New Haven Heritage Locomotive. There's been a lot of publicity surrounding heritage locomotives at a certain Class 1 railroad recently, but those engines don't hold a candle to this fine machine, that recently rolled out of the Valley Railroad shops in Essex, CT. Fashioned from a Chinese SY, the Valley folks have created their own heritage engine, and patterned her after the New Haven Class J-1 Mikado. Locomotives of this type likely did operate on the trackage now used by the Valley Railroad for tourist operations, although none of the original engines from this class survive today.
In this scene, New Haven "Heritage" Locomotive #3025 delivers a carload of glass bottles to the Dickinson's Witch Hazel bottling facility at the east end of the Essex Yard. This facility was connected by underground pipes to the Witch Hazel manufacturing plant on the west side of the tracks. During the first half of the 20th century, the New Haven Railroad provided freight services to this plant, so the operation depicted here is historically accurate. Sincere thanks are due to the folks at the Valley Railroad and Lerro Productions for this re-creation. I personally would like to thank veteran Valley Railroad Engineer, Bruce Edgerton, for suggesting this particular operation.
From a hint of "Bee" (NKP 765), colorful "Bees" (KCS), "Bees" w/ "attitude", to "Bees" that "sting" your eyes, in their own way they have "Bee" on display! Equipment that "Buzzes" with Yellow & Black colors! ("Bees" can still "Bee" entering this "hive"!)
