MODELING THE EAST BROAD TOP IN Sn3

MODELING THE EAST BROAD TOP IN Sn3

Narrow gauge railroads are a part of America’s history. They were designed to transport materials in areas where the terrain was too steep for the standard railroad. Narrow gauge railroad systems were used throughout the United States. They get their name from the type of track that they were built to run on. Narrow gauge railroads primarily have a width of three feet between rails, unlike standard gauge railroads which have a width of four feet eight and a half inches between rails. There are/were several other widths designated as narrow gauge, including 42” (traction), 24” & 18”.Narrow gauge railroads were primarily used in the mining and timber industries of the late 1800’s. These short line railroad systems were intended for use in mountainous regions where it was hard for standard gauge railroads to make it up steep grades. In areas where the grade was seven percent or more, narrow gauge railroads were used. They were seen as an inexpensive way of getting gold, silver, and timber out of remote mountainous regions.

It’s sad to think that most narrow gauge railroads are no longer in operation. Most of them have been converted to the standard railroad system. Others have been taken apart and turned into scrap. Even though narrow gauge railroads were inexpensive to build, off loading and on loading became too much of an expense. Each time a narrow gauge railroad met a standard railroad, shipments would have to be unloaded and reloaded. Only a few narrow gauge railroads are still in operation today. The best examples of this are in Colorado and Pennsylvania.

Most of those folks modeling narrow gauge in S model Colorado prototypes such as the D&RGW, Rio Grande Southern Colorado Southern Most of the major modeling scales cover narrow gauge modeling. After the scale designation there is letter “n” denoting narrow gauge and a number that coincides with the track width modeled i. e. Nn3, HOn3, On3 and of course, Sn3. It’s interesting to note that the physical size of Sn3 trains are roughly the same as HO, Hon3 is close to N in size and On3 is close to S standard. Although my area is modeling PA narrow gauge and will be concentrating on the East Broad Top, I was a member of the Colorado Springs Narrow Gaugers for a short time and learned a little about modeling CO narrow gauge.

Those modeling Colorado narrow gauge for the most part have layouts that totally Sn3 since the prototype lines usually stood alone. The East Broad Top, henceforth known as the EBT, has many features that an eastern standard gauge railroad might have had. Perhaps the neatest thing is that at Mt. Union, PA, the EBT interchanged with the Pennsylvania RR at its main line. This gives the S scaler some interesting options. He can model the EBT entirely in Sn3 or model both S and Sn3. Also, he can model the steam to diesel era or as I do, model a contemporary railroad and do the EBT as a tourist line.

Orbisonia Dept and EBT Mike #15 (The Prototype)

The EBT is the last remaining 3 ft (914 mm) gauge line east of the Mississippi River and is located in Central Pennsylvania. Running from the 1800s until 1956, it supplied coal to brick kilns and general freight to the towns it passed through, connecting to the Pennsylvania Railroad at Mount Union, Pennsylvania. Purchased for scrap by the Kovalchick Corporation when it was shut down, it sat for four years until it was partly resurrected by townspeople of Orbisonia in 1960. Still owned by the Kovalchick family, trains operate over 5 miles of the original 32-mile line. As of the end of 2004, only one of six Mikado-type (2-8-2) locomotives is currently operable: number 14. Locomotive 15 is being rebuilt to comply with current Federal Railroad Administration requirements. Not too long ago one could see four Mikes under steam during the Annual Salute which was a traditional part of the Fall Spectacular. Hopefully we’ll see that again some day. In addition to various freight and passenger cars, the railroad also has a gas-electric railcar, the M-1. The car operates only on special occasions, such as the Fall Spectacular, held on Columbus Day weekend every year. The rest of the railroad is intact, but overgrown with 48 years worth of plant growth. It’s still common to see trees growing up between the ties of the abandoned mileage.

EBT features to model:

The EBT covered over 32 miles as it made its way from the coal fields at Broad Top Mt. to the PRR interchange at Mt. Union. Here’s a list of the approximate milestones of the EBT and the modeling possibilities that they entail:

Mile 32 Alvan – Village near the coal mines.

Mile 31 Woodvale – Village

Mile 30 Robertsdale – The station is in very good shape and today houses the FEBT (Friends of EBT) museum. There is no kit commercially available for it, but it could be scratchbuilt relatively easily.

Station at Robertsdale

Mile 27.5 Village of Cooks

Mile 25.5 Wrays Hill Tunnel – This is the first of the two tunnels on the EBT. One or both tunnels could be part of your EBT layout.

Mile 24 Village of Coles

Mile 23 Sideling Hill Tunnel – The tunnel would make a nice model. One end is standard concrete and the other is hewn out of the rocks.

SN3 Model Prototype

Mile 19 – We come to the village of Saltillo. B.T.S. makes a laser kit for the station. The prototype is in sad shape. B.T.S. is planning to come out with the unique water tower that was located at Saltillo.

Mile 17 Three Springs – Another small village serviced by a station. B.T.S. has produced this station.

Mile 14 Pogue – An iron trestle bridge over the Aughwick Creek is at Pogue. This would make a nice model.

Mile 11 Orbisonia – “Orby” housed the roundhouse and turntable as well as the shops for the EBT. The outstanding feature is the Orbisonia Depot. This is the main station on the EBT and housed offices as well. Today it is where the tourist embark on the 5 mile trip to the picnic grove at Shirleysburg. It was brought out as a laser kit by B.T.S. My own model was scratchbuilt using Grandt Line windows. Don Heimberger’s book has plans for the station in S scale and that coupled with my close proximity to the EBT made it possible to model.

The prototype station as is exists today.

Sn3 model of the Orbisonia Depot.

EBT shops in Sn3 Prototype shops at Orbisonia

EBT’s shops are also located at Orbisonia/Rockhill. I kitbashed a couple of the NASG Armco Steel buildings.

Roundhouse and Turntable Yards

The roundhouse houses all of the existing Mikado’s running and not running, and the M-1.

Mile 6.5 Shirleysburg – This is where the present day tourist line ends. There’s a picnic grove where the engines are turned around on a wye. The riders can stay at the grove and come back on a succeeding train while watching the action on the wye.

Mile 4 – Aughwick Mills – The EBT crossed the creek at this point on a concrete bridge built in 19

Aughwich Mills Bridge

Mile 0 Mt. Union – This is where the EBT had it’s terminus and interchange with the Pennsylvania Railroad. There was a large yard and there was dual-gauge trackage.

Modeling the equipment:

The East Broad Top had a good mixture of equipment for the modeler. There were metal and wood box cars, tank cars, flat cars, double and triple hoppers with height extensions and without and cabooses. There was a good variety of passengers cars including combines which were used in place of cabooses for the crew’s benefit.

Motive Power:

The Mikado –

EBT #12 - Prototype

EBT #12 – The Model

The M-1 Gas-electric car:

Prototype M-1 Sn3 M-1

Railmaster offers the M-1 as a kit or ready-to-run.

Railmaster has an unusual EBT loco. It was a 2-8-0 East Broad Top #7 Baldwin built in 1881 and scrapped as PRR #9669 in 1931.

B.T.S.

The tank car has been available from BTS. I did one by using an HO Athearn tank car on a BTS flat car. The EBT’s tank car also sits on a flat car. I need to work on the dome at bit more as you can see from the prototype photo.

Prototype tank car. B.T.S. flat car and tank car models.

I used an Athearn (HO) tank car and B.T.S. flat car for the model. As you can see, the prototype sat on an EBT flat car. My model dome needs more work.

Prototype Hopper B.T.S, kit and Athearn bash.

Athearn hoppers are very close and can be used as Sn3 hoppers. Trucks used are HO arch-bar trucks which have been regauged for Sn3. A lot of HO equipment can be utilized for the EBT in Sn3 because of the relative size compatibility.

Prototype box car Scratch built model

Prototype Caboose Model Caboose

The caboose was scratch from commercial parts and was designed to hide a Centerline Sn3 track cleaning car.

The EBT even used standard gauge cars such as PRR gondolas which were placed on the narrow gauge trucks for special purposes. This was done with the old timber transfer up at the Mt. Union facilities. The model car is an AF gondola outfitted with regauged HO Bettendorf trucks. The EBT actually used Vulcan trucks which are available from B.T.S.

The present day tourist EBT has the Rockhill Trolley Museum as a next door neighbor leading to more great modeling possibilities.

This could be your S/Sn3 layout. Modeling in East Broad Top is just another wonderful way to enjoy model railroading in 1:64 scale. There’s enough available in kits or materials to produce a decent representation of the EBT.

So, get on board and start today by seeing what’s available in the dealer area!

Colorado Narrow Gauge suppliers:

Railmaster Exports,

http://www.railmaster.co.nz/railway/loco.htm, 29 Pupuke Road, Birkenhead
Auckland 1310, New Zealand.

P-B-L, http://www.p-b-l.com/PBL2002/main-ns.html P. O. Box 769, Ukiah, CA. 95482

East Broad Top suppliers:

B.T.S., http://www.btsrr.com/btsebtp1.htm, P O Box 856 * Elkins, WV 26241

Railmaster Exports,

http://www.railmaster.co.nz/railway/loco.htm, 29 Pupuke Road, Birkenhead
Auckland 1310, New Zealand.

Structures:

Even though structures are of course usable for both S scale and S narrow gauge, there are companies that cater to the basic kind of structures that would be associated with the towns along a narrow gauge railroad.

Here’s a list of such companies:

Banta

Books on the EBT:

East Broad Top

Lee Rainey & Frank Kyper

Golden West Books

Along the East Broad Top

Donald J. Heimburger

Heimburger House Publishing Company

Colorful East Broad Top

Mallory Hope Ferrell

Heimburger House Publishing Company