Valley Railroad (Connecticut)

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Template:Short description Script error: No such module "For". Template:Use mdy dates Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for clobbered parameters". The Valley Railroad (reporting mark VALE), operating under the name Essex Steam Train and Riverboat, is a heritage railroad based in Essex, Connecticut on tracks of the Connecticut Valley Railroad, which was founded in 1868. The company began operations in 1971 between Deep River and Essex, and has since reopened additional parts of the former Connecticut Valley Railroad line. It operates the Essex Steam Train and the Essex Clipper Dinner Train.

History

Template:Further information

File:Bridge remains along Fenwick Branch causeway, December 2016.JPG
Remains of a wooden bridge along the former Fenwick Branch south of Old Saybrook, which was abandoned in the early 20th century

Construction

The vision of a Valley Railroad started in the 1840s when President of the Charter Oak Life Insurance Company, James Clark Walkley traced the 44-mile route by stagecoach with friend Horace Johnson.[1] Walkley and a group of business men obtained a state charter on July 17, 1868, to form the Connecticut Valley Railroad Company and start the process of building a railroad.[1]

During 1868–1869, survey crews worked to map out the line from Hartford, Connecticut, to Saybrook Point.

In April 1870, construction of the line began, with ground breaking taking place in Higganum, Connecticut.[2] The plan called for three phases, the "Northern Division" starting in Hartford and continuing to Middletown, the "Middle Division" which continued to what is known today as Goodspeed Landing, and the "South Division" which finished the line to Saybrook Point.[1] The Connecticut River Valley allowed for an easy construction, as no tunnels or major bridges were required. The line was completed during the summer of 1871 with the first ceremonial train run over the Script error: No such module "convert". on July 29, 1871, at a steady speed of 22 mph.[1] At $34,000 per mile, the line ended up costing $1,482,903.[1]

Connecticut Valley Railroad

The first "regular" train started on July 31, 1871.[2] On August 24, 1871, the Connecticut Valley Railroad declared an official opening. The schedules of trains operating along the Valley Railroad called for one mixed train and four passenger trains each way daily (except Sunday) with fifteen stops along the way.

The company grossed $34,000 in its first year.[1] It continued to grow, grossing $250,000/year in 1873.[1]

Financial trouble plagued many early railroads, and the Connecticut Valley defaulted in 1876 on its second mortgage bonds and was placed in receivership.

Hartford & Connecticut Valley Railroad

On July 1, 1880, the Hartford and Connecticut Valley Railroad took control with president Samuel Babcock.[1]

Passenger service ended in stages: between Saybrook Point and Fenwick in 1917, between Fenwick and Saybrook Junction in 1922, between Saybrook Junction and Middletown in 1929 or 1930, and Middletown and Hartford in 1933.[3]

Valley Railroad Company (Present Day Company)

The Valley Line was abandoned in March 1968, by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad several months before merging into Penn Central in 1969.[4] Penn Central had the Valley Line put up for abandonment on August 15, 1969.[4] The Valley Line was saved by the Connecticut Valley Railroad Association (CVRA, later becoming Railroad Museum of New England) due to concerns of the abandoned branch line being torn up by the Penn Central.[4] The Connecticut Valley Railroad Association, the Empire State Railway Museum, and private investors created today's for-profit Valley Railroad, obtaining a charter from the Connecticut State Legislature.[4] The State of Connecticut took ownership of the line from the Penn Central on June 1, 1970, and designated the Valley line as a linear State Park.[4] It reopened on July 29, 1971, with ESRM's No. 103 being the first locomotive to run on the current Valley Railroad with a train running between Essex and Deep River, 100 years to the day of the first train on the original line.[4] The train was later expanded to Chester in the late 1970s and expanded as far north as Haddam in later years.[4]

Seasonally, trains connect with a steam riverboat at Deep River, which offers rides along the Connecticut River.[5]

Equipment

Locomotives

Locomotive details[6][7][8][9][10][11][12]
Number Images Type Class Built Builder Status
2 File:Display train at Essex station, December 2016.JPG Steam 0-6-0Template:Whyte suffix 1941 H.K. Porter, Inc. Display
3 File:Connecticut Coke Company -3.jpg Steam 0-4-0Template:Whyte suffix 1930 H.K. Porter Display
40 File:VALE 40.jpg Steam 2-8-2Template:Whyte suffix 1920 American Locomotive Company Operational
97 File:Valley Railroad 97 in Deep River, CT November 26, 2021.jpg Steam 2-8-0Template:Whyte suffix 1923 American Locomotive Company Operational
3025 File:The Valley Railroad 3025 waiting for departure at Essex station for the North Pole Express.jpg Steam 2-8-2Template:Whyte suffix 1989 Tangshan Locomotive and Rolling Stock Works Operational
1352 Steam 2-8-2Template:Whyte suffix 1912 American Locomotive Company Awaiting shipment
0900 File:Valley Railroad 0900.jpg Diesel 80-ton switcher 1947 GE Transportation Display
0901 File:Valley Railroad 0901.jpg Diesel 80-ton switcher 1940 GE Transportation Operational
0902 File:0902 at Essex Station July 16, 2020.jpg Diesel 80-ton switcher 1953 GE Transportation Operational
0903 File:Valley Railroad 0903 at Essex January 2019.jpg Diesel 80-ton switcher 1940s Transportation Display
0904
File:Valley Railroad 0904.jpg
 Diesel 80-ton switcher 1940s GE Transportation Operational
0905 Diesel 80-ton switcher 1953 GE Transportation Operational

Former units

Locomotive details[13][14][15]
Number Images Type Class Built Builder
10 File:Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum (Willimantic, Connecticut) (31561031808).jpg Steam 0-4-0Template:Whyte suffix 1934 Baldwin Locomotive Works
103 File:Valley Railroad, Essex, Connecticut Postcard.jpg Steam 2-6-2Template:Whyte suffix 1925 Baldwin Locomotive Works
1246 File:Hugh llewelyn 1246 (5957249733).jpg Steam 4-6-2Template:Whyte suffix 1946 Montreal Locomotive Works
1647 File:Nys&w 142 (3860006996) (cropped).jpg Steam 2-8-2Template:Whyte suffix 1989 Tangshan Locomotive and Rolling Stock Works
15 Diesel RS-1 1944 Central New England Railroad
240 Diesel RS-1 1945 Unknown (scrapped)
0800 File:Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum (Willimantic, Connecticut) (31561041158).jpg Diesel 44-ton switcher 1950 Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum
7145 Diesel 80-ton switcher 1942 GE Transportation

Rolling stock

Rolling stock details[6][16][17]
Name / Number Images Type Built Builder Status
Great Republic File:Valley Railroad Great Republic at Deep River December 2018.jpg Parlor car 1930 Pullman Company Operational
Meriden File:Valley Railroad Meriden.jpg Dining/parlor car 1924 Pullman Operational
Wallingford File:Valley Railroad Wallingford at Eagle Landing State Park October 2019.jpg Dining/parlor car 1927 Pullman Company Operational
Goodspeed Dining/parlor car 1927 Pullman Company Operational
Middletown File:Valley Railroad Middletown in Essex November 2018.jpg Parlor/dining/observation car 1924 Pullman Company Operational
Toreador Parlor car 1913 Pullman Company Operational
810 (Lindsay) File:Valley Railroad Lindsay.jpg Sleeper 1923 Canadian Car and Foundry Out of service
301 Parlor car Unknown Unknown Operational
302 Coach Unknown Unknown Operational
400 File:Valley Railroad HEP Car -400.jpg HEP power car 1920 American Car and Foundry Operational
401 Coach 1952 Canadian Car and Foundry Operational
402 Parlor car 1952 Canadian Car and Foundry Operational
403 Parlor car 1952 Canadian Car and Foundry Operational
404 File:Valley Railroad 404 at Chester Connecticut April 2019.jpg Parlor car 1952 Canadian Car and Foundry Operational
500 (Fenwick) File:Valley Railroad (Connecticut) 2.jpg Parlor car 1914 Pullman Company Operational
501 File:Valley Railroad 501 at Essex July 2020.jpg Coach 1915 Pullman Company Operational
502 File:Valley Railroad 502 at Deep River December 2018.jpg Coach 1914 Pullman Company Operational
503 File:Valley Railroad 503 at Deep River December 2018.jpg Coach 1914 Pullman Company Operational
600 (Riverview) File:Valley Railroad Riverview displayed in Essex November 2018.jpg Open car/parlor/dining car 1917 Pullman Company Operational
601 Coach 1917 Pullman Company Operational
602 Coach 1917 Pullman Company Operational
603 File:Valley Railroad 603 at Goodspeed October 2018.jpg Coach 1920 Pullman Company Operational
1000 (Putnam) File:Valley Railroad Putnam at Deep River December 2 2018.jpg Coach 1924 Bethlehem Steel Operational
1001 File:Valley Railroad 1001 at Deep River December 2018.jpg Coach 1925 Bethlehem Steel Operational
1002 File:Valley Railroad 1002 at Deep River December 2018.jpg Coach 1924 Bethlehem Steel Operational
4979 Coach Unknown Unknown Out of service
Colonial Hearth File:Valley Railroad Colonial Hearth at Goodspeed Station October 2018.jpg Kitchen car 1953 St. Louis Operational
70383 Boxcar 1949 Unknown Stored, out of service
86302 File:Erie Railroad Boxcar 86302.jpg Boxcar 1952 Pullman-Standard Display
061 Boxcar 1955 Unknown Stored, out of service
272 File:VALE Hopper Car -W-272.jpg Hopper car 1959 Unknown Display
728 File:Lehigh and New England Gondola Car 128.jpg Gondola car 1917 L&NE Shops Operational
5146 Flatcar c. 1910 Unknown Maintenance of way
5151 Flatcar c. 1910 Unknown Operational
6364 File:Maine Central Railroad Boxcar.jpg Boxcar 1951 Unknown Stored, display
9435 File:Steam train, Essex, Connecticut LCCN2012630623.tif Boxcar 1961 Unknown Stored, display
9496 Boxcar 1961 Unknown Stored
9819 Boxcar 1951 Unknown Out of service
9861 Boxcar 1951 Unknown Stored
213173 File:New York Central 213713 in Chester, Connecticut May 2020.jpg Boxcar 1930 Unknown Operational
54173 Autom. 1930 Dispatch Shops Display
94460 File:Tanker Car 94460. Valley Railroad, CT.jpg Tanker car c. 1950 UTCCO. Display
39159 Flatcar 1952 PSCo Maintenance of way
20088 File:Valley Railroad Hopper Car -20088 in Essex, CT July 2016..jpg Hopper car 1912 Unknown Display
35386 Boxcar 1948 Pullman Company Stored, display
17704 Flatcar 1953 GSC/Readville Operational
W-2 Crane 1946 American Locomotive Company Maintenance of way
W-10 Crane 1946 American Locomotive Company Maintenance of way
H-50 Crane 1927 American Locomotive Company Out of service
D-75 Dump car 1953 Magor Operational
None File:Steam train, Essex, Connecticut LCCN2012630622.tif Snow Plow c. 1913 HT&W Shops Display
97 Tender 1923 American Locomotive Company Out of service

Riverboats

Riverboat details[6]
Name Image Type Built Builder Status
Becky Thatcher Riverboat 1961 69’ Motor Vessel Captain A. Starts Operational

Facilities

Track

The Valley Railroad Company leases, from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the track running from Old Saybrook up through Essex, Deep River, Chester, Haddam, and Middletown, totaling Script error: No such module "convert".. The trackbed is gravel ballast, with track made of conventional wood crossties, with steel rails fastened to the ties. A major project funded by the company in 2015 put all mainline track from Essex (MP 4) to North Chester (MP 9.80) in stone ballast. The track connects with Amtrak's Northeast Corridor track near the Old Saybrook Station to the south. Presently, 14.25 miles of the line are restored for train service, with the remaining last seeing service in 1968. The rail corridor between Haddam and Middletown, which has been cleared of brush and receives property maintenance and surveillance from hi-rail vehicles, is undergoing full restoration as time and funding permit.

In April 2024 two persons were charged with the theft of four tenths of a mile of track along the operating portion of the line. Eyewitnesses observed track being dismantled near Old Saybrook and the pair are alleged to have removed and sold the track to local metal recyclers.[18] The state of Connecticut has since repaired the damaged section.[19]

The Valley Railroad Company has several grade crossings along its tracks. They vary in their nature, ranging from small caution signs at private crossings to flashing lights, bells, and gates and stop signs at public crossings. The busiest public grade crossings are located at Route 153 in Essex, Route 154 in Essex, and Route 82 (just before the East Haddam swing bridge) in Haddam.

Stations

File:ESSEX FREIGHT STATION.jpg
The railroad's main station in Essex.

The main station, where tickets are sold and all rolling stock is kept, is located in Essex; specifically, the village of Centerbrook. The main entrance and parking access is located off Route 154; there is a rear entrance (not for public use) on Route 153. There is a station building (used as offices for the riverboat operation) at Deep River Landing in Deep River, and a small station (used by the Railroad's track department) in Chester—it was originally the station at Quinnipiac, Connecticut. Goodspeed station, located off Route 82 in Haddam, houses an antique shop and is not affiliated with the railroad. Across the tracks from the station is the Goodspeed Yard Office. This building was the original Chester passenger station, located on Dock Road in Chester, but sold off and removed in 1874 when it was found that the railroad grade was too steep at that location for starting and stopping trains. Donated by the Zanardi family in 1993, it was retrieved by volunteers of the Friends of the Valley Railroad and moved by flatcar to its present location. It is believed that this structure is the sole remaining passenger station from the 1871 opening of the railroad.

On July 18, 2009, the Friends of the Valley Railroad built a passenger shelter in Chester on the site of the original Hadlyme station. The new building is a reproduction of the South Britain station, which was on the now abandoned Danbury Extension of the Hartford, Providence & Fishkill. The original station on this site served passengers of the town of Hadlyme, across the Connecticut River. Passengers use today's station to go to Gillette Castle State Park via the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry, the second-oldest continuously-operated ferry route in the United States.

1990 accident

On April 22, 1990, No. 1647 ran at low speed into the rear of the idling North Cove Express dinner train on the passing trackage.[20][21] Ten minor injuries were reported, and a damaged coupler on one of the cars had to be replaced.[20][21]

Appearances in media

The Valley Railroad makes an appearance in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull with 2-8-0 97 appearing in some scenes of the film. It again appears several times in the Hallmark 2021 production Next Stop, Christmas. Earlier movies including Amistad, Ragtime, and Malcolm X were also filmed in part at the Valley Railroad.[22]

See also

References

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Bibliography

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External links

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