# Is there a future for the E.B.T. ?



## S.B.A. (Jul 19, 2009)

I'm not sure if this has already been posted, but in any case I thought I should share (or re-share) this link. http://www.nrhs.com/news/east-broad-top-railroad-orbisonia-pa I am not completely aware of the severity of the situation, but it seems that it should not be taken too lightly. Perhaps many of you know that the Chama to Antonito portion of the D&RGW was in a similar situation in the early '70s, perhaps that could be used as a model for prolonging the life of the E.B.T.


-Sean


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

The situation is not as dire as the NRHS listing makes it out to be. The Kovalchicks (current owners) have made it clear they're committed to seeing the railroad survive; they just don't have the desire to sink money into operating it anymore. If the EBT Preservation Association (the group operating the railroad up until last year) can raise the money, they'll be able to purchase the railroad. Otherwise, I'm told the Kovalchicks will continue to look for other interested buyers. 

Still, it's not an ideal situation by any stretch of the imagination. 

Later, 

K


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

So this statement: "Time is running out: the remaining $6 million must be raised by the end of 2013." 

is not true? On the face of that statement, it sounds dire. Are they "emphasizing" the truth to try to get people moving? 

Or is there a REAL deadline as stated? 

Greg


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

The deadline for the EBTPA to raise the money is real. However, the implication that failure to do so would mean the "end" of the EBT is misleading. The Kovalchicks are still very much interested in seeing the railroad survive, and have been actively supporting restoration efforts on the property to further that goal. If the EBTPA cannot raise the funds, then it's back to square one with a new group. 

Later, 

K


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## Bruce Chandler (Jan 2, 2008)

Hasn't the EBT stopped operating? Isn't that sort of dire...or at least perhaps the start of dire?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I'm not trying to make anyone unhappy, but being realistic, just wanted to know the implications of not raising 6 million in basically 1/2 year. 

So I'm guessig that the offer to sell it to the group for 8 million expires at the end of this year. 

That will be a tough one. And as Bruce states, not operating at all is pretty bad, equipment sitting around unused and not maintained is never good. 

So what do the Kovalchicks say about how long they will wait for a buyer before they sell it for scrap? I cannot believe they will let it sit idle forever hoping for a buyer. 

It seems that April 1 is the one year anniversary of the East Broad Top Preservation Association's 3-year lease expiration... so they have not been operating for a year? 

Upon further research, seems some volunteers are still maintaining the railroad, must be tough not knowing if the railroad will ever run again. 

Greg 

Greg


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Greg Elmassian on 04 May 2013 05:04 PM 
I'm not trying to make anyone unhappy, but being realistic, just wanted to know the implications of not raising 6 million in basically 1/2 year. 

So I'm guessig that the offer to sell it to the group for 8 million expires at the end of this year. 

That will be a tough one. And as Bruce states, not operating at all is pretty bad, equipment sitting around unused and not maintained is never good. 

So what do the Kovalchicks say about how long they will wait for a buyer before they sell it for scrap? I cannot believe they will let it sit idle forever hoping for a buyer. 

It seems that April 1 is the one year anniversary of the East Broad Top Preservation Association's 3-year lease expiration... so they have not been operating for a year? 

Upon further research, seems some volunteers are still maintaining the railroad, must be tough not knowing if the railroad will ever run again. 

Greg 

Greg 

Greg,There have been many EBT situations over the years where deadlines were set and passed without a tragic ending. EBTPA started operating the RR with the intent of raising the funds and buying the property - but that was before this recession hit.

The equipment has been sitting around for years and years. You should go and see the size of the trees growing through the steel hopper cars in the yard at Mt Union. There are 6 (count'em - 6 ) Mikados in the Roundhouse and 4 of them have been sitting around deteriorating since their boiler certificate expired years ago. Not to mention a std gauge switcher (#3) still in the Mt Union engine house that hasn't turned a wheel in 57 years.

On the other hand, half the historic coaches are almost 'life expired' as they have been worn out in tourist service. #14 and #15 are currently being rebuilt by the Friends of EBT volunteers - which is a good thing.

The Kovalchiks seem to understand that they have a priceless National Historic Site on their hands, as they have since 1956 (57 years ago.) It doesn't seem to cost much to hang on to it and there is a lot of land involved. They haven't sold a yard of the original roadbed.
[P.S. They ARE the scrap dealers - they do a big trade in scrap railroads. It has already been 'sold for scrap' so they just need to truck the pieces to their yard and sell the land.]

Yes, it is a shame that we don't know if it will ever run again. If you know someone with $5M to pare, I can think of a good use for it . .


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

The EBTPA's lease ended April '12, and they and the Kovalchicks could not come to an agreement to extend the lease. Thus, the railroad did not operate last Summer/Fall. There was hope that an agreement would be struck in the off season for 2013, but despite rumors that surface every now and then, nothing has yet to come to fruition. That does not mean it won't, but it doesn't look positive. In that right, it is "dire," but at the same time, the EBT's lived with rumors of its demise for as long as I've been visiting; every year ended without knowing whether steam would be raised the next year. If I had a dollar for every time through the years someone (who should know) asked me "is the EBT still running?" I'd have a fleet of Rich Yoder's mikes on my railroad. (Okay, maybe not that often, but often enough.) 

Through all of this, the Friends of the EBT (a separate group from the EBT Preservation Association) has maintained its presence doing restoration work and general upkeep at Rockhill Furnace--this despite trains not running. In terms of historic preservation, _that's_ the key to survival. Yes, trains not running cuts into the public draw, but so long as things are being regularly maintained, the trains not turning wheels is the _only_ physical sign of dormancy. Everything _is_ being cared for. And again, all indiciations seem to be that the Kovalchicks are looking to keeping that relationship going in order to keep the property from falling apart. The Rockhill Trolley Museum _is_ still operating out of Rockhill Furnace, and the shops themselves are available for tours, etc. 

No one can predict the future, and if the Kovalchicks woke up one morning and decided to "pull the plug," they certainly could. But it would be a departure from their long-held position of wanting to see the railroad survive. They've turned down offers in the past because of concerns about the railroad's future with whoever the new operators would have been. And if they wanted to sell off or scrap the "unused" portions of the railroad, they could certainly do that as well at any time. 

I would say that raising $6 million between now and the end of the year is probably the best shot at survival for the EBT. Certainly every year the trains don't run isn't helping the situation any. But at the same time, the notion that the railroad would simply be "sold at auction" if a deal can't be struck seems a bit peculiar; why go through the trouble of raising the money if you know you can just buy it at auction later on? Or, who's to say that if it was to be sold at auction, it would spell the end of the railroad? A scrap dealer buying a railroaod for scrap value, and then deciding to operate it as a tourist line? Nah... never happen.  

To be an EBT fan is to be a perpetual optimist... 

Later, 

K


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

Do they have anything set up for people to make donations via Paypal?


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