East Broad Top Railroad Tunnel Ruins | Chasing History
LINK TO OUR EAST BROAD TOP VIDEO: • The Rebirth of The Eas...
There is much more to the East Broad Top Railroad than the 4.5 miles of track that is operational today. The full length of the narrow gauge railroad reached 60 miles including spur lines, sidings, etc. Today much of that length is hidden below forests and fields but if you look close you can still see the raised railroad beds and quite a bit of rusty rail can be found if you take time to explore. In addition to the surviving rails there are several old bridges and even two tunnels! These areas are dangerous, yet extremely fascinating to observe at a safe distance. PLEASE DO NOT ENTER THE TUNNELS. They are NOT safe.
We enjoy exploring these rusty ruins and love to imagine what life was like when those rails were shiny and new and the sound of that whistle meant progress had come to the area.
If those rails could talk they would speak of the dreamers who imagined that they could build such an amazing thing as a railroad and do it in a rural setting like Huntingdon County!
If you are walking these trails consider the amount of people it took to move the rock and dirt to build the rail beds. Each bridge was unique to its location and to build tunnel through a mountain of solid rock in the 1800's was marvel of incredibly hard work and engineering.
Yes, the tunnels exist although much of the workings have collapsed and flooding has weaken what remains. It is our hope that at some point these entrances will be preserved and the trails opened in a similar manor as other rail/trail sites found throughout PA.
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Thanks folks
@TheFunChasers
3 ай бұрын
Thank you for watching!!
Would love to see the railroad run through these tunnels some day restored ❤❤
@TheFunChasers
8 ай бұрын
That would be so cool! There was some talk about that. I guess we’ll have to wait. 😉
The square nails found in the boards at the abandoned house are machine-cut, machine-headed nails, most used (because least expensive) between 1820 and 1890. They were made by a shear-press cutting a metal plate to make the shaft of the nail, then being put through a stamping machine that formed the nail head. Wire nails (the modern, round nails we all know) became more common/less expensive after 1890 as foundries for drawing steel wire became more common. So, that house was probably built soon after the East Broad Top was built in the 1870s. Any later, and those nails would probably be round.
@TheFunChasers
6 ай бұрын
That is super interesting. I knew the nails were old but had no idea HOW old. It was such a cool place. Wish I could have seen it while it was still being lived in. Thanks so much for the info and the view. We really appreciate you!
If I remember correctly an article about the tunnel in Trains magazine - there was a traffic signal at the opening of the tunnel to let engineers know it was clear to proceed.
@TheFunChasers
8 күн бұрын
I believe you are correct. Thanks for the comment and the watch. We really appreciate you stopping by.
Have you read anything on the uk rail network you'll find it interesting and there's plenty of tunnels with stories behind them. Love and peace from Wolverhampton England
@TheFunChasers
5 ай бұрын
I have not- could you share a link?
One of the coolest parts of the east broad top is that a sizable amount of the right of way of the railroad is still around especially from rockwood to salito
@TheFunChasers
6 ай бұрын
Yes - we want to go there and take another walk.
There are two tunnels. Sidling hill and wrays hill. Visit the Fiends of East Broad Top museum in Robertsdale.
@TheFunChasers
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching. We want to go to Robertsdale. We were there the day we found this tunnel but they were closed. So it’s definitely on the list. Thanks
With all respect given, the comment about not trespassing on the EBT ROW is correct. It was never abandoned so it is still active rail, if quite a bit out of service. You are right, it doesn't look posted though. Once again, I'm saying this with the most respectful tone.
@TheFunChasers
Жыл бұрын
Thanks, no offense taken. We were just taking a walk in the woods and did not expect to find a tunnel. I appreciate you reaching out.
The tunnels will eventually come back to life again by the EBT.
@TheFunChasers
Жыл бұрын
Yes they will
The pole next to the track was the pole that the telltales hung from. It also might have been the pole the controller for the door hung on.
@TheFunChasers
9 ай бұрын
That’s really cool. Thanks for the explanation. I found the whole place super fascinating.
There are only 2 tunnels and it's an active railroad it was never scrape no one at the railroad would ever say it was scraped.
@TheFunChasers
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching and the corrections. We appreciate your knowledge! ❤️
If you ever come to england there's an acre of land that belongs to the USA that's is dedicated to the late president Kennedy not far from were the magna Carter was signed. Love and peace from Wolverhampton England
@TheFunChasers
5 ай бұрын
Robert: I would love to do a video of England. Maybe we can get pics from you and do a collaboration. We truly appreciate you giving us a watch or two!
Bad info.... not pulled up, not a highway, not three tunnels....
@TheFunChasers
8 ай бұрын
1st - we really appreciate you watching the video. But onto 2nd - not sure what info was bad. Would love to talk about it further. Especially if you have info that I don’t. I researched as much as I could for the video but I’m only as good as the info I could find. So I would seriously LOVE to talk to you about this! Feel free to reach out. Email is talesfromthefunchasers@gmail.com thanks!
You shouldn't trespass on railroad property.
@TheFunChasers
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching. Honestly, we didn’t think we were trespassing. There were no signs and we didn’t disturb anything, but I do appreciate the sentiment. Thanks again for the comment and for watching.😉👍🏻