Visit to Rockhill Furnace

On our way back, we stopped for the night in Rockhill Furnace, Pennsylvania, to pay a quick visit to the Rockhill Trolley Museum and the EBT.  The trolley museum wasn't open during the week, but I  was able to visit the shop and get some pictures of the outside.  The museum has an excellent website with information on the collection, current activities, and so on.

At the front of the museum, by the road, is their latest acquisition, this shiny new LRV from San Diego.

And here is the visitor center, offices, and behind that the shop building.

The storage barn is farther away, and I didn't get over to see it this time.  But due to a couple of recent acquisitions, it was no longer big enough to hold the entire collection, so it's being extended at one end.  While this work progresses, the Liberty Liner is being stored outside, but it will soon go back under cover.  Since the EBT is not running, it can be stored on the wye, a convenient place for photography.

 So let's look inside the shop building.   This big open car is getting its trucks rebuilt.

But naturally my main interest was CA&E car 315, the only preserved Kuhlman.  It is being completely rebuilt and restored to its as-built condition, as much as is humanly possible.  A lot of work has already been done, and it is currently the main focus of volunteer activity.  The target date for completion is 2019, not as far away as it might sound!

 A complete set of upper-sash windows from another car in this series will be installed on the outside.

This is really going to be nice when it's done.

And here are a couple of views of the shop itself.  It has one track with inspection pits and long enough for two cars, plus space for machinery and parts storage in the other half.  Frank Shoop kindly let us in and showed us what was being done.

Finally, I should point out that Orbisonia/Rockhill is in a very remote location, and finding a nice place to eat or sleep might be difficult.  Luckily, my friend David Brightbill and his wife run an excellent bed and breakfast inn right across the street from the EBT station, the EBT shops, and the trolley museum.  So if they have a room available, you're in luck!  Tell them Hicks Car Works sent you.  David is also a watchman for the EBT, so he gave me permission to wander about and take pictures, which will appear in our next post.