Really now. If, as Mr. K. fears, the Feds shut down EBT, does that mean it gets sold for scrap (again) and is gone? Maybe. I don't advocate that circumstance, but I am beginning to wonder if it will take such a crisis to change the status of the decaying artifacts from Robertsdale to Mt. Union. If it were not for the threat of no rails between Chama and Antonito, there would not have been a movement to save them. If Edaville never closed we probably would not see as much the widespread revival and restoration of Maine 2 footers. There is something about being stuck with a crucible of a situation - the Phoenix arises.
The current status of EBT has its upsides and downsides. One thing that seems to have been a negative for a long time (though I may be wrong) was that the FEBT is powerless to do very much about preserving the entire line. In the many discussions about this, it seems that EBT fans say "See it while you can." and are resigned to the assumption that probably one day most of the roofs will cave in, or equipment will be permanently sidelined. They don't hold the cards, nor does a historical commission.
I think that because opportunities are limited, the FEBT restoration that is undertaken does not draw a big crowd. I personally have no interest in travelling to NJ to work on the coach, even though I think it is a crucial project. I do plan to work at Robertsdale or Saltillo, if my schedule allows it in the future. But the projects I would most like to work on are not now part of the FEBT scope.
But maybe all this will change. I hope that in a few years, when this discussion board refers to restoration by the "Friends" it has to distinguish between the FEBT and the FCTS! Or on the other hand, maybe Mr. K. will find an amazing wellspring of money and things improve that way.