Official Valley Railroad Thread (VALE)

[YamaOfParadise]

Just to let the OP know, you never got around to changing the Friends of the Valley Railroad URL to its new location.

In addition, going to send an email out to the info email later when I get home about an inquiry to apply. If someone with the FVRR reads this by then, if there's a better email to send it to about questions for applying, let me know.

[CTRailfan]

How are the North Pole Express runs doing? I've heard good things about them, and that tickets were hard to get- good for the railroad!

[CVRA7]

I heard they were sold out for the rest of the '13 season but check with them to be sure.

[CTRailfan]

I heard they were sold out for the rest of the '13 season but check with them to be sure.

That's really good. I'm sure these christmas runs help to provide funding for some of the big and cost-intensive projects necessary to maintain such an amazing steam fleet.

[YamaOfParadise]

Out of curiousity, Is there any particular reason on the PDF map of the trackage and what work has been done, why the old ROW below milepost 0 to Fenwick is listed? It just doesn't look like other abandoned ROWs are listed on the map, although that could just be that they aren't part of the old Valley Railroad trackage (ie: the rest of the air line).

I just ask mostly because I noticed it from a lack of consistency. It would be neat if the old roundhouse down there could be rebuilt; but even if it was, it'd probably be an even slimmer chance of it seeing any trains considering the old routing for it would require it to cross the NEC at-grade through the current station's location.

[shadyjay]

Looks like BIG things are happening this year in Essex:

* Another Pullman will return to operation this year - the Decasta
* Engine house is being expanded
* Another 80-tonner has been acquired

Details here:
http://theenginehouse.blogspot.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not to mention, the fact that the Amtrak Exhibit Train is due to make an appearance in August.

[Brendan]

Now that spring is here the Valley RR and the FVRR continues it's push to increase maintenance on the line and open more track to the north through Haddam.
We had the best weather and a awesome crew today. 8 guys got out there the kicked butt!! We had 21 ties in by lunch! 4 ties were installed on the active track and 17 new ties to extend the yard limit. After lunch we used the air spiker to spike them all down, then several of the crew had to leave but the 4 remaining went up into the curve to the north and installed 8 more Haddam yard ties!!! What a way to open the session for tie work, you guy are the best. Several neighbors came out to see the progress and were pleased and one may become a new volunteer. A total of 29 ties today, Great day!
More bundles of ties are in Higganum at Haddam meadows and there more ties in Saybrook awaiting delivery to Goodspeed yard. But before we do all that we have to take advantage of the session and do more tree cutting. We have been adding about an 1/8 mile a year. The volunteers will be out on the track all summer, continuing to improve the line. Come join in the fun and support the FVRR in its efforts.

[GP40MC1118]

The 80T GE is now loaded on heavy-duty flatcar QTTX 130580 in Utah:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 212&nseq=7" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


D

[Otto Vondrak]

Another Pullman will return to operation this year - the Decasta

Was this car already on the property? How many extra cars are in storage awaiting their turn through the shop?

-otto-

[shadyjay]

The Decasta has been on the property for years, at least since the early 1990s. It was stored for a while on the siding just south of the yard. Hearing it was going to be restored to service was a shocker for me.

I'm not sure if the last former LVRC coach has gone through a full rehab but I'm pretty sure all are now "Pullman-green". As for remaining unrestored passenger equipment, there's the Toreador, that unique center-door car that's been sitting next to the shop and used as a seat repair car and once as a bunk car. I'd fix it up as a half cafe / half lounge car for the train to Middletown (yes, dreaming there). Then there's the sleeper (Lindsay?) that they got from New Hampshire IIRC but it's more from the streamlined era and would look kind of out of place amongst the heavyweights. I still miss the "Tonawanda Valley" and dreamed of the day that would grace the rear of a passenger train out of Essex, but it has gone to Danbury and is being restored.

Hopefully #97 will get its needed shop time after the Decasta, though.

[H.F.Malone]

Da Costa is the correct name for the car. 28 parlor chairs, 1 day drawing room, built June 1927 for PRR service.

The "AMF" siding just south of Rt. 154 crossing for years has been a notoriously wet and bad location for passenger cars stored there--- no east side sun and much thick foliage results in that side of the car(s) never really drying out after rainstorms. "Lion Gardiner" went from fair to poor very quickly there, and Da Costa suffered from storage there as well. Good to see it getting some attention.

Tonawanda Valley was and is privately owned, both at Essex and now at Danbury.

The ex-Canadian National sleeper from New Hampshire is a modernized heavyweight car; CN "streamlined" the clerestory roof and enlarged the windows on most of their standard heavyweight sleepers and parlor cars in the 1950s. It was a rather bulky design, neither fish nor fowl.

[Brendan]

Da Costa is really coming along nicely. It was sandblasted and primed. I was in the shop last night and the floor is done and much of the steel work around the windows is done. Electrical in well under way and it is getting a Detroit generator mounted underneath. The vestibules are getting a lot of steel work too. Amazing how fast and how thorough the job is getting done, but it does have to be on the train by November! Also the shop expansion is coming along well too. The foundation is done, the steel frame is up and about half the walls are on. inside the pit is dug and they are getting ready to lay track soon. Amazing how that is progressing right in the middle of the Thomas event. and I mean right in the middle. The rail road had a good idea of putting all the steel for the building on flat cars and they have been craning everything off of them, right onto the building and saving lots of work space. Nice work all.

[FLRailFan1]

How much more needs to be rehab before the VRR could go to Middletown? I'd like to see that, especially when the NHL come back to Hartford and see a Whalers fan trip from Old Saybrook to Hartford.

[Otto Vondrak]

Da Costa is really coming along nicely. It was sandblasted and primed. I was in the shop last night and the floor is done and much of the steel work around the windows is done... Nice work all.

Pics or it didn't happen!

-otto=

[Otto Vondrak]

How much more needs to be rehab before the VRR could go to Middletown?

That portion has been out of service for quite a while, so I imagine there would be a lot of work to do in order to make the tracks safe for regular passage by passenger trains. Also, why would the railroad want to extend to Middletown? If it was seen as a way to earn more money from passenger revenue, I'm sure they would consider it. I'm not sure there's any freight revenue to be had, which would be the only other reason to spend money to reopen the line. That's just my opinion, however.

-otto-