Steam Sunday Surprise
For today's Steam Sunday here's another recent one from my visit to New England's own Steam Mecca.
For five weeks before Christmas the Valley Railroad (dba Essex Steam Train and Riverboat) runs an astonishing amount of holiday trains branded as the North Pole Express. Most are steam powered and this requires all three of their steam locomotives to be under steam at once. Excepting the Strasburg Railroad I don't believe there is anywhere else in the United States where three standard gauge rod connected locomotives are regularly under steam at the same time. But here, every weekend, it is a normal occurrence as the railroad runs 13 sold out departures between 2 and 8 PM every Sat and Sun (only 9 on Tue-Fri) using four consists one of which is led by one of the road's center cab GEs.
After shooting the 2:30 PM departure by the hardware store crossing I relocated to the signature photo location on the line for the 3 PM train to the North Pole, the open field near MP 4.5 on the old New Haven Valley Line north of the bridge over the Falls River. But 3 PM came and went and I never heard them whistling for departure and started to wonder. About 20 min later than expected something finally appeared...but not what I expected!. Instead of the train it was just VRR 97 running light as I found out later headed to rescue the 2:30 PM train after 3025 suffered an unknown failure requiring her to be set out on the spur track at Deep River. Also take note that 97 has lost her garish white North Pole Express tender decal and again has a proper yellow Valley Railroad script herald.
Built by the American Locomotive Company (Alco) at their Patterson, N.J. works in 1923, No. 97 has had a long and interesting career. It was one of three identical units built for stock, an unusual practice in the locomotive business as usually locomotives were built only when an order was placed. It was finally sold in 1926 to the Birmingham & Southeastern Railroad, an Alabama short line.
On the B&SE it pulled freight and passenger trains until about 1958 when it was retired and stored. It was purchased by a New York publisher and eventually was moved to Essex and in 1972 began a new career pulling trainloads of tourists for the Essex Steam Train & Riverboat.
Information above courtesy of the Valley Railroad web site and more history can be found here:
essexsteamtrain.com/about/history/
Essex, Connecticut
Saturday November 16, 2024
Steam Sunday Surprise
For today's Steam Sunday here's another recent one from my visit to New England's own Steam Mecca.
For five weeks before Christmas the Valley Railroad (dba Essex Steam Train and Riverboat) runs an astonishing amount of holiday trains branded as the North Pole Express. Most are steam powered and this requires all three of their steam locomotives to be under steam at once. Excepting the Strasburg Railroad I don't believe there is anywhere else in the United States where three standard gauge rod connected locomotives are regularly under steam at the same time. But here, every weekend, it is a normal occurrence as the railroad runs 13 sold out departures between 2 and 8 PM every Sat and Sun (only 9 on Tue-Fri) using four consists one of which is led by one of the road's center cab GEs.
After shooting the 2:30 PM departure by the hardware store crossing I relocated to the signature photo location on the line for the 3 PM train to the North Pole, the open field near MP 4.5 on the old New Haven Valley Line north of the bridge over the Falls River. But 3 PM came and went and I never heard them whistling for departure and started to wonder. About 20 min later than expected something finally appeared...but not what I expected!. Instead of the train it was just VRR 97 running light as I found out later headed to rescue the 2:30 PM train after 3025 suffered an unknown failure requiring her to be set out on the spur track at Deep River. Also take note that 97 has lost her garish white North Pole Express tender decal and again has a proper yellow Valley Railroad script herald.
Built by the American Locomotive Company (Alco) at their Patterson, N.J. works in 1923, No. 97 has had a long and interesting career. It was one of three identical units built for stock, an unusual practice in the locomotive business as usually locomotives were built only when an order was placed. It was finally sold in 1926 to the Birmingham & Southeastern Railroad, an Alabama short line.
On the B&SE it pulled freight and passenger trains until about 1958 when it was retired and stored. It was purchased by a New York publisher and eventually was moved to Essex and in 1972 began a new career pulling trainloads of tourists for the Essex Steam Train & Riverboat.
Information above courtesy of the Valley Railroad web site and more history can be found here:
essexsteamtrain.com/about/history/
Essex, Connecticut
Saturday November 16, 2024