RE: EBT night ops.
Checking the gospel of Rainey & Kyper's EBT book- On June 3rd 1949 they note EBT starting at 3:45 AM with the miners train crew reported for duty at Orbisonia and departing southbound at 4:25 AM with train #8 with Mike #16 and 12 hoppers and a miners coach and a caboose. They went to Alvan, switched the mines there and returned north all the way to Mount Union with 16 loaded coal hoppers. after dropping these cars at Mount Union they returned to Orbisonia with 15 empty hoppers and 4 rock cars.
The next crew on duty was a stone crew to work the NARCO branch and Misc other freight on the line. This day the stone crew used Mike #15 and left Orbisonia for Mount Union at 5:21 AM with 15 loads of coal, 2 std gage empties, and a loaded std. gage gon (scrap steel?). After dropping and turning at Mount Union they came south with 17 coal hoppers and 9 rock cars. The picked up 5 more rock cars at Orbisonia and continued south. At Saltillo they dropped the rock empties and continued south. At 3 Springs they picked up a boxcar and continued south now with the 17 hoppers to Robertsdale. They left Robertsdale with only a caboose and went down the mountain to pick up the rock cars and shove them up the steep NARCO branch for the quarry. They brought down 18 stone loads back to the main, dropped 2 and took 16 loads and caboose to Mount Union. After dropping these they returned to Orbisonia with 20 empties and marked off at 2:08PM.
The next train called out was the mail run with Mike #18 at 7:00 AM. No 1 left northbound with 22 coal loads and a combine. Turning at Mount Union and now as train #2 it headed south with 22 empties and the mail going all the way to Woodvale. Turing and coming north as train #3, they had 22 loads and after a crew change in Orbisonia continued on to Mount Union. Dropping the loads they turned and came south with 22 empties and the coach. Timetable had it only running as far as Saltillo but on this day they had orders to go all the way to Roberstdale and back to Orbisonia again. Coming north they had 13 coal loads and the 2 stone loads dropped earlier at Satillo by earlier stone crew. When this train tied up at 8:20 PM it was the last move of the day.
The last train out this day was Mike #14 with soutbound out of Orbisonia with 18 empties at 7:30 AM. Upon arrival at Alvan it spent 5 hours switching the various mines and then assembled a train of 17 hoppers and a miners coach and caboose, departed Alvan at 2:05 and tied up back at Orbisonia at 3:35 PM.
Holy cow what a busy little railroad! Since this was June the start of ops was in darkness and ops ended at dusk.
Todd
