Crossing Deep River Creek. Just three days before Christmas, and with just two days of operations left, the Valley Railroad's Locomotive #97 kicks off a busy Saturday of North Pole Express trains, taking the first trip across the steel trestle over Deep River Creek, en route to North Chester. The 97 is the only 2-8-0 on the property and is a 1923 product of the American Locomotive Company. She served for nearly 3 decades on the Birmingham & Southeastern Railroad as their #200, before coming to New England...and she's never looked back. Operating here at the Valley Railroad in Essex, CT since 1973, she is the longest-serving steam locomotive on this line and a favorite of some of the line's veteran engineers.
