EBT Locomotive Roster
12 - 'Millie (1960)'

Common Carrier Era

#12 was the first Mikdado (2-8-2 wheel arrangement) locomotive on the property and followed directly from the positive experience the EBT had with Prairie 2-6-2 #11, the EBT's first locomotive with a wide firebox over a trailing truck. #12 was largely a lengnthened version of #11 with an additional set of drivers. #12 was all around the largest and most powerful locomotive on the line. On her maiden voyage up the mountain to Robertsdale, #12 derailed her pilot truck on an ice buildup inside Sidling Hill Tunnel, and derailed completely when the truck caught on the switch at Kimmel. This incident brought about the installation of the first doors on both tunnels. Mikados #14 and #15 were scaled up version of #12 and incorporated most of the same design and features.

#12 would have operated extensively in the 1910s and 1920s when the railroad was very prosperous. As the larger mikados arrived #12 was increasingly used for passenger trains and less for freight. She was used for the mail train and for railfan excursions in the 30s. Few photos have surfaced of #12 actually pulling freight. By the mid-1940s, with reduced operations, #11 was sold for scrap and #12 more often became the reserve locomotive. By the early 50s she was largely out of service in favor of the larger Mikados.

Kovalchick Tourist Era

In 1960, with the reopening of the line, #12 was restored to service. Re-christened "Millie" after Nick Kovalchick's daughter, she was the star of the show. She and #15 operated trains in 1960 with #12 pulling trains out and #15 back following in reverse and pulling them back. Later in the year the locomotive positions were switched with #12 on the Rockhill end due to #12's smaller tender tank requiring more frequent trips to the water standpipe.

During the August 13, 1960 launch of the EBT as a tourist hauler, #12 was christened by Milie herself by breaking a bottle of ginger ail over the pilot. August 13, 2020 (exactly 60 years later) the christening was repeated by Mille Glinsky (married name) including the ginger ale.

In 1965 #12 received bright red long pilot, headlight and smokestack cover for her role in the movie The Fool Killer staring Anthony Perkins. The color was not visible in the picture as it was black and white. She wore these again in 1970 for the filming of The Ballad of the Iron Horse, though the headlight was not cantilevered in front of the smokebox as before. This time she was shown in color. In 1974 they were used again for the filming of Johnny Cash's film Ridin' the Rails. On last time in this dressing, #12 appeared very briefly depicting Abraham Lincoln's funeral train.

#12 was used regularly on tourist trains in the 1960s and 1970s. By the 1990s she was getting very worn, particularly her driver tires, and only operated during the annual Fall Spectacular. She needed extensive work for which funds were not available. She last operated during the 2000 Fall Spectacular, after which she was taken out of service.

Foundation Tourist Era

#12 has been pulled out of the roundhouse for display on a few occasions since 2020, most notably the February 2020 announcement that the EBT had been purchased by the nonprofit EBT Foundation. As with all the Mikados, she was evaluated thoroughly to determine which two were the best candidates to return to service first, but was not selected. #12 probably needs more work than any of the other Mikados at the EBT, but is a less complex locomotive than #17 or #18.

General References

• G1 - East Broad Top - Lee Rainey and Frank Kyper - p. 217
• G2 - A Ramble into the Past on the East Broad Top - Frank Kyper - p.60-61
• G3 - 965, The Fool Killer 2:32-6:41, 1:35:37-1:39:18, Producciones Yanco