Hi all,
Just found this thread and read all 30 pages. Brought back a flood of memories. I worked a couple of summers on the Valley in early 80s with Sloan, Lewis, Brooks, CP Case, Goodwin, Arnie Frease, Bill Sample, Charlotte Pike, Anderson family, and lots of others. Lived in the Bunk car and worked daily train service during regular season and ticket seller/dispatcher during some of the early school trips.
Lots of good times and memories, some not so good, like the time Roebling nearly killed me by rolling his jeep two times in the yard and I woke up in Yale ER in New Haven or the time I broke my leg sliding into 2nd in the annual softball game against the boat crew and then spent the rest of the season hopping around Essex yard on crutches or riding my motorcycle with a big old cast on my leg.
Hard to picture the many changes. I haven't even seen the Shoreline since it was electrified. Used to hop off Amtrak and sometimes shoeleathered it up to Essex along the rails.
Recall that the Goodspeed Opera house had great beef ribs. Many bull sessions at Bickfords, buying white shirts (for train service--didn't stay white for long with all the coal smoke) at Caldor's. Taking a dip in the mill pond up the street. Visiting over winter with the coal stoves going in the bunk car and the steam lines hooked up on the train.
Lots more. Great to see that things are still going strong and another steamer joining the roster (I was there before the other Chinese steamer--just 103 (stuffed), 97 & 40 back then).
