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Valley Railroad

Essex Steam Train and Riverboat
Valley Railroad 40 at Deep River in December 2018
Overview
Headquarters	Essex, Connecticut
Reporting mark	VALE
Locale	Middlesex County, Connecticut
Dates of operation	1971 (1971)–present (present)
Predecessor	Connecticut Valley Railroad New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Penn Central Transportation Company
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Length	21.67 miles (34.87 km)
Other
Website	essexsteamtrain.com
Route map Legend MP (Milepost) Providence & Worcester RR to Hartford 21.67 mi 34.87 km Maromas 18.16 mi 29.23 km Higganum 16.90 mi 27.2 km Walkley Hill 15.48 mi 24.91 km Haddam 14.80 mi 23.82 km Arnolds 14.00 mi 22.53 km Shailerville 12.27 mi 19.75 km Goodspeed Route 82 Bridge Rd. 11.50 mi 18.51 km Broadway 10.40 mi 16.74 km Parkers Point 9.65 mi 15.53 km North Chester 9.26 mi 14.9 km Hadlyme 8.57 mi 13.79 km Chester 7.58 mi 12.2 km Deep River Route 9 Route 154 Middlesex Tpke. 3.97 mi 6.39 km Essex Route 153 Plains Rd. I-95 0.00 mi 0 km Old Saybrook Amtrak Northeast Corridor This diagram: view talk edit

The Valley Railroad, 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

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. 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.

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. 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. 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 45 miles (72 km) on July 29, 1871, at a steady speed of 22 mph. At $34,000 per mile, the line ended up costing $1,482,903.

Connecticut Valley Railroad

The first "regular" train started on July 31, 1871. 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. It continued to grow, grossing $250,000/year in 1873.

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.

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.

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. Penn Central had the Valley Line put up for abandonment. 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. 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. The State of Connecticut took ownership of the line from the Penn Central, and designated the Valley line as a linear State Park. It reopened on July 29, 1971, with ESRM's 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. The train was later expanded to Chester in the late 1970s and expanded as far north as Haddam in later years.

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

Equipment

Locomotives

Locomotive details

Number	Image	Style	Built	Builder	Status
2		0-6-0T	1941	Porter	Display
3		0-4-0F	1930	H.K. Porter	Display
40		2-8-2	1920	ALCO	Operational
97		2-8-0	1923	ALCO	Operational
1352		2-8-2	1912	ALCO	Awaiting shipment
3025		2-8-2	1989	Tangshan	Operational
0900		80-ton	GE Transportation	1947	Display
0901		80-ton	GE Transportation	1940	Operational
0902		80-ton	GE Transportation	1953	Operational
0903		80-ton	GE Transportation	1940s	Display
0904		80-ton	GE Transportation	1940s	Operational
905		80-ton	GE Transportation	1953	Under restoration

Former units

Locomotive details

VRR #	Image	Style	Built	Builder
10		0-4-0T	1934	Baldwin
103		2-6-2	1925	Baldwin Locomotive Works
1246		4-6-2	1946	Montreal Locomotive Works
1647		2-8-2	1989	Tangshan
15		RS-1	1944	Central New England Railroad
240		RS-1	1945	Scrapped
0800		44-ton	1950	Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum
7145		80-ton	1942	GE Transportation

Rolling stock

Rolling stock details

Name / number	Image	Type	Built	Builder
Great Republic		Parlor car	1930	Pullman Company
Meriden		Dining/parlor car	1924	Pullman
Wallingford		Dining/parlor car	1927	Pullman Company
Goodspeed		Dining/parlor car	1927	Pullman Company
Middletown		Parlor/dining/observation car	1924	Pullman Company
Toreador		Parlor car	1913	Pullman Company
810 (Lindsay)		Sleeper	1923	Canadian Car & Foundry
301		Parlor Car	Unknown	Unknown
302		Parlor Car	Unknown	Unknown
400		HEP power car	1920	American Car & Foundry
401		Coach	1952	Canadian Car & Foundry
402		Parlor Car	1952	Canadian Car & Foundry
403		Parlor Car	1952	Canadian Car & Foundry
404		Parlor car	1952	Canadian Car & Foundry
500		Parlor Car	1914	Pullman Company
501		Coach	1915	Pullman Company
502		Coach	1914	Pullman Company
503		Coach	1914	Pullman Company
600 (Riverview)		Open car/parlor/dining car	1917	Pullman Company
601		Coach	1917	Pullman Company
602		Coach	1917	Pullman Company
603		Coach	1920	Pullman Company
1000 (Putnam)		Coach	1924	Bethlehem Steel
1001		Coach	1925	Bethlehem Steel
1002		Coach	1924	Bethlehem Steel
4979		Coach	Unknown	Unknown
Colonial Hearth		Kitchen car	1953	St. Louis
70383		Boxcar	1949	Unknown
061		Boxcar	1955	Unknown
272		Hopper Car	1959	Unknown
728		Gondola Car	1917	L&NE Shops
5146		Flatcar	c.1910	Unknown
5151		Flatcar	c.1910	Unknown
6364		Boxcar	1951	Unknown
9435		Boxcar	1961	Unknown
9496		Boxcar	1961	Unknown
9919		Boxcar	1951	Unknown
9861		Boxcar	1951	Unknown
54173		Autom.	1930	Dispatch Shops
94460		Tanker Car	c.1950	UTCCO.
39159		Flatcar	1952	PSCo
20088		Hopper Car	1912	Unknown
35386		Boxcar	1948	Pullman Company
17704		Flatcar	1953	GSC/Readville
W-2		Crane	1946	ALCO
W-10		Crane	1946	ALCO
H-50		Crane	1927	ALCO
D-75		Dump Car	1953	Magor
None		Snow Plow	c.1913	HT&W Shops
97		Tender	1923	ALCO

Facilities

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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 21.67 miles (34.87 km). 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. The state of Connecticut has since repaired the damaged section.

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

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. Ten minor injuries were reported, and a damaged coupler on one of the cars had to be replaced.

In popular culture

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.

See also

• Connecticut Valley Railroad Roundhouse and Turntable Site
• Deep River Freight Station
• Essex Freight Station
• List of Connecticut state parks
• List of heritage railroads in the United States

References

1. ^ "Essex Steam Train Is Remnant Of Connecticut Valley Railroad". Hartford, Connecticut: The Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
2. ^ "Connecticut Valley Railroad State Park". Hartford, Connecticut: Connecticut DEEP. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
3. Karr, Ronald Dale (2017). The Rail Lines of Southern New England (2 ed.). Branch Line Press. pp. 111–115. ISBN 9780942147124.
4. "Essex Steam Train & Riverboat". Experience Essex, CT. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
5. ^ "Essex Steam Train & River Boat: Roster of Equipment" (PDF). The Valley Railroad Company. June 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 21, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
6. "Connecticut heritage railway acquires Frisco 2-8-2". Trains. November 8, 2023. Archived from the original on November 10, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
7. "Connecticut Coke Company 3". Steam Locomotive Information. June 10, 2017. Archived from the original on July 19, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
8. "Essex Steam Train Locomotive History" (PDF). Essex, Connecticut: The Valley Railroad Company. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 8, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
9. Karl Zimmermann (May 17, 1987). "ALL ABOARD FOR A RIDE BACK TO THE 1920's". The New York Times. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
10. Meyer, Ben (March 28, 2023). "Valley Railroad acquires two GE centercab locomotives". Rail Preservation Network. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
11. "GE 44-ton Locomotive". Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum. Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
12. "Valley Railroad Acquires Frisco 2-8-2". Railfan & Railroad. White River Productions. November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
13. "Baldwin Locomotive Works 0-4-0 steam locomotive 10". Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum. August 22, 2009. Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
14. "News From The Naugy". Naugatuck Railroad Blog. October 11, 2007. Archived from the original on February 26, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
15. "News From The Naugy". Naugatuck Railroad Blog. October 12, 2007. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
16. "The Essex Clipper Dinner Train". Essex, Connecticut: The Valley Railroad Company. Archived from the original on July 2, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
17. Angus, Fred (May 2005). "Farewell to the 800s" (PDF). Canadian Rail. No. 506. The Canadian Railroad Historical Association. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
18. "Two charged with stealing track from Connecticut heritage railroad". Trains Magazine. P.O. Box 1612 Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Media. April 19, 2024. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
19. "DEEP Environmental Conservation Police Make Arrests in Alleged Railroad Tracks Theft Case". DEEP Logo Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. Connecticut's Official State Website. April 19, 2024. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
20. ^ Miller (2017), p. 109 harvp error: no target: CITEREFMiller2017 (help)
21. ^ "Arrivals & Departures - Mikado Mishap". Trains. Vol. 50, no. 10. Kalmbach Publishing. August 1990. p. 10. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
22. "You Might Sit On A Seat Where George Clooney Sat". The Hartford Courant. February 1, 2007. Retrieved August 1, 2024.

• "The History of the Valley Railroad Company". essexsteamtrain.com. Archived from the original on September 19, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2012.

External links

• Official website

• Heritage railroads in Connecticut
• Transportation in Middlesex County, Connecticut
• Tourist attractions in Middlesex County, Connecticut
• Essex, Connecticut
• Connecticut railroads
• Parks in Middlesex County, Connecticut
• Protected areas established in 1971
• Railway companies established in 1971
• State parks of Connecticut
• Dinner trains