Matt, that's neat that you met one of the engineers. Every railroad employee that I met during the tour, dinner, gift shop, and around the grounds seemed to be a stellar human being, very courteous, and never rushed - yet able to efficiently move numbers of people from point A to point B. Just like a railroad! :-} The Old Saybrook route sounded great but it is seasonal and wasn't offered when I was there. In fact, as of Monday of this week (Sunday really), they are now running only on a weekend schedule. (That may change during foliage season.) I went back on Monday with the intention of eating at the Cafe car and getting some more gift shop goodies but the yard was deserted. A woman who was hand cleaning one of the cars told me that I just missed the end of the weekday runs.
And now onto to rest of my review -- in no particular order. Upon my arrival at the recommended 30 minutes prior to departure I went to the ticket window and was greeted at the steps by the conductor with reserved tickets in hand for those like me who had purchased them. It couldn't have been easier to pick up my tickets. Thus thinking I had time to spare, I checked out the "facilities". Of course, that was very moment the whistle sounded and I missed the big photo op moment when the steam engine came up to the station with its train of passenger cars for the train-steamboat trip. Oh well. I got my pictures the next day. My first lesson: Trains run on schedules and the Valley Railroad Company is very efficient. The ride was pleasant and the talks on the train (and boat) as I wrote previously were perfectly balanced between history and humor without being dry. And there was plenty of time with silence to just enjoy the ride. By the way, the steam engine whistle's quilling was fantastic to hear.
When it was time to switch the engine for the return trip on both the regular ride and dinner train there were no real photo ops. The conductor told us what was going to be happening and in the blink of an eye, it was accomplished. I was really impressed! In fact, to me the engineer and firemen and of course the engines were the real stars of the shows. However, with the exception of the trains' entrance and exits, the real focus was on our experience riding or dining on the train cars. And it was a quality experience. It just struck me on my first standard gauge trip that we seemed isolated in our coach "bubbles" from the machines themselves (beyond a mention of the engineer and fireman's names and number of tons of coal the latter would shovel -- sorry I forgot already). It's not a negative because you could enjoy the engines in the station. I guess that I expected a bunch of rail fans or "foamers" clamoring all over the cars and engines, and instead I found a well-orchestrated railroad, sightseeing, and dining experience and guests who behaved and responded accordingly. It was nice. The tour had people of all ages including a baby stroller or two but again everyone was just lovely and having a nice, low key time.
The dinner experience was pleasant and even more low-key going along at a very slow rate and a bit later in the day. The decor and place settings were great. A souvenir guide described the GE locomotives and history of the dining cars and the kitchen; the history of the line; a map with the sights; and information on the food preparation. The conductor encouraged questions, and I took him up on it to find out what the posts marked "A" and "R" meant. Each course was announced by a traditional dinner gong. My seat was on the sun side of the train, which wasn't so great (no shades) -- and I noticed the cheese, spreads, and pepperoni appetizers starting to, well, perspire but they were still yummy. At one point, a tray of dishes was dropped in the vestibule breaking and scattering, and a waitress very discreetly closed the door while it was cleaned up, and that was that. No fuss. Just professionalism. The meal was on a par with good wedding food. Because of some of my prior and current work experiences, I'm a bit of a food snob but was pleased. I only had one minor thought about the food preparation that could have been done a bit differently but even then a well-prepared and ample serving of a delicious fish sauce solved it. The dessert choices were a tough call but the chocolate mouse was great. Throughout the meal, the wait staff were attendant and the conductor stopped by often to see how everything was going, ask where people were from, and so on. I'd do it again and as far as the $80 price went, it was comparable to a mystery theater dinner in a nice New England inn -- and thus seemed to be a good value.
Pics will follow.
Tomlinson Run Railroad
