What Do You Do With the Ashes?

Visitors occasionally ask: "What do you do with the ashes?" Its a fair question given that all coal contains a certain amount of material which won't burn, generally referred to as ash. 

By law, in the State of Connecticut, the coal we burn must contain less the 2% sulfur. Another characteristic of our coal is that it has a low volatile content, which means it produces little or (if the fireman is doing a good job) no smoke.  

Since ash generates no heat, it is to our advantage to burn coal which is low in ash, ours generally runs between 8 and 10%, which means that if we burn about 500 tons per year we are left with about 50 tons of ash per year. So, what is done with the ash? Years ago, the railroads used it on their tracks for fill and ballast (e.g. - the Lyman Viaduct in Colchester). 

Fireman Ron Olsen loads ash for return to Pennsylvania

Today, it goes back where it came from: the coal mine. A couple of times per year, the truck that brings us a load of coal is loaded with ash which is returned to the mine.

J. David 

Crosstie Renewal in Haddam

The Friends of the Valley Railroad have been busy doing crosstie renewal up in Haddam, just north of Midway Marina.

Credit: Brendan Matthews / FVRR

The team has been working hard, mostly by hand, to bring this track back to life, having not seen regular train service since 1968. In the background is Midway Marina; once they have all their boats in the water, the VRR track crew will get to work unearthing the track in the vicinity of the marina to connect active track with the portion the volunteers are currently working on. 

Credit: Brendan Matthews / FVRR

 The yellow machine (a track bed scarifier) was dragged across the gravel through the marina, as the rails are buried beneath the gravel. The scarifier loosens the ballast material between the ties, then it's all hand work to dig out the ballast, jack up the track, remove the deteriorated tie, and pull a new one in by hand. Then the tie is "tamped" to make it solid, plated, then spiked. A time-honored process!

As this track is opened, it will be used by the Essex Clipper, the Haddam Special Foliage Excursions, and the upcoming Eagle Flyer.

Robert W. Bradway, Jr.

Vice President - Track and Property

First Train in 48 Years!

Evidence of our on-going restoration of the line northward for enhanced viewing for the Essex Clipper Dinner Train, the Eagle Flyer, the Haddam Special Fall Foliage Day Trip, and other future scenic opportunities in Haddam.

The current limit of operable track is nearly adjacent to the popular Blue Oar riverside restaurant, with more to come in the very near future. This line extension north of Goodspeed Station (Route 82  /Bridge Road) has already provided stunning views of the Connecticut River, East Haddam Swing Bridge, historic homes overlooking the river in East Haddam, eagles dining from holes in the river ice, and the confluence of the Salmon and CT Rivers.

Video courtesy of Lee Carlson

This extension has been the culmination of years of hard work by the dedicated Friends of the Valley Railroad, working under the guidance and supervision of The Valley Railroad Company. The project is entirely privately funded - no public monies are being used on this project.

For folks that want to see or photograph the Dinner Train at this new northern stopping location, we kindly ask that they respect the private property of the adjacent marina.

Track Update and Improvements

The Valley Railroad Company just completed a major project to improve its route of tracks in Essex, Deep River, and Chester. 32 hopper car loads of stone ballast, purchased from French River Materials in Thompson, CT, and delivered to our connection at Old Saybrook by the Providence and Worcester Railroad, were distributed along 6-1/2 miles of mainline track.

Work Extra 0901, crossing Chester Creek - Lee Carlson

C&G Surfacing Specialists were hired to laser align, surface, and "tamp" (force the stone ballast beneath the ties) the track. Valley Railroad has been replacing worn crossties for many years, and has very near 100% solid tie structure on this section, the most heavily used of the Valley mainline. This project was funded entirely by The Valley Railroad Company.

The tamper at Dock Road, Chester, with the ballast regulator following. - Lee Carlson

Tamping at Milepost 9 - Lee Carlson

Valley undertook this project to both improve the ride quality for our guests, as well as to better preserve our historic train equipment by having it roll over smoother track. Although we only operate our trains at 20 MPH (and have no intent on changing that) the quality of the track would now support trains of 45 MPH or faster.

Track expansion to the north has been steady, and our Essex Clipper Dinner Train now may operate to Milepost 13.25, which is a full mile north of the Route 82 crossing in Haddam.


Robert W. Bradway, Jr.
VP & Track Superintendent

Want to keep up to date on Valley Railroad Company track and rolling stock projects? Visit the I Like the Valley Railroad group on Facebook!