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In the early morning of June 7, 1998, a call was made to the Orbisonia Volunteer Fire Department that there was a fire at the East Broad Top Railroad roundhouse. a flue fire damaged one of the smokejacks on the roundhouse. Apparently locmotive #14 used during the previous day's oprations had been spotted in its usual stall #2 to simmer overnight and fire back up for Sunday's operations. During the night the years of buildup inside the smokejack were ignited by heat or spark. The Smokejack was wood with steel parts. The fire consumed the wood smokejack portions before being extinguished by and employee and a passerby using a garden hose. The fire was under control by the time the fire company arrive.
Plans are to reconstruct the smokejack, though the timing is unknown.
Smokejack reconstruction nearly complete.
Repairs to the smokejack were made in early October 1998. Workmen were wtill finishing the construction of the replacment the Friday before the Fall Spectacular. The new smokejack resmbles those over stalls three to six rather than the one over stall seven that it originally resmbled.
