Re: East Broad Top #16 front flue sheet removal

tgbcvr Wrote:

> Fully understood. Was not looking for a set date,
> but wondered if there was a rough timeline. And
> agreed there's exciting things happening and am
> looking forward to visiting again.
>
> Cheers,
> Ralph

I suspect that a lot of operations which are in the process of restoring locomotives have learned a valuable lesson from the recent experiences of another steam railroad in the eastern US. In their case, they even had charters sold based on a set date......which they ultimately missed by several years. As crews tear into a project, they often find issues they hadn't anticipated, and yes, it can add years to a project.

All of that said, I've read from several (public) sources that the "goal" is to have something running later this year. Always assume later rather than sooner. As you can see in Matthew's excellent photos, parts are still coming out of the 16 (vs. going back in). Relax and enjoy the process. Hold off making travel plans. Two years ago, I would probably have laid a heavy bet that this would never happen and that the EBT collection would end up being parted out in an auction. Thank God there are rail enthusiasts with means.

/Kevin Madore