact, her air compressor is stenciled "tested 3-13-56" which indicates it must've been repaired. (It wouldn't let me attach another picture. So I'll add it under this post.) The Switcher: Nestled in Mount Union sits the dual guage yards where the EBT would interchange with the Pennsylvania Railroad. Knowing this, the EBT bought a small 0-6-0 switch engine numbered 3 in 1923. #3 is still in the Mount Union enginehouse but had no plans of restoration yet. She has suffered light graffiti and water damage from leaks but is otherwise in good condition.
