Never heard of this Lane individual. Care to detail his apparent long list of successes? Might help counter some of the negative sentiments floating in this thread.

Jeff

If there's more to the story, please share. The East Broad Top is currently experiencing a full-blown renaissance. As I'm sure you are well aware, the railroad's rebirth has been a resounding success, under professional management of the EBTF, aided by their right-hand volunteer friends organization. Unfortunately, the northernmost segment was sold off before this period. In the court of public opinion, folks want to see the railroad made whole, from point A to B. Bottom line, good things are happening at Orbisonia. From an outsider looking in, this seems like bitter grapes.

I'd welcome more dialogue about Mr. Lane's accomplishments and plans. If someone is buying a section of railroad for $2M, imagine how much additional capital will they have to raise for the actual startup costs of revamping trackage, bringing in equipment/locomotive, payroll, etc.

An earlier ADM-4 post:Tuscarora Valley RR Combine Body to EBT For Preservation

It sure looks like a shakedown and collusion to me, and not a legitimate offer. It may end up in arbitration.

He's something of a "boomer." Has gone from place to place.

Before he either stripped down his Facebook profile, took it "private," or blocked me, there were posts of his having run trains on/crewing the Everett RR, the Rockhill Trolley Museum, Steam Into History (York County, Pa. ex-Northern Central),the Delaware & Ulster, the Valley RR, and most recently that two-foot Mohawk Valley Heritage Railroad in Rome, NY. And he's traveled overseas, too.

One could read whatever they want into this "diversity" of projects/locations.

Trains Magazine/Trains.com has posted a much more in-depth story by veteran journalist Dan Cupper on the sale controversy:

https://www.trains.com/trn/railroads/he ... tops-line/

In spite of the headline error (the line has been "split" since Salone's purchase of the top end in 2013-2014), this is an excellent look at the situation, including all the background I knew but didn't have room or wherewithal to bring up here. No, I'm not clipping and copying it all here. Go pay for your own subscriptions.

Hi
Just to post a reply it took me 5 times just to log in,, will the moderators take note,, this is just crazy...
Now this have to be settles,, by the courts and the EBT,, I would like the new owners WHO owns the property,,, the current owners,, or Steve Lane.?????? This has to be settled,,
I would like to see the current owners, keep the EBT has a whole,, all the way to Mt. Union... something has to be worked out... on this problem...
I don't know if or when the current owners plan to run tourist trains,, to Mt. Union,, but just guessing that would like to have all track cleared to run in the future of the East Broad Top.

If Steve Lane, wants to run a Railroad to service customers, at Mt. Union,, he must maintain the track for the current owners,, keep the roadbed and maintain the roadbed, for any furture operations for the owners of the EBT.. to Mt Union...

I do not want to see the EBT broken up track wise,,, and agreement, MUST be worked out,, either by the courts,,, or by face to face,, with the current owners of the EBT...
All track in three foot gauge Must Be maintained,, to Mt. Union,, nothing can be ripped up just to satisfy Steve Lane. because he wants to a Standard gauge RR,, for customers at Mt. Union... I am a life member of the Friends of the EBT... hopefully the right decision will be made by the courts,, and both parties agree with the court...

I just don't see a scenario where I would be willing to take Lane's offer in good faith, given that he has chosen to side himself with the EBTPA, which based on their actions has done more harm to the value of that section than good.

The article isn't behind a paywall, doesn't require a subscription to read. But along with selling number 3, they've removed and sold valuable dual gauge switches for scrap according to the article. How many of those are even in the United States?

Let's say that Lane was not involved in that. I don't know, and I won't claim he is. Even excluding him from that, it was made clear in the article that Lane testified that he had no interest in maintaining anything for the tourist operations.

For an alleged "fan", that statement sounds like the purchase has the sole intention of spiting the EBTF. On that statement alone, mulling this topic over again, I can't give this offer the benefit of the doubt. Cannot. I understand his qualifications, sounds like he knows what he's doing with the Delaware and Ulster, and I don't wish ill will on the man... but this allegedly sounds like a ploy for Salone to sell to a much younger man just to keep that section out of the EBTF's hands for more time for some petty grudge. Again, allegedly

Because again, what "fan" would prevent the tourist trains from going back there if they had that opportunity?

There are justified reasons to assume that. They were his social media posts (possibly now deleted) after the EBT Foundation "moved on" without him.

In the past week, I've seen social media posts from two other younger-than-the-average preservation/rail folks decidedly trash-talking the organizations with which they were members as they announced they were no longer participants, and pettily suggesting things like burning their embroidered staff/membership shirts out of spite. The theme of both sets of posts was that they felt disrespected and unacknowledged by the "old-boys'" organizations in question for "all they did" for them. Which was also the theme of Lane's "dissing" the EBTF.

I am in no position to judge the totality of the situations in question without talking off the record and face-to-face with people within those organizations who trust and know me. But I'm sure thare are two or more sides to these stories, with some real blame on both sides as well.

There are people who are surprised to find that I'm not officially a member of all the museums and organizations to which I've physically or financially assisted over the decades. In part, it's tight finances; in part, it's been an effort to maintain a degree of editorial neutrality when I'm writing about their activities for rail magazines or other outlets. (Same goes for brewpubs and their "mug clubs" or whatnot.) But more and more I'm sensing it's so I can cynically avoid all the personal drama and malarkey that keeps surfacing, especially among the would-be heirs of our avocation.........

I wonder about the economics and if there are commitments to load X amount of cars to sustain operations. The old rule of thumb was 100 cars per mile per year. You might be able to get by on a little less than that. And that excludes costs of rehabilitating the track.

Is the NS switch still in place?

If Larry Salone's EBTPA is a non profit 501(c)3, where will all of this sale money get funneled to? Reportedly on the table $2M for the property, $600,000 for the hardware store property sale, and $300,000 for the locomotive No. 3.

> If Larry Salone's EBTPA is a non profit 501(c)3, where will all of this sale money get funneled to?

Looking at the tax return, the non-profit carries quite a bit of debt, roughly $2.75M if you add it all up. The return can be found at:

https://projects.propublica.org/nonprof ... 00419/full

Interesting to note that the monetary values that msrlha_archivist gave add up to almost exactly what the debt is…

It would be interesting to have a greater view of the right of first refusal in the original 2013 contract between Salone’s East Broad Top Railroad Preservation Association and Joe Kovalchick. The sale was for the northern section of the railroad and included the land, trackage, and equipment such as the 1923 Baldwin standard-gauge switching locomotive, EBT 3. Does the scope of the right of first refusal cover the sale of parts of the railroad? If so, did the EBTA follow the proscribed procedures for allowing Kovalchick and/or his assignee the option of exercising the right of first refusal prior to the sale of EBT 3, the land for the Dollar General and Stihl chainsaw retail stores, and the dual-gauge switch tracks?

Wow, there sure are a lot of people making posts here that are making this feel like they only read what they want to read and then let propoganda fill in the blanks as something malicious.

Dare I pose this thought: A Class 1 decides to abandon a stretch of railroad in Pennsylvania, instead of it being abandonned the local munincpal authority purchases the line to railbank or keep it in place for any potential designated operator to come in and runt he line for them. Should the owner of the track be responsible for maintaining the track or should the designated operator be responsible for mainting the trakc sicne they're the ones operating on it, and include that as part of their yearly operating budget.

Direct example: York County, PA owns the rail line that Steam Into history/Northern Central Railway operates on, but they don't pay to maintain the track, its part of the operating agreement with the designated operator. How would York County justify using county tax money to maintain the tracks?

Let's say that Lane would get the northern portion of the EBT from Aughwick Creek to Mount Union, if he's only using the standard gauge rails why would he use his money to maintain the third rail which he wouldn't use? Pennies add to dollars, this is how the big railroads made money, they do little things which when expanded over a larger system can save thousands of dollars.

Why not suppose that if the EBTF wants to take trains north into Mount Union, they enter into a trackage rights agreement and part of the agreement is that the EBTF has to maintain the narrow gauge track that they operate on and repair for use any structures that they would need to do that, such as the concrete bridge over Aughwick Creek?

Is this really so hard of a concept for people on this forum to understand?

Everyone here keeps complaining about lack of activity in this hobby by "younger people", but now when a younger person comes along he's being slandered as the anti-christ by the narrow gauge cult.