Patten Travel Visits... EBT?

[James Patten]

..."Patten Travel" visits...

Patten Travel has gone international because of my Wales trip in 2007 and my trip to Quebec City last year with my wife.  Although no trains were ridden in Quebec City  :'(  That will hopefully change this year - either a trip to Pennsylvania (EBT! Strasburg! Amtrak!) or Montreal is in the works.

[Keith Taylor]

James, if you have to chose one....I'd put the East Broad Top at the top of the list. As you drive into greater metropolitan Orbisonia / Rockhill Furnace, it is like your car has become a time machine.
For folks like us, it is like a trip to Mecca.
Keith

[James Patten]

I am leaning heavily on PA, but at the same time I don't want to let the strong US dollar go to waste in Canada.

EBT is at the very top of my list.  I've been there twice and thoroughly enjoyed myself.  Since FEBT has made lots of improvements in recent years it would be nice to see them in person.

[Erik Z. Missal]

Hi,
Speaking of Amtrak, I took Amtrak from New London, CT to the Inauguration in Washington, DC this week. We actually went From NLC to Baltimore Penn Station, stayed overnight with family, then took an Inauguration Special on the MARC train to DC in the morning. We took Amtrak all the way from DC to NLC early Wednesday morning, 3:15 am. The Amtrak train ride was great. It was on time, comfortable and we had a nice trip. The MARC double-decker cars were neat. Unfortunately, I didn't get much time to check out the Baltimore Penn Station. It's so much nicer than driving it.

Erik

[John Kokas]

James,

Strongly recommend EBT - there is so much to see..... FYI, EBT still owned by the Kovalchik family - same one who sells us relay #60 rail.  I can give you the name/address of a really great B&B within spit'in distance of the roundhouse & station.  Used to be the RR's superintendent's home.  Really nice ........

[Phil Raynes]

In fact, David, who runs the B&B, works for the EBT!
Phil

[James Patten]

That same David (if it's the conductor) is a member of the WW&F.

Under the "it's a small world" category, he has (or had) relatives in the Red Cape house in Head Tide.

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

James,  You are right about the EBT's Dave B.  His wife had relatives who owned the Red Cape at Head Tide.  They sold the place a few years ago to the folks who have it now. 

The EBT is a great place - it's where I got my first cab ride when the line reopened in 1960.  James you know the good draw factors for the EBT ... Chicken corn soup;  More buildings restored by the FEBT;  The recently cleared and reopened track going south from Rockhill Furnace yard.  About 3/4 of a mile of the mainline is now open to trackcar operation.  The EBT uses restored original Fairbanks Morse track cars to give rides where no train has been since 1956.  You can ride and listen to the hit and miss engine.  It gives you an idea what the WW&F's trackcar sounded like.  Now that's cool!

[James Patten]

We're dragging this thread way off topic.

In 2000 I took a 2-week trip out to Colorado and visited all the sights, then came back to PA for the EBT Fall Spectacular, back when they had all 4 steam engines running.  My best moment from the trip came during the Spectacular, when I was standing at the crossing at Orbisonia Station and one train was approaching from the south and another from the north (on separate tracks of course) and both blew for the crossing at the same time.  Pure nirvana of steam whistle noise.  I didn't get that on any other railroad during my trip.

[Stephen Hussar]

James, I know you must have taken pictures on your trip...and I know you were shooting film...have you scanned any of them? 

[James Patten]

I exposed about 30 rolls of film on that trip.  Very little of it is scanned, it's all in an album at home.  I can bring it in on Saturday if anyone's interested.

[Matthew Gustafson]

The EBT is a great place - it's where I got my first cab ride when the line reopened in 1960.  James you know the good draw factors for the EBT ... Chicken corn soup;  More buildings restored by the FEBT;  The recently cleared and reopened track going south from Rockhill Furnace yard.  About 3/4 of a mile of the mainline is now open to trackcar operation.  The EBT uses restored original Fairbanks Morse track cars to give rides where no train has been since 1956.  You can ride and listen to the hit and miss engine.  It gives you an idea what the WW&F's trackcar sounded like.  Now that's cool!

There are tons of awsome videos of the EBT. I have 5 videos of the EBT in action on my youtube page in my vlog section. 

[Matthew Gustafson]

Plus I like the sound of those EBT speeders. 

[James Patten]

Patten Travel is getting down to the wire on our trip.

We will be visiting Pennsylvania from August 28 - Sept 3, taking Amtrak both ways.  We are planning currently to visit the EBT on Saturday August 29, so if anyone wants to meet me there they'd be most welcome.  I'm hoping to be there in time for the 11 AM train, but will have to get a car rented first that morning, I think.  We'll be staying in Lancaster.  I'm tentatively planning a Strasburg visit on the Monday.

[Paul Horky]

James goodluck,have fun,see alot of interesting things,and take lots of pictures to share with all of us.