The Essex Clipper Dinner Train
The next day was dinner. I didn't catch which 80-toner was used but I think it was 900, former GE No. 15/Birmingham Southern No. 15. The website has a nice equipment roster but it's hard to find. Click Plan a Visit>Essex Station. Then down at the bottom there's a paragraph with a link to the PDF roster, so if you should go you can read up on your car or engine's prior lives. Note that the position of some of the rolling stock on the map has changed.
The route: The dinner train moves very s-l-o-w-ly. It goes beyond Deep River Landing to the former Haddam, CT station now known as Goodspeed's. It is actually a gift shop and you can see the approach to the swing bridge from the driveway. Thus, the terminus of the train is the land equivalent of the riverboat's terminus. Kinda neat.
This is the dinner train from the prior day getting ready to go. I am so tempted to paint my Lionel 40-ton switcher orange. The model is so oversized that it could easily be an 80-ton switcher like this one:
Here's my place setting just before leaving the station. Most interior shots were taken with the new aforementioned awful camera and so are out of focus. Or, they were taken with the good camera but have people in them who might not like to find themselves on the internet ... This car was missing its original stained glass divider just behind this seat (#14) but other dinning cars retained theirs. The Valley Railroad put in their own logo stained glass for the divider at the rear section of the car just before the restroom.
Always look up! Some ceiling detail:
This is the kitchen car where miracles were whipped up. It was built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1953 and was originally an Army kitchen car:
Back from the trip using macro shot -- still can't read the number 'though:
Maybe tomorrow I'll post my pix of the train stations, shacks, and rolling stock on sidings that I took when I recreated the two train trips by car. Or, if inspired, perhaps I'll offer a play-by-play of my thoughts regarding the two excursions right down to what I thought of the salmon dinner. Teaser: I was very impressed by The Valley Railroad Company and their ability to put together quality activities that combined railroading and history, without being corny or dumbing down their presentation level. It was a class act and one that I can heartily recommend.
Tomlinson Run Railroad
