KevinM Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 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.
>
>
> [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/112261457@N06/a
> lbums/72157663604205277/with/39315130115/]The Last
> EBT Fall Spectacular[/url]
>
> /Kevin Madore
Pretty cool and great photos, I spent a couple days on the EBT that same year for a special M1 charter. We stayed across the street from the Roundhouse and I spent probably 3-4 hours hanging out talking with the night watchman before calling it a night around 1am. Having access to the Roundhouse and facilities was just amazing. We also spent the better part of one day up there following the line west of Orbisonia--amazing the track is still there. My last day up there me and a good friend spent half the day in Mount Union yard taking it all in--so much to see. EBT is a very neat place to visit and hopefully it will see steam again sometime soon.
William
aka drgwk37
