The Valley Railroad Co.: The Connecticut Valley Line Vacation Highlights

I go there yearly, and it's the only standard gauge steam in New England right now.  Looking forward to your pics and thoughts.

The Steam Train and Riverboat Excursion

The Excursion: From Essex Station traveling north to Deep River Landing, then on a diesel riverboat up to within sight of Goodspeed's Opera House and the swing bridge (Haddam, CT); back to the Landing; board the train; and then south back to the station.

The steam engine was a 1989 (!) Chinese Tangshan SY 2-8-2 built to look like a Mikado. It was formerly with the Knox & Kane RR in PA.  From the website, the first class seats reminded me of my MTH PRR model's heavy weight car chairs. For some reason I think those chairs look silly and so I decided it was not worth the extra cost to sit in a Lazy-Boy on trucks when I got my tickets. Coach was good enough for me.

The trip north to the boat landing was in No. 501, a 1915 Pullman former Delaware, Lackawanna, & Western.  The trip south was in No. 502, a 1914 Pullman, also former DL&W.  I took two cameras. Most river photos were taken with the brand new camera that I bought just for the trip because I thought my old camera was failing.  (I can never get a close-up shot to show you guys my latest model cars and engine purchases.) It turned out the new camera couldn't focus to save its soul. Fortunately, my old camera came through. This is a model train forum anyway, so take my word for it: the water was nice, too.  (The riverboat was the former Southern Belle. It was built in 1961 and had 380 hp?)  

I went back a couple of days later driving by car so that I could photograph the train stations, cars on sidings, and the river boat landing without throngs of people or passenger car windows and rivets framing every shot.  It turned out to be a good decision.

Ready to roll:

Yes, it really was built in China and shipped to the U.S.:

Looking out the window of Pullman passenger car No. 501 at a dinner train ready for its run and in anticipation of my own dinner trip the next day:

The inside of 1915 Pullman, No. 501:

At Deep River Landing, the terminus for this particular excursion:

The Becky Thatcher (a bit smaller than I imagined but fun none-the-less):

Back from the river cruise, the open air car and first class passengers had to show their tickets.  Cheapskates in coach like me didn't have to bother. Here's the open air car, a 1917 Pullman. The engine moved to the south end via a siding in preparation for the trip back:

I chose No. 502, 1914 Pullman for the ride back to the station. Here are two photos showing interior details:

Back at the station in time to pick up some goodies at the gift shop:

Tomlinson Run Railroad

Very nice - great photos!

Sean

The Essex Clipper Dinner Train

The next day was dinner.  I didn't catch which 80-toner was used but I think it was 900, former GE No. 15/Birmingham Southern No. 15. The website has a nice equipment roster but it's hard to find. Click Plan a Visit>Essex Station. Then down at the bottom there's a paragraph with a link to the PDF roster, so if you should go you can read up on your car or engine's prior lives.  Note that the position of some of the rolling stock on the map has changed.

The route: The dinner train moves very s-l-o-w-ly. It goes beyond Deep River Landing to the former Haddam, CT station now known as Goodspeed's. It is actually a gift shop and you can see the approach to the swing bridge from the driveway.   Thus, the terminus of the train is the land equivalent of the riverboat's terminus. Kinda neat.

This is the dinner train from the prior day getting ready to go. I am so tempted to paint my Lionel 40-ton switcher orange.  The model is so oversized that it could easily be an 80-ton switcher like this one:

Here's my place setting just before leaving the station.  Most interior shots were taken with the new aforementioned awful camera and so are out of focus. Or, they were taken with the good camera but have people in them who might not like to find themselves on the internet ... This car was missing its original stained glass divider just behind this seat (#14) but other dinning cars retained theirs.  The Valley Railroad put in their own logo stained glass for the divider at the rear section of the car just before the restroom.

Always look up!  Some ceiling detail:

This is the kitchen car where miracles were whipped up. It was built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1953 and was originally an Army kitchen car:

Back from the trip using macro shot -- still can't read the number 'though:

Maybe tomorrow I'll post my pix of the train stations, shacks, and rolling stock on sidings that I took when I recreated the two train trips by car.  Or, if inspired, perhaps I'll offer a play-by-play of my thoughts regarding the two excursions right down to what I thought of the salmon dinner.  Teaser: I was very impressed by The Valley Railroad Company and their ability to put together quality activities that combined railroading and history, without being corny or dumbing down their presentation level.  It was a class act and one that I can heartily recommend.

Tomlinson Run Railroad

superwarp1 posted:

I go there yearly, and it's the only standard gauge steam in New England right now.  Looking forward to your pics and thoughts.

Thanks. That's great that you can visit yearly, Gary.  I was thinking there are opportunities for steam excursions in Maine, but then I saw that you wrote "standard gauge".  Oh well.  I do hope to get to the narrow gauge railway in Portland, ME next month but there doesn't seem to be any mention of their steam engine anymore on the redesigned website.

TRRR

Essex steam train is always a good time. I met one of the engineers at a family party earlier this year.

Check out the Saybrook special some time. This is a free train on I think Sunday mornings which heads south to Old Saybrook and then returns to the station before doing the normal train trip. You do need to purchase a regular train ticket.

There is also the Gillette Castle tour. You get off the train, walk about a half mile down to the river and catch the river ferry ($2/person extra) to the other side and hike up to Gillette Castle. The hike up to Gillette Castle was absolutely miserable. We picked a hot day in July or August and its a steep up hill battle. If your not up for the hike, you can take your car over the ferry or drive up to Haddam across the swing bridge and GPS your way to Gillette Castle.

Matt, that's neat that you met one of the engineers.  Every railroad employee that I met during the tour, dinner, gift shop, and around the grounds seemed to be a stellar human being, very courteous, and never rushed - yet able to efficiently move numbers of people from point A to point B.  Just like a railroad! :-}  The Old Saybrook route sounded great but it is seasonal and wasn't offered when I was there. In fact, as of Monday of this week (Sunday really), they are now running only on a weekend schedule.  (That may change during foliage season.)  I went back on Monday with the intention of eating at the Cafe car and getting some more gift shop goodies but the yard was deserted.  A woman who was hand cleaning one of the cars told me that I just missed the end of the weekday runs.

And now onto to rest of my review -- in no particular order. Upon my arrival at the recommended 30 minutes prior to departure I went to the ticket window and was greeted at the steps by the conductor with reserved tickets in hand for those like me who had purchased them.  It couldn't have been easier to pick up my tickets. Thus thinking I had time to spare, I checked out the "facilities".  Of course, that was very moment the whistle sounded and I missed the big photo op moment when the steam engine came up to the station with its train of passenger cars for the train-steamboat trip.  Oh well. I got my pictures the next day. My first lesson: Trains run on schedules and the Valley Railroad Company is very efficient.  The ride was pleasant and the talks on the train (and boat) as I wrote previously were perfectly balanced between history and humor without being dry.  And there was plenty of time with silence to just enjoy the ride. By the way, the steam engine whistle's quilling was fantastic to hear.

When it was time to switch the engine for the return trip on both the regular ride and dinner train there were no real photo ops. The conductor told us what was going to be happening and in the blink of an eye, it was accomplished.  I was really impressed!  In fact, to me the engineer and firemen and of course the engines were the real stars of the shows.  However, with the exception of the trains' entrance and exits, the real focus was on our experience riding or dining on the train cars.  And it was a quality experience.  It just struck me on my first standard gauge trip that we seemed isolated in our coach "bubbles" from the machines themselves (beyond a mention of the engineer and fireman's names and number of tons of coal the latter would shovel -- sorry I forgot already).  It's not a negative because you could enjoy the engines in the station.  I guess that I expected a bunch of rail fans or "foamers" clamoring all over the cars and engines, and instead I found a well-orchestrated railroad, sightseeing, and dining experience and guests who behaved and responded accordingly.  It was nice. The tour had people of all ages including a baby stroller or two but again everyone was just lovely and having a nice, low key time.

The dinner experience was pleasant and even more low-key going along at a very slow rate and a bit later in the day.  The decor and place settings were great.  A souvenir guide described the GE locomotives and history of the dining cars and the kitchen; the history of the line; a map with the sights; and information on the food preparation.  The conductor encouraged questions, and I took him up on it to find out what the posts marked "A" and "R" meant. Each course was announced by a traditional dinner gong.  My seat was on the sun side of the train, which wasn't so great (no shades) -- and I noticed the cheese, spreads, and pepperoni appetizers starting to, well, perspire but they were still yummy.  At one point, a tray of dishes was dropped in the vestibule breaking and scattering, and a waitress very discreetly closed the door while it was cleaned up, and that was that.  No fuss.  Just professionalism.  The meal was on a par with good wedding food.  Because of some of my prior and current work experiences, I'm a bit of a food snob but was pleased. I only had one minor thought about the food preparation that could have been done a bit differently but even then a well-prepared and ample serving of a delicious fish sauce solved it.  The dessert choices were a tough call but the chocolate mouse was great. Throughout the meal, the wait staff were attendant and the conductor stopped by often to see how everything was going, ask where people were from, and so on.  I'd do it again and as far as the $80 price went, it was comparable to a mystery theater dinner in a nice New England inn -- and thus seemed to be a good value.

Pics will follow.

Tomlinson Run Railroad

Here are the only two photos that I could salvage from that focus-challenged camera I used on the interior dinner train shots.  The date stamp is bogus.

Guests start to arrive.  This car is Meriden. You can see the stained glass panel is missing in this car behind my seat but there is a nice custom panel with the RR name at the real of the car. The seats were super comfortable. The decor understated but tasteful; the mahogany in great shape:

I got to look at this wonderful New Haven poster while dining:

When I got home, I created this homage to the dinner trip.  Notice how my oversized, non-scale Lionel 40-ton GE looks just like an 80-ton GE? In other words, it's perfect!  The headlight placement and other details also matched the actual locomotive used to pull the train. If I can ever manage to get the car bodies apart, I'll fill the cars with people to complete the scene:

Excerpts from the souvenir program:

TomlinsonRunRR posted:

superwarp1 posted:

I go there yearly, and it's the only standard gauge steam in New England right now.  Looking forward to your pics and thoughts.

Thanks. That's great that you can visit yearly, Gary.  I was thinking there are opportunities for steam excursions in Maine, but then I saw that you wrote "standard gauge".  Oh well.  I do hope to get to the narrow gauge railway in Portland, ME next month but there doesn't seem to be any mention of their steam engine anymore on the redesigned website.

TRRR

Conway scenic in NH has 7470 0-6-0 which is under overhaul, she may be back on the rails end of next year.

If you check my links below you will see efforts to restore Main Central 470 but that's more likely a decade away depending on fund raising.  So for now the Valley with their two operational steamers with three total (Valley has #97 getting ready for her overhaul).

Just a note:  the 2-8-2 IS a Mikado.  In fact, ALCo made the 2-8-2's for Japan (thus the name).  Japan brought their 2-8-2's with them when they invaded Manchuria.  After the war, Tang Shen copied the ALCo designs, and continued to produce them up until the 1990's.  The Valley Railroad ordered one new to cover their needs while their other two engines were getting their mandated inspections.  The VRR sold it to the Susquehanna where it is now the #142.  After the Knox & Kane engine house fire, the VRR purchased the burned K&K engine at scrap value, and because it was a duplicate of the one they had sold, they had the parts and knowledge to resurrect her as a reasonable facsimile of a New Haven mikado!

Jon  

Jon,

Thanks for the clarification -- and what an interesting background story!

Gary,

The New England Steam link that you provided looks like a well thoughtout project.  It just seems so far away at present -- distance-wise and time-wise! :-).  I was particularly impressed by how contemporaries regarded and recorded the end of steam in Maine. Rather than rushing into the successor technology and running from the old, there seems to have been a real celebration of all that the steam era and that engine in particular had brought to Maine.  

TRRR

Are the other two steam locomotives at the Valley Railroad still operable?

J 611 posted:

Are the other two steam locomotives at the Valley Railroad still operable?

Two are operational and the consolidation #97 down for inspection/overhaul

For completeness, here are some photos from my drive to the excursion and dinner train stops to get unobstructed pictures. There was a railroad employee at Deep River who gave me permission to take photos. However, due to homeland security, there were restrictions on how close I could get to the riverboat (see previous post for that photo).

TRRR

Deep River Station -- South-side

"Intermodal" transport at the station

North side

Switch patent

Chester crossing shack with MOW in background. This was moved from New Haven  (?). The former station was brick and is now a home.

Goodspeed's Haddam Station (Dining train stop only. Now a gift shop.) The yard office opposite the station was moved to here from Essex (?).

You'll recognize these locations in the Doris Day/Jack Lemmon movie "It Happened to Jane".  They also shot in Hartford, New Haven (coal dock!) and at the junction near Willimantic.

Jon  

Thanks Kooljock1.  Given the activity of a recent "three favorite RR movies" post, I've seen more old movies lately than I can ever remember just to capture the RR footage.  The coal dock sounds neat, so add another one to the list .  

Tomlonson Run Railroad

Here is a quick video I took back in June. I visit the Valley Railroad a few times a year. It's very nice to be able to drive a few hours and see some live steam!

I will tell you the Valley RR did a Great Service to rebuild that burnt out Knox & Kane Chinese loco to a similar"new haven" class loco. Railfans and New Haven Fans are drawn to it.

A brief note about Goodspeed.  The former freight house, now gift shop, put that Haddam sign up.  The actual Haddam station was about 3 miles farther north, near Station Hill Road.  

The Goodspeed station, through the years (passenger depot was where the Goodspeed Yard Office is now located.  Through the years, the station has been known as Goodspeeds, East Haddam & Moodus, and now Goodspeed.  

Lee 

Lee,

Thanks for the background history on the stations.  I've never seen a freight building with so much folk-art like gingerbread on it.  Looks a bit like hobo art.

Tomlinson Run Railroad 

P.S. -  I see that you work at the Valley RR. I can't stress enough what a positive experience I had and the terrific preservation and educational efforts going on there.  Thanks for being a part of it.

TomlinsonRunRR posted:

Lee,

Thanks for the background history on the stations.  I've never seen a freight building with so much folk-art like gingerbread on it.  Looks a bit like hobo art.

Tomlinson Run Railroad 

P.S. -  I see that you work at the Valley RR. I can't stress enough what a positive experience I had and the terrific preservation and educational efforts going on there.  Thanks for being a part of it.

I would suggest you join Lee's Face Book group called "I like the Valley Railroad".  That way you can keep up to date on all the happenings on the Valley

This is my 10th year of working for the Valley Railroad as a retirement job.  I love it!

Here is a photo of the Goodspeed station site, taken in 1927, when it was known as East Haddam & Moodus.

This if from the website, www.tylercitystation.info

which has photos of just about every railroad station in Connecticut.

Lee 

Gary and Lee,

Good tip about Lee's Facebook group for those with accounts (not me).  Lee, that histoic photo clarifies things a bit regarding what was and is there now.  That's the same direction as my photos. Thanks.

For those of us who aren't close enough or skilled enough to volunteer like Lee, there's the Friends of the Valley Railroad, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization:

Friends of the VRR Website

I picked up an info card and really liked that the emphasis was on the many ways to physically volunteer to help with RR awareness and preservation efforts.  Only at the end was there a quiet mention about accepting monetary donations as well. Very understated and in-line with the "class act" that I experienced.  I will be donating.

Tomlinson Run Railroad