East Broad Top Shops to run overhead belting again

I don't know if others here have heard of this, however but I figured I would post it here. New Deluxe Shop Tour for EBT 2011 Fall Spectacular

New for the East Broad Top Railroad's 2011 Fall Spectacular is a "Deluxe" shop tour. During this special two hour tour, all the machinery that has been restored by Friends of the EBT volunteers over the past decade will be operated and demonstrated to attendees.
Of special note, during the 2011 Deluxe Tours will be the first public operation of part of the EBT's line shaft system. It will be used to power a piece of machinery from the stationary steam engine (operated on compressed air.) This is the first time since 1956 this has occurred. In total it is expected at most four shafts in the system and six pieces of machinery will operate for the tour. Such a demonstration of the EBT's historic maintenance shops has never been offered before.
The traditional 45 minute tour will still be available to visit the shops without equipment in operation. Traditional shop tours will be held Saturday and Sunday at 10:00, 11:30, 1:00 and 4:00. The 2 hour Deluxe Shop Tours will be held Friday 10-7-11 at 5:00 PM and Saturday 10-8-11 at 3:00 PM. Traditional Tours are $10 per person all ages. The Deluxe Tours are $20 and are limited to visitors age 12 and older. Children are not permitted on the Deluxe Tour but are welcome on the Traditional Tour.

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Too bad I can't go but what an awesome place I must say having been there once before.

Adam,
Thanks for posting this.
It is nice to see that they have come a long way since I visited there in1982 or 83 .
Maybe one day I will get a chance to visit again.
Regards ,
Jim

I am actually wondering how the heck that building is going to support such vibration. Perhaps they won't be running all of the lineshaft but just a small section. I am assuming that it is well thought out but if memory serves me correctly I recall when I visited a few years ago looking at one building there I don't remember if it were the machine shop proper or maybe it was the foundry where they had a door 3-4ft high. It seemed a little goofy at first till one realized that the whole building literally sank 3or so feet into the ground.

I would hold EBT, Watts Campbell, and Edison Labs West Orange, Ct as being the top 3 time capsules I have ever been through. Anyone here a part of this project, or know what has been done to support the ceiling if they all of a sudden turn on all that old line shaft or is it in better shape than memory leads me to believe?

EBT line shaft demo and buildings

adammil1 said:

I am actually wondering how the heck that building is going to support such vibration. Perhaps they won't be running all of the lineshaft but just a small section. I am assuming that it is well thought out but if memory serves me correctly I recall when I visited a few years ago looking at one building there I don't remember if it were the machine shop proper or maybe it was the foundry where they had a door 3-4ft high. It seemed a little goofy at first till one realized that the whole building literally sank 3or so feet into the ground.

I would hold EBT, Watts Campbell, and Edison Labs West Orange, Ct as being the top 3 time capsules I have ever been through. Anyone here a part of this project, or know what has been done to support the ceiling if they all of a sudden turn on all that old line shaft or is it in better shape than memory leads me to believe?

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The leaning building you are thinking of is the Blacksmith Shop. It has a small amount of line shafting inside but that is not part of (or close to) the demo section. Since you mentioned the Blacksmith Shop we are raising funds to have a professional barn repair company (it's post and beam) come in and straighten the building and then the volunteers will repair the siding, windows, interior and paint.

http://www.febt.org/blacksmith.pdf

The parts of the buildings where the line shafting was operated was in pretty bad shape structurally several years ago but an enormous amount of work was been done on the structure in the past five years. A massive beam that supports the west side of the Boiler Shop and the east end of the Machine Shop was replaced. IT was mulch with cribbing erected in the late 80's holding the roof up. The west wall of the Loco Shop was jacked up and about 50' of new sill installed under it as well as about 15' of new will in the Boiler Shop. The south end of the Foundry was lifted and new support posts installed. The Coal Bin was mostly demolished and rebuilt. The east wall of the Boiler House was substantially rebuilt with new brick and timber. The Boiler house has a completely new roof. That's the big stuff.

Hopefully in the coming years more shafting will come back into operation. There are about 45+ shafts in total (including counter shafts, jack shafts, idler shafts) in six buildings. Right now we have four running, two off the engine and two from electric motors.

The work on the machinery and shafts is really secondary to the restoration work on the buildings themselves, kind of something we do as we have time. Stabilizing and restoring the buildings helps safeguard the future for the machines and shafting. As the buildings come back into line, it makes it possible to reline the shafting.

If you have not been out recently you should pay us a visit. The railroad will be operating the end of its regular season October 22/23 and 29/30. Standard shops tours are usually available depending on availability of volunteers.

EBT Railroad:
East Broad Top Railroad Preservation Association
FEBT Friends group:
Friends of the East Broad Top

I was just there two weeks ago and attended the deluxe tour of the machine shop.....wow! I was impressed with the amount and size of the machinery. Certainly my type of machine shop. There are two cincinnati planers in the picture.

Only been there once, and the snow was about knee deep, but got a spectacular private tour. It was wonderful. Most likely the oldest L&S lathes one will ever see are there. Also, in the photos, the planer on the left still has the large motor mounted on it, with the table being moved as a belt tightener. Those old guys were crafty!

The Friends are doing great things there, and should be commended. I know what dedication is required for such a restoration to succeed.

Both the L&S lathes are 1905--The 1906 lathes had 4 bolts holding the compounds down--The EBT lathes have two, as did a 24"heavy (the EBT 24" is a "light") that I had at one time.

As a member of to the trolley group, I bored an axle bearing on the EBT's 24" in 1975 or 76, and this was the last that any of the lathes ran until the latest rebuilding done by the FEBT.

For a number of years I conducted shop tours during the Fall Spectacular, and have some paperwork and notes from back in 1953 when the RR was still running.
The union wages list has the highest paid being the foreman of the machine and boiler shop, at IIRC $1.05/hr the man with the most seniority was a helper, and was the lowest paid shop person

HABR documented the shops sometime in the '60's, but unfortunately made several mistakes in the machine descriptions, due to the ignorance of the Assistant General Manager at the time. For instance the Steptoe Shaper is listed as "metal cutter", the slotter as "boring machine"!

Herb Kephart

More pictures of the machine shop. My son and nephew are in some of theses pictures.