For the first time in almost a decade, 1926 Alco-Cooke built 2-8-0 #97 pulls a revenue train for the Connecticut Valley Railroad. The locomotive just came out of the shops following an overhaul. Old 97 was originally built for export to Cuba but was instead delivered to the Birmingham Southern Railroad as #200. In 1964, she began running as Vermont Railways #97 before being sold to the Valley Railroad in 1970. On the day of this photo, she was used as the lead engine in a double-header excursion for the Mass Bay Railroad Enthusiasts along with #3025, 1989 Chinese Mikado built to look like a New Haven Railroad J-1. Connecticut Valley Railroad is now one of only a handful of railroads in the United States with three operable standard gauge steam locomotives. Valley Railroad #40, a 1920 Alco 2-8-2 is seen entering the station with a student engineer operating during one of the railroad's "Hand on the Throttle" runs.
