By Railfan & Railroad Staff
The Friends of the East Broad Top announced this weekend during their annual reunion that they hoped to raise $220,000 in 2024, to fund a number of major projects on the iconic Pennsylvania narrow gauge railroad. Among the projects that will be supported will be an effort to reopen the rail line south of Rockhill Furnace; rebuild the EBT station at Saltillo, buy a new tender tank for 2-8-2 15; begin planning a new engine house at Robertsdale; and continue supporting the EBT’s archives and special collections program.
The 2024 campaign’s goal is significantly more than this year’s goal of $180,000. However, the group’s supporters helped the non-profit steam past that goal, raising more than $265,000 this year. The extra money has allowed the Friends to accelerate several key projects, including putting a new roof on the Boiler Shop in the railroad’s expansive circa-1910 shop complex.
“The enthusiastic support of our donors has allowed us to take on projects we would not have imagined a few years ago,” said FEBT President Andy Van Scyoc. “FEBT continues to make phenomenal progress that is readily apparent to every visitor.”
The Friends of the EBT, founded 40 years ago, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. While separate from the EBT Foundation, Inc., which owns and operates the East Broad Top Railroad, the two organizations work closely to preserve, restore, and interpret the East Broad Top.
“The partnership between FEBT and the EBT Foundation is critical to the successful rebirth of the East Broad Top,” said Brad Esposito, the EBT’s general manager. “The fruits of that partnership have been nothing short of amazing in the past three years.”
The 2024 campaign will aim to support:
— Rebuilding the EBT station in Saltillo ($50,000) to plans drawn up by John Bowie, a preservation architect who has donated his time. This amount will allow a contractor to construct the building shell, with FEBT volunteers then finishing the interior.
— Reopening track towards Pogue ($40,000) by purchasing ties and other necessary materials. This effort, the first step in the railroad’s return to Saltillo, will restore to service track unused since the end of the common-carrier era in 1956.
— Planning to rebuild the Robertsdale enginehouse ($10,000) as an additional part of FEBT’s Robertsdale museum. The museum, open every Saturday during the railroad’s operating season, has been a remarkable success.
— Paying for a new tender tank for No. 15 ($50,000), the next steam locomotive to be returned to service. No. 15 was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1914.
— Expanding work in the Archives ($70,000) by adding more staff hours each week. The archives team has made tremendous progress organizing what are estimated to be 5,000 linear feet of materials of every description, but much remains to be done.
Donations can be made online through the FEBT Company Store (store.febt.org/donate) or by sending a check payable to the FEBT to Karen Bulman, FEBT Fundraising Treasurer, P.O. Box 43063, Cincinnati, OH 45243.
