Elizabeth and I arose in Old Saybrook and following our Internet duties, ate a satisfying breakfast at the hotel then drove to the Essex Steam train, met the group and checked in with Dak Dillon.
This was the view that greeted us after we walked down to the engine house.
Valley Railroad 2-8-0 97 reversed out of the engine house.
Valley Railroad 2-8-0 97, ex. Vermont Railroad 97 1964, exx. Stephen D. Bogen 97 1963, exxx. Birmingham and Southern 200 1926, nee constructed for stock by American Locomotive Company in 1923. On the Birmingham and Southern, an Alabama shortline, it pulled freight and passenger trains until 1958 when it was retired and stored. It was then purchased by a New York publisher and moved to Essex, where in 1972, it began a new career pulling trainloads of tourists for the Essex Steam Train and Riverboat.
The rear view.
An employee oiling the engine. It was fascinating to watch the crew prepare the locomotive for the day.
Dumping the ash.
Preparing to move.
Adding the water treatment.
Still dumping the ash.
Finishing the oiling.
Reversing past the switch.
Proceeding to the front of our train.
The steam engine's builder's plate.
Continuing its journey to the front of our train.
Valley Railroad 2-8-2 3025 is one of the last major class of steam locomotives built anywhere in the world with the last SY Class engine outshopped in 1999 from the Tangshan Locomotive Works in Tangshan, Hebei province, People's Republic of China. The SY is based on the earlier Japanese-built JF6 Class 2-8-2, which was based, in turn, on a type built by Alco in the 1920s for use in Korea. The SY is one of the few steam locomotives still found in active service in the 21st Century, mostly working in coal and steel industries but also heading commuter trains from time to time.
The SY class were also among the few Chinese steam locomotives to be exported. In 1989 and 1991, three were built for tourist railroads in the US, 1647 for the Valley Railroad, 1658 for the Knox & Kane and a third for the New York, Susquehanna & Western, which was lost when the ship it was on sunk in the Indian Ocean.
The Susquehanna later bought 1647 from the Valley Railroad and renumbered it 142. It ran until 2003 when it was transferred to the New York, Susquehanna & Western Technical & Historical Society. The NYS&W occasionally runs tourist excursions with 142 on the Belvidere & Delaware River Railway between Phillipsburg and Carpentersville, 1658 was renumbered 58 in the mid-to-late 1990's but was withdrawn from service and moved with other K&K equipment to an enginehouse in Kane, Pennsylvania.
In 2008, 58 was bought by the Valley Railroad at auction. It was renumbered 3025 and given a complete rebuild including cosmetic alterations to make it resemble a New Haven J-1 2-8-2. It went into service in November 2011.
Our conductor ready for the coupling.
The engine reversed onto the point of our train, everyone boarded and soon we were off to our first set of photo runbys at Deep River Road, Milepost 4.5, featuring a 1930's Ford Cabriolet.
Reverse move one.
Photo runby one.
Reverse move two.
Photo runby two.
Reverse move three.
Photo runby three.
The Ford Cabriolet. We next ran north to the Deep River Creek bridge.
Posed picture one.
The photo line in front of me.
Reversing off the Deep River Creek bridge.
The Deep River Creek.
Photo runby four as I waited to board for the next destination of Dock Road, Milepost 8.98, also featuring the Ford Cabriolet.
Photo runby five.
The Ford Cabriolet.
Reverse move five.
Photo runby six at Dock Road milepost 8.98. We moved to the first tree tunnel.
Reverse move six.
Photo runby seven just past Dock Road, Milepost 9.1, after which we moved to Essex Street, Milepost 6.30.
Reverse move seven.
Pratt Cove Preserve.
Photo runby eight.
Reverse move eight.
Photo runby nine, after which we relocated to the rock cut.
Photo runby ten at the rock cut at Canfield Woods, Milepost 6.0.
Reverse move nine.
Photo runby eleven. That concluded the morning's session and we returned to Essex for lunch.
Our engine at rest. The two of us ate the snacks we had bought two nights ago for lunch.
