Elizabeth and I arose at the Quality Inn in Old Saybrook and after our Internet duties, we drove to the Essex Steam Train and checked in with Dak Dillon before boarding our diesel-powered train for today's journey. We went about two miles north to a meadow outside Essex at Milepost 4.4.
Tuesday October 8, 2024On Tuesday, our charter will feature a freight working north from Old Saybrook to Goodspeed station. Taking advantage of the best light of the day, we will best light, we will hit the rails around sunrise. Working photo location until sunset with small breaks throughout the day. The consist will include 6-7 freight cars and a few passenger cars. The passenger car will be dropped from the train at each runby location. Valley Railroad 40 will serve as our primary motive power with Valley Railroad 97 serving on the second day. We will use different engines each day.
Wednesday October 9, 2024On Wednesday, our charter will feature a freight working north from Old Saybrook to Goodspeed station. Similar to the first day, we will depart early to take advantage of the best light of the day and wrap up in late afternoon sun the shadow begin to creep in. Some photo locations may be repeated daily, but each day will include a unique mix of locations. Valley Railroad 97 will serve as our primary motive power for the second day with a variety of Pullman rolling stock.
Our Charter
We all detrained for the first photo runbys.
Photo runby one just before sunrise.
Pennsylvania Railroad center cupola caboose 477499 built by the railroad in 1926.
New York Central automobile box car 213173 acquired from Metro-North from Conrail, constructed in 1930 by an unknown builder.
Valley Railroad hopper car W-272 constructed in 1969 by an unknown builder.
An box car of unknown origin.
Union Tank Car Company one dome tank car 94460, built by the company in 1954.
Valley Railroad 2-8-2 40, ex. Aberdeen and Rockfish 40, exx. Birmingham Rail and Locomotive dealer, exxx. Southern Pacific, exxxx. Minarets and Western 1922, nee Portland, Astoria and Pacific 101, built by American Locomotive Company's Brooks Locomotive Works in 1921. It was retired in 1952 and went into storage until sold to the Valley Railroad in 1977.
Reverse move one.
Photo runby two before sunrise.
Reverse move two.
Photo runby three before sunrise. I relocated across the tracks.
Reverse move three at sunrise.
Photo runby four at sunrise.
Reverse move four.
Photo runby five. I relocated back across the tracks.
Reverse move five.
Photo runby six, after which everyone reboarded the train.
Our train that brought us out to Milepost 4.85.
Photo runby seven.
Reverse move six.
Photo runby eight.
Reverse move seven.
Photo runby nine with the Chevy pickup truck.
Photo runby ten Old Deep River Road Milepost 4.85.
Our train returned and after reverse move eight, we all reboarded and travelled to Essex Street at Milepost 6.88 for the next runbys featuring that 1940's Chevy pickup truck.
A steam engine on the Brookside Farm gate.
Photo runby eleven.
Reverse move nine.
Photo runby twelve. I relocated further down the road.
Reverse move ten.
The photo runby scene.
Photo runby thirteen.
Reverse move eleven.
Photo runby fourteen.
The pickup truck crossed the tracks, after which we went to a tree tunnel at Milepost 8.0.
Concrete milepost eight.
Photo runby fifteen. We moved to the tree tunnel at Milepost 10.
Photo runby sixteen.
Reverse move twelve.
Photo runby seventeen at Milepost 10.
Reverse move thirteen.
Photo runby eighteen.
Photo runby nineteen at the tree tunnel, Milepost 10.
Reverse move fourteen.
Photo runby twenty. Everyone reboarded the train.
The Connecticut River.
Photo runby twenty-one.
The Connecticut River.
Our chase train arrived at Bridge Road in Goodspeed.
Valley Railroad 80 ton switcher 0902, nee United States Air Force 1605, built by General Electric in 1923.
Valley Railroad coach 1000 "Putnam", nee Central of New Jersey 1000, built by American Car and Foundry in 1923.
Valley Railroad coach 1002 "Col. Clarence S. Wadsworth", nee Central Railroad of New Jersey 992, built by American Car and Foundry in 1923.
Photo runby twenty-two.
Our chase train waiting for its passengers.
The Connecticut River.
The steam engine arrived for the crew pictures.
The Essex Steam Train crew photographs at the Goodspeed switch.
The train went past the station switch to run around the train.
Valley Railroad 40 pulled by the station switch.
It picked up its caboose.
The switch was thrown.
The engine returned passing the switch.
Valley Railroad 40 then returned, the switch was thrown again and the locomotive came back to its train.
Returning with the caboose. We reboarded the chase train and returned to Essex for a lunch break. Most, including the two of us, visited Cooked Market Place where food was purchased to go since it was not a restaurant, rather a market, and walked back to the tables by the station to enjoy our meal.
