Backlight is beautiful
Just prior to pinning on to her excursion consist for a series of post-Thanksgiving, "North Pole Express" trains, Valley Railroad Locomotive #97 makes her way light, out of the South Yard in Essex, CT toward the Plains Road Crossing. In the afternoon, this location is always backlit, but can produce a very pretty steam show in the chilly November air.
In recent years, the 97 has not run much, except during the holidays. That's because starting in 2018, the Valley Railroad has been gradually putting this engine through a complete overhaul, her first in the 50 years she's been here. First, she received her 1,472 day boiler inspection, and more recently, she's had a complete running gear overhaul. The work has been done mostly during the summer months, with each stage being completed in time for the Christmas Trains, when every one of the line's steam engines is needed to support the a very heavy schedule of as many as 10 departures per day.
Backlight is beautiful
Just prior to pinning on to her excursion consist for a series of post-Thanksgiving, "North Pole Express" trains, Valley Railroad Locomotive #97 makes her way light, out of the South Yard in Essex, CT toward the Plains Road Crossing. In the afternoon, this location is always backlit, but can produce a very pretty steam show in the chilly November air.
In recent years, the 97 has not run much, except during the holidays. That's because starting in 2018, the Valley Railroad has been gradually putting this engine through a complete overhaul, her first in the 50 years she's been here. First, she received her 1,472 day boiler inspection, and more recently, she's had a complete running gear overhaul. The work has been done mostly during the summer months, with each stage being completed in time for the Christmas Trains, when every one of the line's steam engines is needed to support the a very heavy schedule of as many as 10 departures per day.