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 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.
By 1888, the H&CV was purchased by the New York New Haven & Hartford Railroad and became known as its "Valley Division". 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 1930, and Middletown and Hartford in 1933.
Valley Railroad Company (Present Day Company)
The south end of the Valley Line, from the mainline at Saybrook Junction to Maromas in Middletown was abandoned in March 1968, by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad several months before merging into Penn Central in 1969. Penn Central had the Valley Line put up for abandonment on August 15, 1969. 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 on June 1, 1970, and designated the Valley line as a linear State Park. It reopened on July 29, 1971, with ESRM's No. 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 riverboat at Deep River, which offers rides along the Connecticut River.
Facilities 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 . 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.
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, 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, which have gates as well as flashing lights.
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.
Equipment Locomotives +Locomotive details Number Image Type Model Built Builder Status 2 Steam 1941 H.K. Porter, Inc. Display 3 Steam 1930 H.K. Porter Display, at Westbrook Outlet Mall 40 Steam 1920 American Locomotive Company Operational 97 Steam 1923 American Locomotive Company Operational 3025
Steam 1989 Tangshan Locomotive and Rolling Stock Works Undergoing 1,472-day inspection and overhaul 0900 Diesel 80-ton switcher 1947 GE Transportation Display 0901 Diesel 80-ton switcher 1940 GE Transportation Operational 0902 Diesel 80-ton switcher 1953 GE Transportation Operational 0903 Diesel 80-ton switcher 1940s Transportation Display 0904 Diesel 80-ton switcher 1940s GE Transportation Operational 0905 Diesel 80-ton switcher 1953 GE Transportation Operational
Former units +Locomotive details Number Image Type Model Built Builder Owner 10 Steam 1934 Baldwin Locomotive Works Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum, Willimantic, CT 103 Steam 1925 Baldwin Locomotive Works Railroad Museum of New England/Naugatuck Railroad, Thomaston, CT 1246 Steam 1946 Montreal Locomotive Works Railroad Museum of New England/Naugatuck Railroad, Thomaston, CT 1647 Steam 1989 Tangshan Locomotive and Rolling Stock Works NS&WT&HS/Belvidere and Delaware River Railway, Phillipsburg, NJ 15 Diesel RS-1 1944 American Locomotive Company None (scrapped) 240 Diesel RS-1 1945 American Locomotive Company None (scrapped) 0800 Diesel 44-ton switcher 1950 Unknown Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum, Willimantic, CT 7145 Diesel 80-ton switcher 1942 GE Transportation None (scrapped)
Rolling stock +Rolling stock details Name / Number Image Type Built Builder Status Great Republic Parlor car 1930 Pullman Company Operational Meriden Dining/parlor car 1924 Pullman Operational Wallingford Dining/parlor car 1927 Pullman Company Operational Goodspeed Dining/parlor car 1927 Pullman Company Operational Middletown Parlor/dining/observation car 1924 Pullman Company Operational Toreador Parlor car 1913 Pullman Company Out of Service 810 (Lindsay) Sleeper 1923 Canadian Car and Foundry Out of service 301 Parlor car Unknown Unknown Operational 302 Coach Unknown Unknown Operational 400 HEP power car 1920 American Car and Foundry Operational 401 Coach 1952 Canadian Car and Foundry Operational 402 Parlor car 1952 Canadian Car and Foundry Operational 403 Parlor car 1952 Canadian Car and Foundry Operational 404 Parlor car 1952 Canadian Car and Foundry Operational 500 (Fenwick) Parlor car 1914 Pullman Company Operational 501 Coach 1915 Pullman Company Operational 502 Coach 1914 Pullman Company Operational 503 Coach 1914 Pullman Company Operational 600 (Riverview) Open car/parlor/dining car 1917 Pullman Company Operational 601 Coach 1917 Pullman Company Operational 602 Coach 1917 Pullman Company Operational 603 Coach 1920 Pullman Company Operational 1000 (Putnam) Coach 1924 Bethlehem Steel Operational 1001 Coach 1925 Bethlehem Steel Operational 1002 Coach 1924 Bethlehem Steel Operational 4979 Coach Unknown Unknown Out of service Colonial Hearth Kitchen car 1953 St. Louis Operational 70383 Boxcar 1949 Unknown Stored, out of service 86302 Boxcar 1952 Pullman-Standard Display 061 Boxcar 1955 Unknown Stored, out of service 272 Hopper car 1959 Unknown Display 728 Gondola car 1917 L&NE Shops Display 5146 Flatcar c. 1910 Unknown Maintenance of way 5151 Flatcar c. 1910 Unknown Operational 6364 Boxcar 1951 Unknown Storage, display 9435 Boxcar 1961 Unknown Stored, display 9496 Boxcar 1961 Unknown Stored 9819 Boxcar 1951 Unknown Out of service 9861 Boxcar 1951 Unknown Stored 213173 Boxcar 1930 Unknown Operational 54173 Autom. 1930 Dispatch Shops Display 94460 Tanker car c. 1950 UTCCO. Display 39159 Flatcar 1952 PSCo Maintenance of way 20088 Hopper car 1912 Unknown Display 35386 Boxcar 1948 Pullman Company Stored, display 17704 Flatcar 1953 GSC/Readville Operational W-2 Crane 1946 American Locomotive Company Maintenance of way W-10 Crane 1946 American Locomotive Company Maintenance of way H-50 Crane 1927 American Locomotive Company Out of service D-75 Dump car 1953 Magor Operational None Snow Plow c. 1913 HT&W Shops Display 97 Tender 1923 American Locomotive Company Out of service
Riverboats +Riverboat details Name Image Type Built Builder Status Becky Thatcher Riverboat 1961 69’ Motor Vessel Captain A. Starts Operational
Accidents and incidents 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.