These engines original to the railroad have survived from their construction to the present day, with various members of the fleet having run in steam for excursion train service on the preserved route.

Mikado locomotives provided the primary motive power of the East Broad Top's narrow gauge mainline from their initial delivery in the early 1910s until the railroad's abandonment in the 1950s.

[1] The Mikado locomotives share several features to ensure smooth handling of heavy coal traffic, including double air brake pumps and two sand domes.

[4][5][6] Four of the engines would run in steam on and off again from the 1960s to 2011 during the East Broad Top's era of preservation under the Kovalchick family, with three of them (#12, #14, #15) already back in service by the early 1960s to haul excursion trains.

[9] The explosion of Canadian Pacific 1278 at the Gettysburg Railroad in 1995 and the subsequent passage of stricter boiler safety laws caused financial strain for the East Broad Top to maintain their locomotive fleet.

[20] To celebrate the reopening of the railroad in the 2020s on August 13, 2020 Millie Kovalchick Glinsky (the namesake of #12); ceremonially smashed a bottle of grape juice over the pilot of the locomotive.

[22] Source:[13] Built in 1912 and following up on the design of #12, #14 had increased tractive effort compared to its predecessor with the estimated ability of hauling 18 loaded hoppers from the coal mines along the East Broad Top.

[26] #15 retains its boiler certification paperwork from the Federal Railroad Administration, however the engine requires extensive running gear repair before returning to service.

[22] #14 was considered for an early return to steam, but it was determined it would require more work to replace failing cast iron driving wheels on the locomotive with upgraded steel parts and the engine is as of 2024, planned to be third in line for restoration.

General Manager of the railroad in the early 2020s Brad Esposito, has claimed regarding #17 and #18 that the original EBT "beat the snot out of them", due to being favored locomotives by the line during the latter years of freight traffic prior to preservation.

[32] By October 2022, boiler jacketing and paint work on the cab were completed for public display during the annual Friends of the East Broad Top Reunion.

[22] In late January 2023, the East Broad Top Railroad began posting a series of teasers for the return of #16 to service on their Facebook page, including a video showing the shadow cast by the locomotive under steam on February 1, 2023.