Special charter out of Haddam
Here's an image depicting an unusual operation on Connecticut's Valley Railroad. This May 2010 movement was part of a special charter that was operated out of Haddam Station at the north end of the line. It was done this way because the railroad was running their annual Thomas the Tank Engine event in Essex, so the southern end of the railroad was just too busy for a private charter. In this case, a bus delivered charter patrons to Haddam Station, where they boarded a 3-car special steam train, powered by Consolidation #97. The train ran tender-first down to Deep River Landing, where patrons boarded the riverboat Becky Thatcher, for a Connecticut River cruise. When the boat returned, passengers reboarded the train for the trip back north to Haddam. The empty train then deadheaded back to Essex. In this frame, we see that deadhead trip, with #97 passing tender-first over the bridge at Chester Creek in the late afternoon. It is indeed rare to see a locomotive leading a southbound here. Generally speaking, whenever steam passes this location headed north or south, the power is on the north end of the train.
Special charter out of Haddam
Here's an image depicting an unusual operation on Connecticut's Valley Railroad. This May 2010 movement was part of a special charter that was operated out of Haddam Station at the north end of the line. It was done this way because the railroad was running their annual Thomas the Tank Engine event in Essex, so the southern end of the railroad was just too busy for a private charter. In this case, a bus delivered charter patrons to Haddam Station, where they boarded a 3-car special steam train, powered by Consolidation #97. The train ran tender-first down to Deep River Landing, where patrons boarded the riverboat Becky Thatcher, for a Connecticut River cruise. When the boat returned, passengers reboarded the train for the trip back north to Haddam. The empty train then deadheaded back to Essex. In this frame, we see that deadhead trip, with #97 passing tender-first over the bridge at Chester Creek in the late afternoon. It is indeed rare to see a locomotive leading a southbound here. Generally speaking, whenever steam passes this location headed north or south, the power is on the north end of the train.