ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. — Former Durango & Silverton diesel No. 19, an Alco-powered H.K. Porter locomotive, stepped into the spotlight at the East Broad Top Railroad today (Feb. 12), pulling a freight train and photo charter for the first time since coming to Pennsylvania.
The C-C locomotive was pinch-hitting for Baldwin 2-8-2 No. 16, sidelined because extreme temperatures froze residual water in a valve, affecting part of the valve gear. The railroad said in a Facebook post that it is “working as hard as possible to correct the issue” before the EBT Foundation’s Winter Spectacular, set for this weekend (Feb. 14-15).
The consist of five homebuilt EBT hopper cars, coach No. 23, and caboose No. 28 was intended to mimic coal miners’ trains Nos. 7 and 8, often photographed during the EBT’s last common-carrier days in the 1950s. The Lerro Photography charters are operated in connection with this weekend’s Winter Spectacular. An additional charter set for Friday, Feb. 13, will also be operated with the diesel built in Pittsburgh in 1946.
Friday will mark the first anniversary of No. 19’s arrival at the EBT, which acquired it for use on work trains and as a standby for passenger service [see “Diesel arrives at East Broad Top …,” Trains.com, Feb. 14, 2025].
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