The Valley Railroad, operating under the name Essex Steam Train and Riverboat, is a
heritage railroad
A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...
based in
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
on tracks of the
Connecticut Valley Railroad, which was founded in 1868. The company began operations in 1971 between
Deep River and
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...
, 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
Old Saybrook Center is the primary village and a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Old Saybrook, Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,278 at the 2020 census, out of 10,481 in the entire town of Old Saybroo ...
.
In April 1870, construction of the line began, with ground breaking taking place in
Higganum, Connecticut
Higganum is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Haddam, a part of Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,089 at the 2020 census.
History
The name "Higganum" is derived from an Indian name mean ...
.
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
The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...
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
A mixed train or mixed consist is a train that contains both passenger and freight cars or wagons. Although common in the early days of railways, by the 20th century they were largely confined to branch lines with little traffic. Typically, service ...
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.
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 1929 or 1930, and Middletown and Hartford in 1933.
Valley Railroad Company (Present Day Company)
The Valley Line was abandoned on March of 1968, by the
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to December 31, 1968. Founded by the merger of ...
several months before merging into
Penn Central
The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals (the Pennsylvania, New York Central and the ...
. Penn Central had the Valley Line put up for abandonment. 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, and designated the Valley line as a linear State Park. It reopened on July 29, 1971, with ESRM's 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 north as Haddam in later years.
Seasonally, trains connect with a steam riverboat at Deep River, which offers rides along the Connecticut River.
Rolling stock
Steam locomotives
Former
Diesel engines
Current diesel engines
Previous diesel engines
Passenger cars
Facilities
Track
The Valley Railroad Company leases, from the
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is a state agency in the US state of Connecticut. The department oversees the state's natural resources and environment and regulates public utilities and energy policy. It ...
, the track running from
Old Saybrook
Old Saybrook is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 10,481 at the 2020 census. It contains the incorporated borough of Fenwick, as well as the census-designated places of Old Saybrook Center and Saybroo ...
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, and 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, bells, and gates and stop signs 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.
Stations
The main station, where tickets are sold and all
rolling stock
The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can ...
is kept, is located in Essex; specifically, the village of
Centerbrook
Centerbrook is a hamlet located in the town of Essex, Connecticut
Essex is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 6,733 at the 2020 census. It is made up of three villages: Essex Village, Centerbrook, and ...
. 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.
In popular culture
The Valley Railroad makes an appearance in ''
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
''Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' is a 2008 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and the fourth installment in the ''Indiana Jones'' series. Released and taking place 19 years after the previous ...
'' with 2-8-0 97 appearing in some scenes of the film. It again appears several times in the
Hallmark
A hallmark is an official mark or series of marks struck on items made of metal, mostly to certify the content of noble metals—such as platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium. In a more general sense, the term '' hallmark'' can a ...
2021 production 'Next Stop, Christmas.'
See also
*
Connecticut Valley Railroad Roundhouse and Turntable Site
The Connecticut Valley Railroad Roundhouse and Turntable Site is a former railroad facility located in Fort Saybrook Monument Park off Main Street in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, Old Saybrook, Connecticut. The Railway roundhouse, roundhouse and Rail ...
*
Deep River Freight Station
*
Essex Freight Station
*
List of Connecticut state parks
This is a list of state parks, reserves, forests and wildlife management areas (WMAs) in the Connecticut state park and forest system, shown in five tables. The first table lists state parks and reserves, the second lists state park trails, the t ...
*
List of heritage railroads in the United States
This is a list of heritage railroads in the United States. There are currently no such railroads in the states of Mississippi or North Dakota.
Heritage railroads by state
Alabama
* Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum, Shelby & Southern Railroad a ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valley Railroad Connecticut
Heritage railroads in Connecticut
Transportation in Middlesex County, Connecticut
Tourist attractions in Middlesex County, Connecticut
Essex, Connecticut
Connecticut railroads
Companies operating former New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad lines
Parks in Middlesex County, Connecticut
Protected areas established in 1971
Railway companies established in 1971
State parks of Connecticut