East Broad Top Sets 2024 Schedule
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-ChiefThanks in part to the preservation efforts of several renowned railroad industry leaders, Pennsylvania’s 150-year-old narrow-gauge East Broad Top Railroad— considered by The Smithsonian as “a national treasure”—will once again be operating tourist trains.
“The East Broad Top experience is rooted in the railroad’s one-hour round trip scenic train excursions, rolling over a portion of the EBT’s historic main line through Central Pennsylvania’s rolling hills, pastoral farmland, and thick forest,” the railroad notes. “Most of the scheduled departures are pulled by one of the railroad’s iconic locomotives. In addition to the scenic rides, the EBT offers visitors the opportunity to experience the railroad’s historic shop complex, which provides a trip back in time that is unmatched anywhere else in the U.S. Regular guided tours are offered frequently on most days that trains are operating and take visitors through the Roundhouse (where steam engines are stored) and the railroad’s unique belt-driven machine shop, which is the largest and most intact of its kind in the country.”
EBT passengers have the choice of riding in an enclosed coach with large viewing windows, a shaded open-air car perfect for photography, or a historic caboose at the rear of the train. Trains will depart three times daily at 11 AM, 1 PM and 3 PM. Fares begin at $22.00 per adult (ages 13+) and $16.00 per child (ages 2-12) for enclosed coaches or open-air. Children 1 and under ride free with a fare-paying adult.
The EBT also hosts special events throughout the season, including a “living history weekend” featuring displays from three eras of war history, the Central Pennsylvania Ragtime and American Music festival offering performances from Grammy Award-Winning musicians, and PEANUTS™ The Great Pumpkin Patch Express in the fall.