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Valley Railroad (Connecticut)

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For the historic Connecticut Valley Railroad, see Connecticut Valley Railroad.

Valley Railroad
Essex Steam Train and Riverboat
Valley Railroad 40 at Deep River in December 2018
Overview
HeadquartersEssex, Connecticut
Reporting markVALE
LocaleMiddlesex County, Connecticut
Dates of operation1971 (1971)–present (present)
PredecessorConnecticut Valley Railroad
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
Penn Central Transportation Company
Technical
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Length21.67 miles (34.87 km)
Other
Websiteessexsteamtrain.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
Connecticut Highway 82.svg
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
Connecticut Highway 9.svg Route 9
Connecticut Highway 154 wide.svg
Route 154
Middlesex Tpke.
3.97 mi
6.39 km
 EssexBus interchange
Connecticut Highway 153 wide.svg
Route 153
Plains Rd.
I-95.svg I-95
0.00 mi
0 km
 Old SaybrookAmtrakShore Line EastBus interchange
Amtrak
Northeast Corridor
This diagram:

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

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Further information: Connecticut Valley Railroad
Remains of a wooden bridge along the former Fenwick Branch south of Old Saybrook, which was abandoned in the early 20th century

Construction

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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 45 miles (72 km) 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

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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

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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)

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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.[4]

Equipment

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Locomotives

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Locomotive details[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]
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 1926 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

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Locomotive details[13][14][15]
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
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

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Rolling stock details[5][16][17]
Name / number Image Type Built Builder Description
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

Facilities

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Track

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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.[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

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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

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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]

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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

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "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. ^ "Connecticut heritage railway acquires Frisco 2-8-2". Trains. November 8, 2023. Archived from the original on November 10, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "GE 44-ton Locomotive". Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum. Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  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. ^ a b Miller (2017), p. 109
  21. ^ a b "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.
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