Heritage Rail Alliance Recognizes EBT Foundation President with 2021 “Friend of Railway Preservation” Award

Last week, the Heritage Rail Alliance presented our very own EBT Foundation President Henry Posner with the "Friend of Railway Preservation" award! We hope you'll join us in saying thank you and congratulations to Henry for sharing his passion, dedication, and expertise with us to help bring the East Broad Top Railroad back to life! Be sure to check out the other amazing organizations and individuals who were celebrated for their accomplishments this year on the Heritage Rail Alliance website. The future is certainly bright for railroad preservation!421 Meadow StreetRockhill Furnace, PA 17249(814) 447-3285 info@eastbroadtop.com THE EBT FOUNDATION INC. IS A 501(C)(3)NON-PROFIT, EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION. Facebook Youtube Instagram

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News Release – June 18th: Archives Team Begins Work at East Broad Top Railroad

Rockhill Furnace, PA: Thanks to grants from the Friends of the East Broad Top and an anonymous donor, a professional archivist and an intern are spending this summer establishing a plan to catalog and preserve the East Broad Top Railroad’s vast archival holdings. But the effort will take years to complete, and the railroad’s new owner, the EBT Foundation, Inc., will need to raise money to pay for it while also rebuilding locomotives, coaches, and track. Julie K. Rockwell, of Huntingdon, Pa. (left), will lead the project. She recently completed a master’s-degree program in museum studies and digital archiving offered by the Johns Hopkins University.…

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News Release – May 6th: Allegheny Foundation Grant Aids EBT’s Return to Picnic Grove

Rockhill Furnace, PA - The prestigious Allegheny Foundation, of Pittsburgh, has made a grant of $100,000 to support the East Broad Top Railroad’s rehabilitation of the Colgate Picnic Grove, the turnaround point for the EBT’s steam-powered trains since 1961. “This grant is unusual because the Allegheny Foundation concentrates its giving in southwestern Pennsylvania,” said Jane Sheffield, a member of the EBT Foundation’s Board of Directors and chair of its Development Committee. “That they were willing to stretch into central Pennsylvania to support this National Historic Landmark railroad in Huntingdon County is a terrific vote of confidence in the EBT Foundation and its plans for reopening…

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News Release – April 15th: Railroad Awarded Grant To Replace Roof on 1927 Gas-Electric Motor

ROCKHILL FURNACE, PA - The John H. Emery Rail Heritage Trust, a prominent supporter of historic passenger-rail projects across the U.S., has granted $15,000 for roof repairs on the East Broad Top Railroad’s unique 1927 gas-electric unit, known as the M-1. The grant is among 22 donations totaling nearly $325,000 that were announced recently by the trust, which backs preservation efforts linked to what the trust’s founder, John H. Emery, called “the golden age of passenger rail” — 1920 to 1960. The M-1 has a 12-seat passenger compartment as well as a compartment for freight and, importantly, sacks of mail. While it was under construction,…

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News Release – February 5th, 2021

News Release | February 5th, 2021 Discovery of Antique Explosives Prompts Cautious Disposal at Historic Railroad  During stabilization work this week on a historic East Broad Top Railroad building, EBT Foundation employees discovered five cases of an undetermined material labeled explosives. Work stopped immediately, and company officials conducted an initial investigation, which led to an in-depth analysis by Specialty Professional Services Incorporated (SPSI) of Washington, PA. It was determined that the material in question was probably decayed dynamite, estimated to be 100 years old. This evaluation also concluded that there was no imminent danger to employees or the surrounding community while further planning for its…

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Nonprofit Buys East Broad Top Railroad, Plans to Renovate and Reopen

Pennsylvania’s storied East Broad Top Railroad has a new owner, a nonprofit foundation organized by a small group of prominent rail-industry figures and longtime EBT fans. The new organization will offer several EBT events in 2020 — the 60th anniversary of the start of tourist service on the railroad — and hopes to resume regular operation in 2021. The organization, called the EBT Foundation Inc., will own approximately 27 miles of the line, from the south end of the concrete-arch bridge over the Aughwick River below Mount Union to the road crossing in Wood Township. The foundation will also own the narrow-gauge railroad’s shops, rolling…

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