This is great news. I had known of this car being available 20 years ago, and proposed on an early EBT discussion group that adding it to a collection of eastern narrow gauge equipment at EBT could be part of something bigger. It apparently was kept in a barn since the 1980s, so despite being decrepit, the decay has been slowed down to allow the restoration.
My idea, which was immediately shot down, was that a museum could be established on the Orbisonia campus to present the history of narrow gauge railroads. This greater purpose would tie into the restoration of the EBT, but not compete with it as it would be complementary. Part of the focus would be to provide separate structures for indoor storage of narrow gauge equipment. Of course, this would include a lot of the EBT stuff that sits outside. Note that there already is a trolley museum at Orby - so diversification is not necessarily a bad thing. Anyway, preserving the EBT, as good as it is, may not be enough to capture national attention to the focus of this rural location. I thought a museum with a national focus and a direct ability to connect to the EBT heritage would be a good thing.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/2017 06:20AM by o anderson.