Valley Railroad 40, fresh from its 1472-day inspection, rolls through Centerbrook on a beautiful fall afternoon.

Anticipation - Valley Railroad Mikado No. 40 crosses over the Railroad Avenue crossing, her headlight illuminating about a half mile of track between that crossing and Dock Road, visible in the fo... (more)

Valley Railroad veteran Mikado No. 40 hauls a sold-out North Pole Express train through Centerbrook, Connecticut on a cold December evening.

Choosing sides at Deep River Creek. Under a pretty mackerel sky, Engineer Brian Messinger takes Valley Railroad Mikado #40 and the 2:30 edition of the Santa Special across Deep River Creek,... (more)

Valley Railroad Mikado No. 40 shoves the second section of the North Pole Express back south over Waterhouse Brook in Chester, Connecticut with a sold-out trainload of families visiting with Santa... (more)

Valley Railroad veteran Mikado No. 40 hauls a sold-out North Pole Express train past the small station at Chester, Connecticut.

Valley Railroad veteran Mikado No. 40 hauls a sold-out North Pole Express train past a decorated former CV hopper at Chester, Connecticut.

Valley Railroad fireman Mike Ozuark builds the bank in #40 after a long day pulling leaf peepers.

Valley Railroad locomotive 40 Leads the last North Pole Express train of the night north over the Chester Creek bridge.

Valley Railroad veteran Mikado No 40 works the south end of Essex yard at the end of the second to last day of the 2013 season. 40 and her distant cousin No 3025 spent the evening hauling four so... (more)

Leaving for the pole in 6 minutes!. A few last-minute arrivals hustle down the platform to their assigned cars, but most of the passengers are already in their seats for the 5:35 PM departu... (more)

Embraced by the Dark - A Valley Railroad North Pole Express pulls into the "North Pole" to pick up Santa and his elves after a fresh snowfall blanketed the area.

Valley Railroad locomotive 40 leads the second North Pole Express train of the night through the north end of Essex, bound for the "North Pole" with a train load of happy families.

The last North Pole Express for the night heads north through Chester, CT with a trainload of families visiting with Santa and his elves.

The first night of North Pole Express trains out of Essex, Connecticut on the Valley Railroad began with four runs to the "North Pole". Here the second run passes through the Centerbrook section ... (more)