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Valley Railroad (Connecticut)
The Valley Railroad, operating under the name Essex Steam Train and Riverboat, is a heritage railroad based in 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 t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Valley Railroad 40
Valley Railroad No. 40 is a preserved 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotive that was built by American Locomotive Company, Alco in 1920. It was initially built as No. 101 for the Portland, Astoria and Pacific Railroad as part of their small order of locomotives. However, the order was cancelled, and the locomotive was subsequently sold to the Minarets and Western Railway to pull Forest railway, logging trains. No. 101 subsequently went through several ownerships during revenue service, until it was retired in 1950, and by that time, it was renumbered to 40. After spending several years in storage, No. 40 made its way to the Valley Railroad (Connecticut), Connecticut Valley Railroad in Essex, Connecticut, Essex in 1977. As of 2022, No. 40 is being used to pull tourist trains between Essex and Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford, Connecticut alongside 2-8-0 No. 97 and 2-8-2 Valley Railroad 3025, No. 3025. The 40 does currently have a surviving sister engine. Former Portland, Astoria & Pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
