As this is written, the photographer of this image is unknown to me. This picture of EBT Mikado No. 17 passing Orbisonia Station northbound is scanned from a 5x7 black and white photo that I bought in an antique shop recently. The photograph is interesting for several reasons.
First, it almost certainly dates from the late 1930s, a period for which there are relatively few clear images of the EBT in action. Note that the first three cars in No. 17's train are standard gauge covered hoppers. The presence of these cars in a narrow gauge EBT train places the photograph in the period of the Pennsylvania Turnpike's construction through the extreme southern tier of the EBT's territory. The EBT's Shade Gap Branch terminated in the village of Neelyton at the western foot of Tuscarora Mountain within a few miles of the Turnpike's Tuscarora Tunnel. Neelyton was a convenient railhead for bulky construction materials in this remote area. During 1938-1939, thousands of tons of cement and other highway construction materials in standard gauge cars (placed on narrow gauge trucks at the EBT's dual gauge interchange yard with the PRR at Mt. Union, PA) passed over the branch. The cars in this train are probably empties being returned to Mt. Union, after having been spotted in the Rockhill Yard, in the near distance. The Shade Gap branch diverged from the EBT, mainline just north of Orbisonia Station; its track passes from right to left in the foreground of this picture.
Electronic graphics technologies allow me to highlight certain details that might be of interest to historians, in general, and modelers, in particular. Note the billboard sign on the trackside roof. Photos commonly published and used by modelers show only the railroad's name and "GENERAL OFFICES." However, at the time this picture was made, the EBT's highway bus company, East Broad Top Transit Co., was still a going concern. Therefore, that company's name was inserted below "East Broad Top Railroad."
Note that there is no lettering on the tender side in this late-1930s view. No. 17's rather clean appearance in this photo suggests it was only recently shopped, indicating that Depression-era paint schemes were bare-bones.
Finally, here is a close up of the engineer. This is the best resolution I could generate with the technology available to me. Does anyone recognize him? If so, please email me at vckeller@comcast.net
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