Eat and visit in Rockhill

The rail bikes run on the Shade Gap Branch of the East Broad Top Railroad, a 150-year-old narrow-gauge line in Rockhill Furnace. A ride takes about an hour and covers about three miles round trip. Riders pass the ruins of the Rockhill Iron Furnace and travel beside Blacklog Creek. Each bike seats up to four guests and has an electric assist motor.

Sturdy, closed-toed shoes are required, and the experience is not ADA accessible. Each guest may weigh up to 300 pounds. Minors may not ride without an adult over age 18. All visitors check in at the Orbisonia Station, and the railroad strongly recommends reservations. The ride page says trips are canceled in heavy rain, dangerous weather or lightning.

The ride page lists a fare of $20.00 for riders aged 2 and up. The Centre County Gazette reported on 24 September 2026 that trips were scheduled for all weekends in October, including Fridays and some Wednesdays and Thursdays. A combination ticket with a train ride and guided tour is listed as coming soon.

• About one hour and three miles round trip on the Shade Gap Branch source
• Each bike seats up to four guests and has an electric assist motor source
• Fare of $20.00 for riders aged 2 and up, with children 1 and under riding free when secured to a parent or guardian source
• The experience is not ADA accessible, according to the ride page source
• Trips scheduled for all weekends in October 2026, including Fridays source

“Experience a one-of-a-kind rail bike ride in Pennsylvania along the historic Shade Gap Branch of the East Broad Top Railroad.”East Broad Top Railroad

“The one-hour, three-mile round-trip rail bike ride follows a quiet stretch of track removed from the rushing, modern world.”Centre County Gazette, StateCollege.com, 24 September 2026

“Along the way, your self-powered or electric railcar will pass the evocative ruins of the Rockhill Iron Furnace, roll adjacent to the peaceful waters of Blacklog Creek”Centre County Gazette, StateCollege.com, 24 September 2026

The East Broad Top Railroad runs excursion trains from its station at 421 Meadow Street in Rockhill Furnace. The railroad's own site describes a three-foot gauge line that was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1964. Freight service was suspended in 1956. Uncovering PA reports that Kovalchick Salvage Corporation bought the line, did not scrap it right away, and ran its first excursions in August 1960.

Excursion trains start a one-hour trip in Rockhill, run about 3.5 miles north to the Colgate Grove Picnic Area near Shirleysburg, and return. Jim Cheney of Uncovering PA writes that excursions stopped in December 2011 and ran again in 2021. Guided tours take visitors through the railroad's historic shop complex.

The railroad's site lists regular Wednesday and Thursday rides through October 29, a Pumpkin Patch Express on October 31, and Christmas in Coal Country trains from November 27 to December 20, 2026. Spotlight PA reports that the railroad draws around 35,000 riders a year. The Rockhill Trolley Museum sits next door.

• Regular train rides ran Wednesdays and Thursdays through October 29, with departures at 10:30am, 12pm and 1:30pm. source
• Excursion trains run about 3.5 miles north to the Colgate Grove Picnic Area near Shirleysburg. source
• The railroad was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1964, per its own home page. source
• Christmas in Coal Country trains run from November 27 to December 20, 2026. source
• Spotlight PA reports that the railroad draws around 35,000 riders per year. source

“Step inside one of the most intact historic railroad shops in America.”East Broad Top Railroad

“unlike most other excursion railroads, the East Broad Top is a complete historic railroad”Jim Cheney, Uncovering PA, 27 July 2023

“a heritage railway and National Historic Landmark in Huntingdon County that draws around 35,000 riders per year”Asha Prihar of Spotlight PA, StateCollege.com (Spotlight PA story), 26 July 2025

The Rockhill Iron Furnace was a coke-fired blast furnace that made pig iron beside Blacklog Creek in Rockhill borough. The second Rockhill Furnace was first lit on January 1, 1876, and it closed in 1908 as improved steelmaking cut demand for cast iron. The twin stacks are gone. A few sections of crumbling brick wall poke out of dense undergrowth, and the overgrown ruins of dozens of brick coke ovens lie back to back in two long lines.

The ruins lie along the Rockhill Trolley Museum line and the East Broad Top rail bike route on the Shade Gap Branch. The rail bike trip takes about one hour and covers three miles round trip. The Daily News also reports nearly a mile of overgrown furnace slag on the west side of Blacklog Creek.

The Centre County Gazette reported in September 2026 that rail bike tickets cost $20.

• The second furnace was first lit on Jan. 1, 1876. source
• The rail bike ride past the ruins takes about one hour and covers three miles round trip on the Shade Gap Branch. source
• Rail bike tickets cost $20, according to a September 2026 Centre County Gazette item. source
• Uncovering PA lists the furnace ruins as the first point of interest on the trolley trip. source
• Crumbling brick walls from the first story of a three-story building can be seen in dense undergrowth. source

“pass the evocative ruins of the Rockhill Iron Furnace, roll adjacent to the peaceful waters of Blacklog Creek”Centre County Gazette, StateCollege.com, 24 September 2026

“While little is left of the building, the brick shell of the furnace is still interesting to look at.”Jim Cheney, Uncovering PA, 26 August 2015

“Farther back are the overgrown ruins of dozens of brick coke ovens, back to back in two long lines.”Lawrence Biemiller, Huntingdon Daily News, 6 September 2024

The Rockhill Trolley Museum runs vintage electric trolleys at 430 Meadow Street in Rockhill Furnace, in south central Pennsylvania between Harrisburg and Altoona. The ride runs 1.5 miles through forested countryside on track the East Broad Top Railroad once used, according to Uncovering PA.

On regular operating days, Carbarn 1 and shop tours are included in the price of a trolley ride, according to the museum's hours page. The Visitors Bureau says the museum was founded in 1960 with a single electric trolley from Johnstown. The hours page says its vintage trolleys are not handicapped accessible, but arrangements can be made.

The regular season runs Fridays to Sundays from May to October, with hours from 12:00 noon to 5:15 pm. A news item dated October 25, 2026 names October 30 and 31 as the last regular days. The regular adult fare is $12.00, and special event days may have non-standard fares, according to the hours page. Santa's Trolley runs on Saturdays, December 5 and 12, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

• The ride runs 1.5 miles through forested countryside source
• Carbarn 1 and shop tours are included in the price of a trolley ride on regular operating days source
• Santa's Trolley runs Saturdays, December 5 and 12, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm source
• Last regular operating days are Friday and Saturday, October 30 and 31, 2026 source
• Regular adult fare $12.00; children ages 2 to 12 pay $10.00 source

“Ride out to our Blacklog Narrows platform aboard a heated, antique trolley.”Rockhill Trolley Museum, 25 October 2026

“Riding on a historic trolley is the highlight of any trip to the Rockhill Trolley Museum.”Jim Cheney, Uncovering PA, 26 August 2015

“Here, you can see trolleys in all states of restoration and ride some of the more well-preserved items in their collection.”Jim Cheney, Uncovering PA, 26 August 2015

The East Broad Top Railroad, at 421 Meadow Street in Rockhill Furnace, runs special-event trains from February to December. Its current event pages list Easter on the Rails, the EBT Goes to War living history weekend, Clash of the Axemen and Ragtime at the Railroad.

Christmas in Coal Country runs Friday through Sunday from November 27 to December 20, 2026. The one-hour ride, in cars warmed by coal stoves, begins at Orbisonia Station and includes a visit from Santa, plus a hot chocolate and cookie for each passenger. The Huntingdon Daily News calls the yule event part of the railroad's annual Christmas in Coal Country.

The Pumpkin Patch Express runs on October dates in 2026, ending October 31, with a train to Colgate Grove for hay wagon rides and pumpkin decorating. The railroad calls its Ice Cream Trains a new event. Cancellations get no refunds, but the full value can move to credit, and trains run rain, snow or shine.

• Christmas in Coal Country runs November 27 to December 20, 2026, Friday through Sunday. source
• Christmas adult coach fare is $28.00 and child coach fare is $22.00 (ages 13+ and 2-12). source
• Easter on the Rails trains depart at 10:30am, 12:00pm, 1:30pm and 3:00pm, with an Easter Bunny visit. source
• Pumpkin Patch Express 2026 dates are October 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25 and 31, with departures from 10am to 2:30pm. source
• Ice Cream Trains 2026 dates are May 31, June 28, July 19 and August 16, all departing at 3:00 pm. source

“Experience Christmas train rides in PA aboard the historic East Broad Top Railroad.”East Broad Top Railroad, 2026

“the EBT recently announced its annual Easter on the Rails happening”RON MORGAN, Huntingdon Daily News, 26 February 2026

“Step back in time for a night of vintage charm at the East Broad Top’s fifth annual EBT Goes to War Living History Event!”East Broad Top Railroad, 2026