East Broad Top Railroad #16 is the first of the three large 2-8-2 Mikados. The new Mikados incorporated new features like piston valves and Southern valve gear as well as superheating. As a test of power it was able to pull 60 empties from Mount Union to Rockhill. The EBT mikados was still mostly 60# rail which was a bit underrated for these locos. Points with less than 60# and high stress areas like Cole's curve were upgraded to 70 and 85# rail. #16 and her siblings were the principal engines in the waning years of the railroad.
It has not operated since the 1956 closing, due to its large size and more complex mechanics. Plans were announced around 1984 to rebuild her, but likely due to the lack of current paperwork on #16, #14 was chosen instead. She was the last locomotive to be overhauled before the closing and so she was a prime candidate for restoration. On August 10, 1985 Joe Kovalchick announced his intention to restore #16. In the end #14 was rebuilt instead, reportedly because #16's boiler paperwork had been destroyed by a roof leak. #16 was pulled out of the roundhouse for the first time since 1956 in July 1987 for an NMRA group. In 1991, she and sister locomotive #18 were pulled out for display with the two locos facing each other across Meadow Street. She underwent a multi-year restoration, which was just recently completed on February 1, 2023.
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