The Engine House

3025 in the SUN!

2011-11-14T12:28:00.000-08:00

3025 was out of the shop for a few minutes this afternoon. The tender was filled with coal and some firewood was put on board. We are getting ready to fire it up for the first time since it was re-assembled. A myriad of small tasks remain to be done before it will run, but it is getting close. Stay tuned...
J.David

3025 BACK ON ITS WHEELS

2011-09-09T14:24:00.000-07:00

We reached a major milestone in the rebuilding of No. 3025 this afternoon, raising the locomotive nearly 5 feet, sliding the wheels under it and lowering it onto it's rebuilt running gear.

The lift was a long time in coming. The entire running gear had to be disassembled, all parts cleaned, inspected and repaired or replaced.

In addition to all that, early this year we acquired a set of 4 Whiting 30 Ton locomotive jacks. Prior to getting these jacks, we either hired cranes or used our air jacks (and a lot of oak blocking) to wheel and un-wheel our equipment. We beleive that the jacks will pay for themselves with about three or four uses.

Once moved to Essex the jacks were rebuilt by our Master Electrician, Paul Horgan (right) and Contractor, Dave Wantz. Paul made the electrical repairs and modifications (including conversion fron 575 Volt to 480 Volt) while Dave disassembled each jack, making a thorough inspection and replacing worn parts.

Now the push will be on to reassemble the rest of the locomotive and place it in service so it can begin to repay this major investement for our company.

J.David

3025 BOILER STEAM TESTED

2011-04-21T07:44:00.000-07:00

April 5, 2011, Wayne Hebert Looks Over His Work
3025 has slid in and out of the shop several times in the last month. The final step in making an alteration of a boiler under FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) jurisdiction is a steam test of the boiler to operating pressure. We did this for ourselves in March to be sure that we wouldn't be wasting the FRA's time coming up to witness the test. Once certain that all was in readiness, we scheduled the inspection.
April 5th wasn't a good day weather wise, but for the No.3025 project, it was excellent. The FRA was pleased with the test, so now we are clear to apply the insulation and boiler jacket.
J.David

Eric Seamans Tends the Fire

The Last Run of "Old 97" (for a while)...

2011-04-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

December 29, 2010 Engineer Ken Blandina & Fireman Jim Miller There has been a lot of babbling about our No. 97 being "retired". It is true that it has used up it's 1472 Service Days as allowed by Federal Railroad Administration rules and that it cannot be operated again until it has recieved another 1472 day inspection. But "retired"? That is hardly the case. It is only a matter of manpower, time and money before it will be in steam again. Now, it may be a while before those requirements are met. No.3025 must be finished. We are behind on coach work and must catch up. No.40 is getting close to it's 1472 day anniversary (May 16, 2014), (but whos' keeping track?) and there are events ("Thomas", Circus Train, North Pole Express, etc.) which must be pulled off year after year. But at some point in time it will return to the shop for a long stay. Actually, it will probably come in first for a couple of weeks for as thorough an inspection as we can manage, then go back out while plans are made, money is found and long lead time parts ordered. Once all these are in place, we'll begin the work. No.97 needs a good deal more than just a routine 1472 day inspection this time around. It has a number of chronic (read: expensive and/or time consuming) problems which must be addressed. We have already begun acquiring the materials and parts that we'll need. Crown brasses and a new set of flues and tubes are on hand, as are new spring rigging parts (see previous blog) and we will continue to accumulate more parts as bargains present themselves. I remember when I first came to work at The Valley in April of 1986. No.97 was in bits and pieces, strewn from one end of the shop to the other. A couple of the "old heads" were standing around, hands in pockets, looking over the locomotive, shaking their heads; both agreed: it would never run again. But two months later, it was back on the road, and has run every year since. No.97 won't be back in a couple of months, or even a couple of years, but it will steam again. J.David No.97 Enters the Enginehouse, 12/29/10

VIVID DRAGON lands in Essex

2011-04-17T13:53:00.000-07:00

VIVID DRAGON

Why would a standard 20 foot shipping container be considered "blog worthy"? OK it has a neat name, but really, it is what inside that counts.
When we purchased SY 1658M (see previous blogs), we got a fair number of spare parts with it. However there were a number items which we needed to rebuild the locomotive, plus, with steam locomotives it is always good to have plenty of spares and many SY parts are useable on our other locomotives.

While in China supervising the overhaul of several class QJ steam locomotives at the legendary "701 Factory", Dennis Daugherty noted large quanities of spare parts in their storage areas. Since "701" was about to close it's doors, we were able (with the help of our agent, Vicky Yuan) to purchase many item which we needed for our SY, parts to be used in the rebuilding of our No. 97 and items for other locomotive owners in the U.S.

It took Vicky several months to track down all the parts we wanted (some not in stock at "701") negotiate prices and arrange for shipping to a loading point near "701". Since we are always short of storage space, Vicky found us a shipping container (VIVID DRAGON), which we purchased. Dennis traveled to China last fall to inspect all of the parts, inventory them, and supervise as they were being loaded.

VIVID DRAGON Interior
After a number of inspections by Chinese Customs, VIVID DRAGON made good time to Newark, where it was again subjected to muliple inspections by U.S. Customs (maybe all of the superheater flues looked like cannon barrels).
Eventually it arrived at Essex where we set it on tie cribs.
Finally opened, we "saw wonderful things": injector nozzels, air compressor governors, shoes, wedges, spring saddles, mechanical lubricators, parts too numerous to list. A veritable cornicopia of steam parts all useful for keeping our steam locomotives on the road.
J.David

Coach 1001 Completed (finally)

2011-02-07T11:04:00.000-08:00

Scott Painting Coach 1001
Readers with long memories may recall that back in 2006, Wayne Hebert began the tedious process of repairing the rusted window posts. Complicating the work was the need to refrain from taking apart any more than could be repaired in a week or two so the car would be available for charters and events. Concurrent with the window posts, Scott Dimartino repaired the roof and clerstory vents. By late 2008 attention had turned to replacing large sections of the carbody ends. In 2009, Eric Seamans made a complete set of windows, which were installed by Paul Horgan, Mike Camera and the Freinds of the Valley Railroad. Kevin Narin was hired as a dedicated worker. His job was to remove the bottom 10 inches of the carbody and replace it with new steel. Rivets were replaced with round head screws with the slots filled with bondo after tightening. About80% of this work had been accomplished by the time the car was needed for "Thomas" service.
A final push to completion came in 2010. Even as Kevin finished the welding, Scott had begun applying body filler to the weld seams. Eventually, most everyone in the shop worked on sanding the carbody in preparation for painting.

Coach 1001 After Painting
Scott did much of the priming and painting in our new containment bag, which was set up alongside the shop. The finish coat used on the car was a DuPont automotive paint: FulThane. This is the same product used on the Dinner Train in 2000 (it has held up well).

Valley's New Containment Bag, 20X15X100 feet

J.David

"What's That Silver Thing?"

2010-08-20T12:12:00.000-07:00

3025 Boiler and Firebox

As an enhancement to our annual "A Day Out With Thomas" (TM) event, this year we opened up one side of the Engine House to give our visitors a look "behind the scenes". The centerpiece of our mini-exhibit was No.3025, freshly sandblasted and painted in gleaming silver. Without wheels, cab, boiler jacket not to mention smokestack, it became a great conversation starter as people wondered what it was. Most were astonished to learn that we, by law, had to periodically dismantle our steam locomotives for inspection. It was a great teaching tool. Lights were set up to illuminate the boiler interior, cylinder and valve.

Wayne and the New Dome Liner

One of the major tasks to be addressed was that of designing , constructing and installing an additional dome liner. The liner was designed by our Mechanical Engineer, Pete Fredrickson. It was fabricated and fit up by Wayne Hebert. The installation (welding), post weld heat treatment and inspection was handled by Expert Boiler & Welding from Brooklyn, New York.

Once the liner had been finished, we slid the locomotive out of the Engine House for sandblasting and painting. Nils Michaelson, our favorite sandblaster, erected a temporary containment structure over it. The boiler was blasted inside and out. Then it was painted with special coatings. Apexior was used inside the boiler and an aluminium paint designed for high temperatures was used on the exterior. Once the boiler was done, it was slid back inside and the tender of the locomotive was moved into the containment structure to be blasted and painted inside and out. It too was later moved into the Engine House for more work.
Another major milestone on the boiler was recently completed: the flues and tube were "safe ended". When we removed the old tube and flues from No.3025, it was clear that they were in excellent condition save being coated with scale. When removing the tubes and flues, about 3 to 4 inches of material is lost due to cutting. "Back in the day", the railroads (always trying to save money) would weld a new end on. This practice was called: "safe ending". Due to increased labor costs, not too many companies "safe end" anymore. But we were fortunate that Reese Achison, an inventor from New Hampshire, donated an automatic welding lathe for this task.

Reese Setting Up Welding Lathe

With some assistance from Reese and his son Fitz, Wayne got the devise set up and began "safe ending". Preparing the ends was largely done by Tom O'Brian and Dave Wantz, who designed and build a devise for facing the flue ends. Once positioned in the machine, the actual welding took a matter of seconds. Then each tube had to be tested and both ends annealed. Mike Camera and Eric Seamens helped with this work.

Kevin and His Favorite Tube Sheet
Concurrent with the work on the tube and flues, Kevin Narin spent several weeks preparing the tube sheets. His work involved a LOT of grinding: first to remove old weld, then to make certain that sheets were smooth, then to polish all of the hole and bevel all edges. Finally he performed dye penetrant testing to check for cracks in the sheets. He was glad that he found none!

J.David

3025 Progress, December 2009

2010-05-14T09:25:00.000-07:00

Kevin grinding old weld from rear tube sheet

While most of our efforts have been focused on "The North Pole Express" (read: keeping Nos. 40 & 97 plus all the coaches running), in our spare time we have gotten some work accomplished on "the big project".
Work on the boiler continued with Ken Blandina and Kevin Narin grinding on the front and rear tube sheets preparing them for die penetrant inspection. Meanwhile, Wayne Hebert constructed a new, additional dome liner. The need for an additional liner was one of the results of our Mechanical Engineer, Pete Fredrickson's recalculation of the boiler stresses.

Wayne running the radial arm drill press

Bill Wolf and Scott Dimartino continued dismantling the driving gear, etc. preparing parts for inspection, measuring each parts and recording their findings. The condition and size of each part must be determined for us to decide which must be replaced or repaired to insure that once we have finished our work the locomotive will operate trouble free during its' next term of service.

Scott dismantling and inspecting lubricator lines

Bill measuring cylinder bore diameters

January we'll be occupied with Annual Inspections on Nos. 40 & 97, but once those are finished and various annual maintenance items attended to, we'll be in a position to return to "The Big Project".

Slip Sliding Away...

2009-08-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

Time certainly has a way of slipping by. It has been over two months since my last posting, not because there hasn't been much happening, rather too much (read: we have been busy).
Our new steam cleaner and its operator, Scott DiMartino have been hard at it cleaning years of road dirt off the frame of No. 3025 and its running gear. Wayne Hebert (assisted at times by Ken Blandina) has begun the 1472 day inspection of the boiler. Thus far, the superheater units have been removed and all of the superheater flues have been cut.
The driving, lead and trailing truck wheels are still in Pennsylvania being re-profiled. We expect them to be ready for shipping to Essex next month.
The lack of wheels has not prevented us from bringing the locomotive into the shop. When we unloaded the locomotive, we placed it on two large steel "H" beams which have "flanges" welded onto their bottom sides.

This afternoon, we oiled the rails ahead of No. 3025, coupled onto it with diesel locomotive No. 0901, and slid No. 3025 (on the "H" beams) into the shop. The whole move took a couple of minutes.

Now that No. 3025 is safely inside the shop, the rebuilding phase of the project can begin.

J.David

LOCOMOTIVE QUARTERLY COVER ART

2009-06-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

NYO&W No. 405

From 2000 until 2006, New London artist Robert Hauschild provided the paintings which graced the covers of the periodical Locomotive Quarterly. Over 24 of these will be exhibited in our latest show: Locomotive Quarterly Covers, Watercolors by Robert Hauschild.

The show will run from June 25 until October 12, 2009 at our Oliver O. Jensen Gallery inside the River Valley Junction display building adjacent to the Essex depot. Gallery hours will coincide with our normal operating schedule.

There will be an opening reception open to the public from 6:00 until 8:00 the evening of June 25th. Steve Barry, editor of Railfan Magazine will be on hand to make a few remarks on Locomotive Quarterly and to introduce the artist, who will share some recollections about his relationship with the magazine.

Each of the original, watercolor paintings will be available for sale as well as back issues of Locomotive Quarterly.

J. David

A New Bottom For Becky Thatcher

2009-04-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

Derecktor Shipyard workers fitting up new hull bottom.

EST&R photo by Wayne Hebert

Those of us who work our locomotives and cars as they come in and out of the Engine House seldom think of the other major piece of equipment the Company operates: m/v "Becky Thatcher" our 69 foot long, 237 person capacity riverboat which usually lives at our dock at Deep River.

Built in 1961 at Ft. Lauderdale, FL, by Captain Albert Starts; the boat was originally named "Southern Belle". It came north in the 1970s' and has handled the service out of Deep River ever since. When our former sister company, Deep River Navigation, ceased operation after the 2003 season, we acquired the "Becky" along with a highly competent crew (a good thing as we knew nothing about boats).

Since "Becky" operates in fresh water, the Coast Guard regulations call for it to be hauled out of the water for inspection every 5 years. This time around, we chose Dereckor Shipyard at Bridgeport, CT to do the work. A rather modern yard, they use a huge carry lift machine to pick vessels out of the water and move them around their yard rather than the traditional "drydock" or "marine railway".

A typical Coast Guard inspection includes "UT" (ultra sonic) testing to determine the thickness of the hull. After testing we found that it was going to cost nearly the same amount to patch sections of the hull as to replace the entire bottom of the boat. So, we chose the later, even though the work would take longer and possibly wouldn't be done until after our opening day.

What to do! Well, a couple of things. Our opening weekend is usually "Neighbor Appreciation Days" (free tickets for residents of towns along our line). This year we'll operate three trips per day (May 2nd and 3rd) with steam power from Essex all the way to Haddam (some of this trackage seldom sees steam) making all station stops along the way. The balance of the month (or until "Becky" is finished) our riverboat service will use m/v"Martha Washington" which we have leased from Boston Harbor Cruises.

Meanwhile, Paul Horgan and Wayne Hebert have been assisting EST&R Port Engineer Charlie Pike with removing wiring and piping to facilitate the installation of the new 5/16" steel bottom. They also have removed sections of the drive shaft for Bill Wolf to repair here at the Engine House.

J.David

90 Year Old Coach Receives "Modern" (well, 1950's era) Roller Bearings

2009-03-18T10:35:00.000-07:00

Wayne Hebert operates the hoist as Charlie Pike and Bill Wolf rig the truck.

Coach 503 (built in 1914 for the Lackawanna) has been "re-wheeled" using like new roller bearing wheel sets which we recently purchased from railroad car wheel expert, Bruce Moore.
The other cars in our fleet all have friction bearings, a type of bearing commonly used from the early days of railroads up until the adoption of roller bearings in the mid-20th Century.
A friction bearing rides directly on the axle, typically lubricated via wool yarn or cotton waste packed under the axle and saturated with oil. The yarn or waste had to be carefully arranged into little bundles called "mice". These "mice" in turn had to be carefully "packed" into the journal box, making sure their "tails" (the loose ends of the yarn or waste) were carefully folded under and not dangling. If one of the "tails" were to come loose and get caught between the axle and the bearing as the axle was turning, a "waste grab" would occur, a "mouse nest" would form and an over heated bearing or "hot box" would result. In extreme cases, a "hot box" could cause the end of the axle to fail, usually resulting in a derailment. Waste became obsolete as foam rubber filled "journal pads" found favor. These pads look rather like a mop head and require less skill to install and maintain.
The roller bearing is a series of highly polished cylindrical or tapered steel rollers which run between highly polished "races" the inner of which is pressed onto the bearing end of the axle, the outer of which is in contact with the journal box. This type of bearing requires less energy to get it turning than a friction bearing. The journal box is sealed so the oil or grease used to lubricate the bearing can't run out. The roller bearing requires minimal maintenance.

Coach 503 truck, roller bearing wheel set to the right, friction bearing to the left. In the forground is a friction bearing journal box with a bearing on the tray behind it.

J.David

Annual Coach Work - 2009

2009-03-06T10:39:00.000-08:00

About this time each year, our attention turns to those big green things with seats in them that our beloved locomotives haul up and down the line. While we spend a lot of time (and money) on the locomotives, we occationally lose sight of the fact that the fannies that sit in those seats actually pay for everything.

Our coach fleet is just as antiquated as the locomotive and just as needy when it comes to maintenance. All the cars are inspected over the winter. We measure the wear on the wheels and couplers, the height of the buffers and replace or adjust as needed. During this time, annual (or bi-annual) servicing is done on the air brake systems. The heating and PA systems are inspected and general repairs are made. Every other year we either repair & re-coat roofs or touch up paint and wax the carbodies. This year we are consumed with the latter.

Scott DeMartino heads up the work on the carbodies (assisted here by Charlie Pike).

Car Foreman Paul Horgan "beds in" new quarter round window moulding in caulk.

Mike Camera repaints the exterior window sash on former Central Railroad of New Jersey commuter coach No. 1000 (the only coach on the Valley to retain it's original number).

Master Mechanic Bill Wolf makes a part for a door latch on our "Hendey" engine lathe.

As of now we have completed work on kitchen car "Colonial Hearth" and coaches 501, 502, 602 and 1000. Most work on open car 600 "Riverview" has already been completed. Ken Blandina is refinishing it's wooded seat slats and window sills for reinstallation later this month. The next car scheduled to come into the shop is dining car "Meriden". The "new" roller bearing wheel sets for coach 503 have arrived and ought to be installed later this month. Next month we plan to work on dining car "Wallingford", parlor car "Great Republic" and coach 1002. Once these are done (whew) coach 1001 will return for more steel work and eventually repainting.

J.David

Inside Work

2009-01-26T13:18:00.000-08:00

Inside No. 40's Boiler

We saw the last of Santa (finally) on December 29th after the final North Pole Express of the season. After putting away the Christmas lights, etc. for another year, we have moved inside the (relative) comfort of the Engine House and have turned our attention to preparing for the 2009 season.

The first order of business is usually the annual inspection of the steam locomotives by the FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) and our inspectors. We try to have the boilers tight and dry well before the big day. Cab valves and the like are ground in and all fittings are made tight so there are no drips or damp spots. The boilers must be warmed so that they are between 70 and 120 degrees during the hydrostatic pressure test. To do this test the boiler must be completely filled with warm water. Then (while the inspector is watching) the boiler is pressurized to 25% above it's MAWP (Maximum Allowed Working Pressure) by means of a small pump. Once the test pressure is reached the inspectors make a minute examination of the boiler and firebox looking for any leaks or other signs of distress. Typically the final testing takes about an hour. Of course, we will have tested the boiler ourselves days before the FRA arrives. It would be embrassing to have something leaking. Once the hydro has been done, we drain the water and remove the domecap from the steam dome so we can get down inside to make the required internal inspection. Happily, both Nos. 40 and 97 passed their tests and will be operating during the 2009 season. Soon, repairs and betterments on the locomotives will be finished so they can be winterized for outside storage until we begin operations again in April.

Next: the coach fleet comes in (one or two at a time). More on that later. Stay warm!

J.David

Essex, the Phoenix Has Landed...

2008-12-21T09:44:00.000-08:00

No. 3025 at Essex, 12/19/08

Well, it took long enough, but Barber Trucking Inc. was finally successful in obtaining the permits needed from the Connecticut Department of Transportation to bring our locomotive to it's new home at Essex. It had sat at the Smith Hauling, Inc. yard in Oliveburg, PA for several weeks, but on the 17th, the permits were granted: good for 3 days, including the 17th. Oh, and by the way, the load had to be ready to cross the Newburgh-Becon Bridge between 10:00 and 11:00 AM on the morning of the 18th. Quickly, the locomotive was re-loaded and on it's way.

3025 at Newburgh, NY 12/18/08 - Bob Loitsch photo

After crossing the bridge at about 11:00AM, the load proceeded on to Connecticut. At Waterbury the route left Interstate 84 and sort of wandered via Meriden to Route 9, rolling into Essex at about 2:00PM. Since we had North Pole Express trains running that night (and therefore needing the parking lot/unloading area, not to mention several hundred customers to deal with) the trailer was parked until the next morning.

a-quick pick Crane Service, inc. was on hand bright and early on the 19th. The rear of the trailer was backed partially into the shop so the locomotive would "land" just outside the building. After rigging as we had done in Kane, the locomotive was gently lifted and the trailer driven out from under it. The "H" beam skids that had been previously used during No. 40's rebuilding were positioned under the locomotive's frame and it was lowered down to them. After "squaring up" the locomotive on the skids, it was placed and the cranes unhooked.

We thank Smith Hauling, Inc., Barber Trucking Inc. and a-quick pick Crane Service, inc. for their safe and careful handling of this large, yet fragile object. All these firms were great to deal with and brought the job in on time and within budget. They are to be commended (and recommended) for their work.

Once the annual work on the coaches and Essex Clipper Dinner Train has been completed this spring, we'll grease up the rails and slide No. 3025 into the shop. After it has been leveled properly, we'll remove the pistons and valves and begin "tramming" the frame. More on this later...

J.David

"Old 97 Saves the Day"

2008-11-30T12:33:00.000-08:00

The original illustrations created by artist Gretchen Hatfield for the new Children's book: Old 97 Saves the Day are on display at the Oliver O. Jensen Gallery at the River Valley Junction display building adjacent to the Essex Depot. The gallery will be open during operating hours on days when Holiday Trains are running (see schedule).

In the book, two children on Christmas vacation discover an abandoned railroad complete with roundhouse, a steam locomotive (Old 97) and a mysterious old man who asks for their help getting the locomotive running. Along the way the children learn about railroads and how a steam locomotive works and help repair Old 97 before going on a magical trip to the North Pole and back.

The book is soft bound, measures 7" X 9" and has 27 pages, each with a full color illustration as well as color covers.

Individual copies of the book are available at our Gift Shop at the depot priced at $12.00. Single copies are also are also available by phone or Internet for $12.00 plus $2.00 shipping.

Bulk orders (5 or more copies) can be obtained by mail from the publisher: Steam Locomotive Services, 23 Blake St. Ivoryton, CT 06442-1130 for $8.00 each, shipping charges added to invoice.

J.David

3025 UPDATE

2008-11-30T11:21:00.000-08:00

After several days work dismantling the locomotive to lighten it's weight and lower it's height, No. 3025 was lifted off it's wheels and loaded onto a trailer truck on November 25, 2008.

Wayne Hebert and Kjell Benner made two trips to remove the brake rigging, valve gear and rods as well as remove all the fasteners on the spring rigging, etc. prior to returning on November 23rd with Bill Wolf and Dave Conrad for the final preparations. On the 25th, as cranes from Smith Hauling were positioned, the driver pedestal binders were removed. The locomotive was slung front and back. Once a test lift of a couple of inches had been made, the locomotive was lifted about 6 inches and the trailing truck was rolled back to free the tongue. Finally the locomotive was lifted up about 5 feet to clear the driving wheels. It was then swung to the side and set on blocking so the binders could be safely re-installed. The lead and trailing trucks were disassembled sufficiently to remove the wheels. All the wheels were loaded for shipment to a wheel shop for turning.

Once the loading area had been clear of snow (again) by former Knox & Kane employees John Hafer and Chris Slater (who also helped with the dismantling), a heavy hauling "beam" trailer from Barber Trucking was backed into position. The locomotive (sans wheels) was again lifted, swung and lowered onto the trailer. After a bit of repositioning, it was chained down and the cranes were disconnected. The next day it was moved to Barber's yard for final weighing, possibly another repositioning and final measuring for clearances. It is hoped that it will be delivered to Essex before the end of the year.

Special thanks are due to all of the fine people who helped us and were so nice to us while we were in the Kane area including: John Hafer and Chris Slater formerly of the Knox & Kane Railroad, Steve and the crew from Smith Hauling, Tom and John from Barber Trucking, Sterling Watts (who let us use his frontend loader AND installed a furnace in his store room so we could warm up now and then), Bob from Peete M&A Services (who moved, hauled and loaded tons of spare parts for us), Margi and Warren from the Kaneview Motel (who sheltered us), all of the waitresses at Texas Hot Lunch (who kept us fed) and the staff at SUBWAY (who even Wayne couldn't get a laugh out of), (but he kept trying).

J.David

NYNH&H No. 3025?

2008-11-04T14:36:00.000-08:00

The New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad never had a steam locomotive No. 3025. Their class J-1 Mikado 2-8-2s were numbered from 3000 to 3024 and none survive, in fact, no New Haven steam locomotive escaped the scrappers torch. But what if the New Haven had purchased one more steam locomotive and what if it had been saved? It might look like this concept drawing courtesy of former New Haven Railroad Historical Society President Alvin Lawrence.

The basis for the above is, of course, the Valley Railroad's "new" locomotive, recently purchased at an auction in Pennsylvania. While planning the rebuilding of the "new" locomotive, a number of employees and volunteers suggested that since we must build a new cab anyway, why not build a typical "US" style cab and while we're at it, make it look like a New Haven cab with the classic arched windows, and how about putting a New Haven "Sunbeam" headlight on it, and, and, and.

So, the plan is to modify the appearance of our "new" locomotive to resemble a New Haven class J-1 and incorporate as many "New Havenisms" as we can manage. Some of the J-1s even had "clear vision" tenders like ours (we'll modify the sides of ours to suit). When finished, No. 3025 will be a decent representation of New Haven steam power and right at home on a former New Haven branch line.

J.David

GOING, GOING, GONE - SOLD TO VALLEY RAILROAD

2008-10-13T10:19:00.000-07:00

Auctioneer Mike Peterson in action

After a two year search (and a number of dead ends and nearly "done deals"), The Valley Railroad Co. has purchased an additional steam locomotive.

Former Knox & Kane Railroad No. 58, a 2-8-2 built by Tangshan Locomotive & Rolling Stock Works in July 1989 (construction number SY1658M) was purchased by the Company on October 10, 2008 at the liquidation auction of the K&K along with 10 tons of spare parts. Why buy another locomotive? Why now? A bit of background on the motive power situation at The Essex Steam Train.

As our business name implies, one of our missions is to operate trains powered by steam locomotives. Steam locomotives are inherently expensive: to operate, to maintain and to restore. Under Federal Railroad Administration rules(49CFR, part 230), each steam locomotive can operate no more than 1472 "service days" within a period of 15 calender years. Our No. 40 will come due for it's "1472" in May 2014 (or sooner if we use up it's "service days). Our No. 97 will come due in March 2011, so we really have only the balence of this year and the next two before it comes due (as of last month, it had accumulated 1271 "service days). We'll use up those 201 "service days" and then No. 97 will be due. But the "1472" on No. 97 will entail a good deal more rebuilding than usual, we estimate that with the size of our crew, facilities and resources, the work will take 4 or 5 years to accomplish if all goes well. Should the project not go according to schedule we could have a motive power crisis in 2014 when No. 40 comes due. Rather than risk not having two steam locomotives available (remember, they must be inspected and maintained during their "term of service" and being old machines are subject to failures) we decided add a third steam locomotive to our roster.

Some readers will recall that in May 1989 the Company purchased a brand new steam locomotive from Tangshan, our No. 1647. It had a beautiful all welded boiler (equivelent toASME standards), well made running and driving gear which proved easy to maintain and was economical to operate. Unfortunately, we sold it in 1992 due to a number of factors (a banking crisis, cash flow, lack of resources AND someone who had an immediate need for a "new" steam locomotive). The locomotive just purchased was built to the same specifications as ours and arrived on the same boat.

Knox & Kane No.58 too is due for a "1472" plus a good deal of cosmetic work having been in a building that burned earlier this year. Early this month, a VRR team of Wayne Hebert, Kjell Benner and Dave Conrad spent two days inspecting the locomotive and tender inside and out.

Our immediate plans are to stabilize the locomotive and tender prior to moving them to Essex. Our near term plan is to begin work on the restoration once the annual inspections of Nos. 40 & 97 have been completed in January/February 2009.

We expect to have the locomotive (Valley Railroad running number to be determined) restored, inspected and ready to steam by mid-2011.

Work Begins (again) On Coach 1001

2008-08-08T09:50:00.000-07:00

We have begun work on coach 1001 several times over the last few years only to leave it and move to more pressing projects. This time however, we are pretty well committed, having removed all of the windows and seats (not to mention cutting out large sections of the window posts and roof hip corners).

Preparations for this years work began last year when we contracted with Eric Seamans to construct a new set of windows. We chose to make the frames from "sapeli", a species of wood which is very similar to "true" mahogany but a lot cheaper. Eric did all of the millwork, glazed with automotive safety plate and finished (stained and clear coated one side, primed and double coat painted the other side).

Most of the original latches are being transferred to the new windows. For the balance of the latches, reproduction window latch patterns were supplied by Jim Case and castings produced by Mystic River Foundry. Machine work, fitting and polishing is being done in house.

The H.R.Hillary company has supplied formed steel sections for use as patching material for window posts, etc. while roof patches have been formed "in house" with our sheet metal roller and new press brake.

We'll continue to post on this project as work progresses.

J.David

Oliver O. Jensen Gallery opens

2008-07-13T09:14:00.000-07:00

Ellsworth Grant at gallery opening, July 11

A room at the former Dickinson Witch Hazel bottling plant, now known as "River Valley Junction" has been transformed into the "Oliver O. Jensen Gallery which opened July 11th.

Oliver was one of the founders and chief visionary of The Valley Railroad Company and for many years President and/or Chairman of the Company. His long time friend, Ellsworth Grant spoke at the opening, entertaining a crowd of over 100 with anecdotes about Oliver and the early days of the railroad.

The inaugural exhibit is "Faces of Essex Steam Train & Riverboat" by Caryn B. Davis. The show is made up of twenty two, large format color photographs of EST&R employees at their workplace.

"Bruce Edgerton, Locomotive Engineer"

The exhibit was inspired by Davies' "Chester, Poetry of Place" show. A committee selected the representative employees. JDC composed the scenes, scheduled the shoots and organized the lighting, etc.

The show will be open10:30-3:30 daily until Labor Day and then weekends until Columbus Day.

J.David

Out In The Sun

2008-07-11T13:07:00.000-07:00

Dateline: Essex, Connecticut, July 10, 2008-

In a veritable frenzy of activity over the last couple of weeks, the repainting of No. 0900 is finished. Out in the sun after hiding in the shop for over two months, it spent this afternoon switching and is now on the point of the combined Essex Clipper Dinner Train/Laugh Tracks operation (think: Union Pacific's "City of Everywhere" in the pre-Amtrak days) for tonight.

The Friends of the Valley Railroad were out in force on Wednesday night painting the frame and steps. Scott Dimartino and JDC also worked on the frame as well as touching up the orange and green. Veronica Trudeau came in at the last minute to hand letter the unit.

The transformation of this once frumpy workhorse into a stylish passenger engine is truly amazing.

Thanks to one and all for your good work!

J.David

Oklahoma Orange & JDC Green

2008-07-02T17:47:00.000-07:00

Well, its' about time!

Valley Railroad No. 0900 is (finally) getting a fresh coat (two, actually) of paint.

No. 0900 is a General Electric 80 Ton diesel-electric locomotive built in March 1947 (construction No. 28689 for you numerologists out there) built by GE for use at their plant in Schenectady, NY. It was later sold the Berkshire Scenic Railway which in turn sold it to VRR in May 1991. It actually looked pretty good back then, but over the years it became a bit tatty and not really suitable for hauling "The Essex Clipper Dinner Train" our premier offering and No. 0900's usual assignment.

Early this year Scott Dimartino began by prepping (sanding & body work) and painting the cab with DuPont "Fulthane". This included removing all the windows which received new gaskets and were reinstalled by Middletown Plate Glass. The project languished until last month when our support group, "The Friend's of the Valley Railroad Company", volunteered to prep the hoods. They were assisted by VRR engineer Jim Miller and Locomotive Foreman Wayne Hebert. Once prepped "Friend" Chris Pakula primed and finish coated it with DuPont "Centari" (assisted by Tom Krulikowski).

The paint scheme is an "homage" to the dear departed "New York, New Haven & Hartford": orange hoods, green cab and black frame and trucks. But sorry New Haven fans, the green is a bit darker, almost "Pullman Green" as per the suggestion of VRR engineer Mike Camera (and the parsimonious nature of the CMO who mixed left over paint from several projects to come up with the final color).

Come to think of it, the locomotive's number too harkens back to the NYNH&H, whose early electric and diesel electric locomotives had their numbers prefixed with a "0" (zero) to distinguish them from their steam locomotives. Somehow I think that the crews would have noticed the difference, at least once they got into the cab.

J.David

Photos by Fred Guenther

2008-06-23T03:45:00.000-07:00

05/16/08 Essex Steam Train: I was fortunate to ride in the cab of Valley RR 97, for a steam train charter up to Chester and back to Essex. Here are some photos which tell the tale but don't fully express how much fun I had.

We found this wonderful set of photos recently, which you can view online here.

Indiana Jones and the Quest For Cash

2008-06-17T14:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally saw the latest Indiana Jones epic. I had tried several times previously only to find it "sold out" for any performance prior to 9:30PM or so. My motive for seeing the movie was that one rather short (although pivotal) scene had been shot at Essex, using some of our equipment as props.

A bit of background.

We had, of course heard that Steven Speilberg, et al were filming another episode and that New Haven would be one the locations. The State of Connecticut gives tax credits to motion picture production companies that use locations/facilities in the state, so suddenly there is quite a bit of movie work to be had. However we were surprised when a location scout called and asked for a meeting.

We chatted about the scene and what they would need: "typical" depot, typical day coach, paved station platform (huh? "well, there is some action on the platform"), an airport nearby (huh? "don't know, but it's important". We asked them what sort of a locomotive they wanted and it didn't seem to matter as the scene didn't include a locomotive.

A few days later another group came for the same tour. This time there were electricians and other tradesmen along to figure out how to deal with getting plenty of "clean" power on the train and in the "Indy" car. We chose our former L&NE gondola to carry their generators and a caboose to bring up the read of the train.

A few days later yet another group arrived for the same tour (routine by now). The Art Director was along: "typical" depot too clean (just repainted the year before), typical day coach ("Indy car") to be No. 503 (not the nicest or the scruffiest of the fleet), platform fine except for yellow safety line and he liked the old airport around the corner (not much landing space but it has a neat old arched hanger building). He wanted to see our selection of locomotives but got no further than 2-8-0 No. 97, loved it and that was that.

There were endless negotiations about costs, logistics, available days, etc. For enough money, we were prepared to shut down the railroad for a day.

In the end, we maintained our regular schedule operating from a track in our parking lot. Each regular train would load, back onto the main track at which time the movie train would have to stop and stay in the clear. Then our passenger train would pass the movie train on the Essex passing siding. Once they were clear, the movie train could go back to work until it was time to get the passenger train back into the parking lot. It worked well and our passengers got a front row seat as they passed the "set". My job was to cordinate the movements of the trains between the Railroad and the production company.

Preparations for the "shoot" took days. Our freshly painted depot was given a patina of age and use, signs were changed or removed. Truckloads of dirt, small tree and shrubs arrived and were artfully placed (and often moved). Huge light trucks arrived (think of O. Winston Link's obsession with controlling light) as well as a fleet of antique autos.

On the big day, the station area was a beehive of activity as everything got set up. Scenes were run through and tweaked. Eventually they began actually filming and not long after, someone said: "he'll be here soon. "Who? "Speilberg, that's his helicopter... And sure enough, there was a helicopter landing over at the old airport, and sure enough, a few minutes later, Speilberg arrived and everything moved into high gear.

Aside from the lunch break (plentiful and delicious and relaxing), it was a fast paced afternoon.

I kept the trains moving and other of each other's way AND I instructed Harrison Ford (a nice guy) on how to properly get off a moving train so he wouldn't fall down. But that shot wasn't used ( they wanted him to get off backward so he would face the camera).

Eventually Speilberg and all the important people left, which left cleaning up and putting everything away to the worker bees. It took days to put everything right again. The depot was repainted, temporary trees and dirt removed, cables stowed away, generators, etc. sent back to from where ever they came from, and Essex eventually returned to "normal".

Oh, and we got our final payment for our efforts.

And the movie (remember, I went to see the movie) was good. I especially liked the brief glimpse of The Ark of the Covenant in the warehouse scene and the snake. Oh, and the scene shot at Essex is a good one too.

Ken Blandina can be seen in the gangway of No. 97, Brian Messinger walks across the platform, cars 503, 602 and Wallingford appear as does the running gear of No. 97 and plenty of steam, although most of the steam was created by machines other than No. 97.

Thats' Hollywood!
J.David

The Engine House

2008-05-30T03:53:00.000-07:00

The Engine House, at Essex Station, from space, courtesy of Microsoft's Virtual Earth. It's almost like being there!

"New" Boom Truck Placed in Service and Other News

2008-05-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

Our "new" (well 1986 is new for those of us who are use to machines from the 1920s') was placed in service this morning. We used it to lift coach 501's "A" end truck to facilitate the replacement of a set of wheels. "Boomer II" handled the task with ease. Its crane is a good bit more powerful than our boom truck, plus the new one has four (count them, four) outriggers for better stability when making lifts. Right now I hear the whine of 35 ton Norton air jacks, as Wayne Hebert and Bill Wolf lower the 501 back onto its truck.

Scott DiMartino has begun work on the roof of our open car "RIVERVIEW". This year, rather than receiving just another coat of "Koolpatch", the roof is getting a good scraping, needlechipping where necessary and a few patches where the clerestory meets the hip. The open car is scheduled to go back into service on June 21st, the day after the final school trip and first day of our daily (until Labor Day) service schedule.

Paul Horgan and Ken Blandina are putting the final touches on the "Trackside Cafe" prior to it opening for the season. I saw the van from "Downunder Subs" make a delivery. We sell their mini subs at the Cafe and on our riverboat "Becky Thatcher". These little subs are quite tasty (our senior management favors the Chicken Salad...) and a good bargain.

J. David

It's In the Bag

2007-09-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

Last week, visitors to the Essex Steam Train were startled to see a huge “bag” in the parking lot and wondered what it was doing there and what was inside.

The “bag” was actually a temporary containment structure to enable the sandblasting and painting of New York, New Haven & Hartford box car number 35386 owned by The Friends of the Valley Railroad..

Prior to the development of the Interstate highway system and the rise of the trucking industry, the box car was used by the railroads to haul many commodities. In addition to items that were boxed or crated, these cars were used for carrying lumber, grain and other non-perishable food stuffs. Specialized box cars were used to transport automobiles. At one time the New Haven owned box cars by the thousands. Today, less than a dozen survive. No. 35386 was last used by Amtrak as a storage shed at New London, Connecticut. When it was learned that the car was to be scrapped, The Friends purchased the car and quickly trucked it to Essex. Volunteers repaired the rusted car and made reproduction parts to replace lost or damaged ones.

Brian DeWolf, a local sandblasting and painting contractor was retained to refinish it. The “bag” is homemade, stitched together with numerous zippers to allow for entering. The “bag” was placed over the boxcar and then secured to the ground with stakes and ropes. Two large electric blowers are placed at the bottom and once turned on, inflate the “bag”, and create an enclosed work space. Once the box car was sandblasted, primed and painted (in a authentic New Haven paint scheme), the “bag” was floated off and folded up for storage. Once the “bag” was removed, the work area was cleaned up and the used sand disposed of.

Next month, the box car will be lettered and the moved to East Haddam for display adjacent to the former New Haven Freight Station.

J. David Conrad

Essex Steam Train Provides Authentic Background For Major Motion Picture

2007-07-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

A scene for a yet untitled motion picture was filmed at Essex Steam Train on July 5, 2007. Descending on Essex Station for the “shoot”, were hordes of set designers, landscape artists, lighting and sound technicians, costumed extras, caterers, assistants, gaffers and grips . . . not to mention assorted Directors, Producers and two major Hollywood Stars!

A special “Movie Train" consisted of Steam Locomotive #97, Parlor Car "Great Republic", Passenger Coach #’s 503, 501 and 602, L&NE Gondola Car (for generators) and a Caboose. The train made short moves for cameras along the station platform throughout the 12-hour day. Regular Essex Steam Train service was maintained with Steam Locomotive #40 and Diesel Locomotive #0901 at either end of a 5 car train, operating from Track 7. Two locomotives eliminated the need for a locomotive to run around the train at Deep River (saving time) and Essex (leaving the main track for filming). The day went smoothly as both the Movie Train and Regular Train experienced no delays.

Photo courtesy of Tom Nanos at Nanosphoto

When we learn the name of the movie and/or a release date, we'll post the information here. (Edit: Of course, it's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, released 22May2008)

J. David Conrad
VP, Chief Mechanical Officer

Valley Railroad No. 40 Steams Again

2007-06-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

Valley Railroad Co. steam locomotive No. 40 operated under it’s own power today for the first time since December 22, 2002 following the extensive (and expensive) renewing much of its firebox and other repairs.

VRR Locomotive Foreman Wayne Hebert headed up the team of Employees and Volunteers who performed virtually all of the work within the Company’s small shop at Essex. The most complex part of the project was forming of a new firebox door sheet. This is the rear end of the firebox and has an opening in it to allow coal to be shoveled in for the fire. The door hole and the outside edge are “flanged”. The “flanging” was done by heating the edge of the 3/8” steel by means of torches totaling 2 million BTU. Once heated, the steel was formed over dies using large wooden mallets. It took a crew of six a full day to “heat and beat” the outside edge. Although the process appeared crude, the newly formed part was within ¼” in it’s major dimensions once trimmed.

After each of the three major sections were fit into place, the locations for staybolt and rivet holes were carefully transferred, the sheets were removed, drilled and then reinstalled.

The new sheets were welded in place by Bob Carlson, a retired welder from Electric Boat Co. Two large air powered riveting hammers were used to drive over 100 steel rivets which had to be heated to a bright yellow color before they were hot enough to be driven. The nearly 500 new staybolts were installed cold, they too required being driven with air hammers to make them water and steam tight. Other major work included rebuilding the locomotive’s air compressor (necessary for the brake system) and rebuilding the trailing truck, which supports a portion of the weight of the rear end of the locomotive.

No. 40 will receive further “testing & tinkering & touch ups” prior to being placed in regular service, probably in mid-July.

- J. David Conrad

Work Continues on Historic Diesel Locomotive

2004-08-30T13:39:00.000-07:00

An 80 ton General Electric locomotive built in 1937 is being restored and returned to service for use on the Essex Clipper Dinner Train. The locomotive was acquired from Pfizer several years ago and has been worked on as time and funds permitted. This summer a major effort has been made to complete the work and return the locomotive to service. A new oak tongue and groove floor was installed in the cab, all electrical components were cleaned, new batteries purchased and brake rigging rebuilt.

With all of the brake rigging removed, it was possible to reprofile the wheels using a specially designed machine borrowed from the Green Mountain Railroad. The machine is bolted and clamped to the rails, the wheels are jacked up and the traction motor hooked up to a welding generator. The welder powers the traction motor which turns the wheel, effectively the assemblage becomes a poor man's wheel lathe. It is hoped that the locomotive will be ready for testing by the end of September. Once it is placed in service, it is believed that it will be the oldest operable diesel-electric locomotive in the country.

Machinist Bill Wolf cuts down a high wheel flange on VRR No. 0901, August 2004.