One of my great regrets as a steam railroad photographer is never having made it down to EBT when the Fall Spectaculars really lived up to their name. Back before the new millennium, EBT regularly hosted a fall event that typically included 4 narrow gauge Mikados in steam, and lots of special trains, including coal drags and mixed freights. It had always been on my to-do list, but other things always got in the way.
My first-ever trip to EBT was in July of 2000, when I managed to stop by for a day while on a business trip to nearby Mt. Union. The 14 was running that day, but the 12, the 15 and the 17 were all still operable back then. The FRA curtain came down on the line a couple of years later, and it was never the same. My only real photography trips to the place were in October of 2010, for a Lerro Productions event, and again in October, 2011 for what ultimately proved to be the last Fall Spectacular. On both occasions, the 15 was the only steam left, and by that time, I swear there were more operable EBT hoppers running in Colorado, Oregon and Alaska than there were in Pennsylvania Still, the line put on a good show at both events. Little did I know at the time, but 2011 Spectacular also likely featured the very last photo freights that ever ran at the place. The foggy, gloomy conditions that greeted me each morning were a sign of things to come. Although EBT did operate for Halloween and the Christmas Holidays in late 2011, those would be the last steam operations. The following spring, the place shut down and no one is sure when or if it will ever run again. It is probably the saddest story in preservation railroading.
I've assembled a Flickr Album of my photos from both the 2011 Fall Spectacular and the 2010 event with Pete Lerro for those who would like to see what the last of the freights and yard action looked like. The link follows. Click on the photos to view the captions and other data. Flickr also has an option in the lower right corner of each image to go full screen if desired.
The Last EBT Fall Spectacular
/Kevin Madore
