A tired old horse. In 2023, there is now just one East Broad Top locomotive which has never operated since the line closed down as a common carrier back in 1956. This is EBT Mikado #18, the last locomotive that was ever built for the Pennsylvania-based, narrow gauge line. Delivered in 1920, this old horse has 36 years of hard miles on her. Unlike her sister, #16, which was rebuilt just before the railroad originally shut down, this engine needs a lot of work. When the newly-formed EBT foundation recently evaluated all 6 of the surviving Mikados as restoration candidates, this one was not near the top of the list. In fact, she's rarely seen the light of day in the 67 years since she last ran. Fortunately, she's been stored indoors, so whatever wear she has on her has not been made significantly worse by decades of weathering.
This image was captured during an April, 2023 photo shoot on the East Broad Top Railroad, which feature the newly-restored sister to this engine, the #16. The railroad was kind enough to pull the #18 out of the roundhouse and position her where she could be photographed in the yard. Interestingly, I have noted the presence of what looked like hangars for cab curtains on the #16 and I asked the railroad's Master Mechanic if they still existed. He said the answer was yes, but he laughed and said they looked like the Dead Sea Scrolls, and were in no condition to be used. He pointed to the #18, seen here and suggested that I look at the cab curtains on it, which are still in place...sort of. I can confirm that his Dead Sea Scrolls analogy is pretty accurate. There is not much left except the metal rings and a few tattered pieces of canvas.
A look at the one-time coal-hauler, which ran as a tourist railroad for decades and finally ceased operations in 2011. The album includes photos from an October 2010 charter as well as images from the very last Fall Spectacular in October of 2011.
