The Engine They Left in the Shed

When the federal survey team walked the East Broad Top yard, this is part of what they found. A concrete block engine house going soft at the edges, tracks running out of it lined with abandoned EBT coal hoppers, and inside, still sitting where it had been left, a switch engine that once worked these yards.

The survey also noted what had grown up along the Route 522 side of the same yard by then: a supermarket, a drug store and a bank.

One end of the property was a parking lot. The other end had a locomotive in a shed.

From the record

Passages about this subject, quoted from county histories now in the public domain. Each one names the book and the position in the text so it can be checked. Spelling is as printed.

Andrews Knight; Seeretary, J. Donaldson; General Superintendent, George F. The East Broad Top Railroad., Simultaneous with the movements looking towards the construction of a railroad from Huntingdon to reach the western side of the Broad Top coal field, efforts were made to organize companies to build a road from Mapleton or Mount Union to the eastern side. Meetings were held at several points in the southeastern part of Huntingdon County to awaken the citizens to the importance of the project. The result was the granting of a charter, March 24, 1848, for the formation of the " Drake's Ferry and Broad Top Railroad Company," but subsequent efforts to organize the company failed. The East Broad Top Railroad and Coal Company was organized under an act approved April 16, 1856. The work of construction was commenced on the 16th of September, 1872, and the road opened for business to Orbisonia, a distance of eleven miles from its northern terminus, Mount Union Station, on the Pennsylvania Railroad, on the 80th of August, 1873, and to Robertsdale, the southern terminus, on the 4th of November, 1874. The length of the main line is thirty miles; gauge, three feet. The DC are: President, William A. Ingham; Vice-President, Edward Roberta, Jr.; Secretary and Treasurer, W. Jacobs: Chief Engineer, General Manager, and General Superintendent, A.J. Simpson Africa, History of Huntingdon and Blair Counties, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts, 1883) · character 264,882 of the scanned text

The first officers of the corporation were, President, Wm. Directors, Edward Roberts, A. Fell, Percival Roberts, Randolph Wood, and C. Secretary, Percival Roberts ; engineer, John B. The latter gentleman was obliged to resign on account of failing health, and was succeeded by A. Sims, under whose supervision the surveys were completed and the road constructed. The capital stock originally authorized was $500,000. Authority has since been obtained for an increase of $150,000. The Lewisburg, Centre and Spruce Creek Railroad Company was incorporated April 12th, 1853. The proposed southern terminus was at Spruce Creek, on the Pennsylvania railroad. By subsequent legislation it was changed to Tyrone, in Blair county, and the route of the road through Huntingdon county diverted from Franklin township to Warrior's Mark township. The grading through the latter was done in 1873. Work then ceased for want of funds, and has not been resumed. An effort is now being made to connect this road with the Tyrone and Lock Haven 156 HISTORY OF HUNTINGDON" COUNTY. railroad at Bellefonte, which, if successful, will make a continuous line from Lewisburg to Tyrone without entering Huntingdon county. The first telegraph line was established through the county in 1850, by the Atlantic and Ohio Telegraph Company. In April of that year, the Superintendent, J.Milton Scott Lytle, History of Huntingdon County (Lancaster: William H. Roy, 1876) · character 299,850 of the scanned text

The measures are flat but not quite level; there is a general dip towards the southwest. In addition to this general dip, it appears that Trough Creek is a regular basin, having its synclinal axis near the bed of the stream, and its outcrops on the side of Ray's Hill on the east and Broad Top on the west. This formation is the best possible for mining, as it insures drainage towards the openings on Trough Creek. At Robertsdale the company have three mines, and are now shipping to market ` over four hundred tons coal daily. "They have a coal-washer, crusher, coke-pits, and and employ about three hundred hands at this time. "To return to the furnaces. Taws and Hartman, mechanical engineers, furnished the designs and drawings. On the 17th of April, 1873, the centre line of two furnaces was run, and the first ground broken in the afternoon of the same day. The construction was under the superintendence of Mr.J. Simpson Africa, History of Huntingdon and Blair Counties, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts, 1883) · character 1,688,419 of the scanned text

Checked 2026-09-04 · Historic Mount Union collection

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