East Broad Top Railroad to Dedicate Monument Honoring the Kovalchick Family

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
East Broad Top Railroad to Dedicate Monument Honoring the Kovalchick Family 

Rockhill Furnace, PA — August 18, 2025 — The East Broad Top Railroad will host a special ceremony on Saturday, August 23, at 11:00 a.m. to dedicate a new monument honoring the Kovalchick family for their pivotal role in preserving America’s oldest operating narrow-gauge railroad. 

In 1956, at a time when much of America’s industrial history was disappearing, Nick Kovalchick, an Indiana, Pennsylvania salvage dealer, purchased the East Broad Top Railroad and Coal Company. The quaint railroad reminded him of a model train he never had, inspiring him to keep the railroad intact and eventually reopen part of it for public excursions in 1960. His son, Joe Kovalchick, affirmed, "When my father bought the company, it was never his intention to scrap the railroad”. For decades, Nick and the Kovalchick family maintained and protected the railroad’s infrastructure — including its 33-mile mainline, original steam locomotives, freight cars, roundhouse, and machine shops — preserving a complete 19th-century industrial site virtually untouched by modern alteration. Even during periods when trains were not running, the family continued to safeguard the property from decay and vandalism, ensuring that future generations could one day see it come alive again.  

In 2020, after more than six decades of stewardship, Joe Kovalchick transferred ownership of the railroad to the EBT Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization committed to restoring and operating the East Broad Top Railroad National Historic Landmark. That act marked the beginning of the railroad’s modern revival — a revival made possible only by the Kovalchick family’s foresight and dedication. 

The August 23rd dedication ceremony will feature remarks by Joe Kovalchick, EBT Foundation Chairman Wick Moorman, Andrew VanScyoc, President of the Friends of the East Broad Top, and Huntingdon County Commissioner Scott Walls, followed by the unveiling of the new monument. 

This event is open to the public, and all are invited to join in celebrating the Kovalchick family’s decades-long commitment to preserving a treasured piece of American rail history. 

Event Details: 

For more information about the East Broad Top Railroad, visit www.eastbroadtop.com. 

Media Contact: 
Rick Hamilton 
Director of Marketing 
East Broad Top Railroad 
rhamilton@eastbroadtop.com 
814-447-3285