The Winter Spectacular

By G. W. Laepple
Published on January 1, 1976
Email Facebook Facebook Pinterest X
1 / 3
Locomotive 12 waits for the freight train double-headed by 14 and 17 to clear the switch at Colgate Grove during the 1975 Winter Spectacular. Courtesy of G.W. Laepple, 441 East Street, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania 17815
Locomotive 12 waits for the freight train double-headed by 14 and 17 to clear the switch at Colgate Grove during the 1975 Winter Spectacular. Courtesy of G.W. Laepple, 441 East Street, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania 17815
G.W. Laepple
2 / 3
This is the locomotive repair bay in the vast East Broad Top shops which will be open for guided inspection tours during the 1976 Winter Spectacular. Courtesy of G. W. Laepple, 441 East Street, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania 17815.
This is the locomotive repair bay in the vast East Broad Top shops which will be open for guided inspection tours during the 1976 Winter Spectacular. Courtesy of G. W. Laepple, 441 East Street, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania 17815.
G.W. Laepple
3 / 3
These two old snow sweepers are among the seven trolley cars which will operate during the 1976 Winter Spectacular. Courtesy of G. W. Laepple, 441 East Street, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania 17815
These two old snow sweepers are among the seven trolley cars which will operate during the 1976 Winter Spectacular. Courtesy of G. W. Laepple, 441 East Street, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania 17815
G.W. Laepple

441 East Street, Bloomsburg, Pa. 17815

Readers of ‘Iron Man Album’ may be interested in
attending WINTER SPECTACULAR 1975, an annual event which will be
held for the 11th straight year on February 14 and 15, 1976. This
unique weekend is sponsored by Railways to Yesterday, Inc. and the
East Broad Top Railroad. Orbisonia, in the foothills of Huntingdon
County, Pennsylvania, will be the focal point.

In this small village, the narrow gauge East Broad Top Railroad,
built over 100 years ago to haul coal, iron, and lumber to the PRR
at Mt. Union on the Juniata River, still maintains its roundhouse,
yards, and shops. Since 1960, this last narrow gauge road east of
the Mississippi has been a tourist hauler, but it still retains its
authentic charm and old-time flavor. Railways to Yesterday, Inc.
operates a trolley car museum, where a dozen old electric cars run
on. Between them, the two make an exciting pair for antique
machinery buffs.

A highlight of the WINTER SPECTACULAR weekend is the guided
tours through the East Broad Top’s car and locomotive shops,
which were built in 1882. The entire complex, which includes
machine shop, blacksmith shop, forge, and foundry, was powered by a
large horizontal single-cylinder steam engine until the railroad
closed in 1956. In 1960, it was decided to substitute electric
motors, but all of the original line shaft and pulley equipment, as
well as the boilers and the big engine, is still intact. Another
feature will be a hike through the ruins of the Rockhill Iron
Works, once the largest complex of its kind. Of course, there will
be plenty of train and trolley rides.

Although final plans are still inconclusive, there will be at
least a dozen round trips over the five-mile East Broad Top line,
with several steam locomotives and a rare gas-electric car; the
trolleys will make about 40 round trips on their one-mile line. To
round out the weekend’s activities, there will be a banquet at
the local fire company on Saturday night, followered by a night run
on the railroad and a railroadiana auction. For further information
on WINTER SPECTACULAR 1975, write Sherman G. Shook, 160 Andover
Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702.

Email Facebook Facebook Pinterest X
Online Store Logo
Need Help? Call 1-866-624-9388