On a bitter cold afternoon, crew is tending to Vale #97 before the next Holiday train ride.

The Old Soldier. Valley Railroad Consolidation #97 emerges from the Essex Locomotive Servicing Facility on a late fall afternoon in 2018, as her crew prepares her to make 3 North Pole Expre... (more)

Going through old photos I found this shot of Old 97 taken in 2010 around the time she went out of service for her 1472 days of service expiration. The Speedlite mounted to the camera provided jus... (more)

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. O... (more)

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. O... (more)

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. O... (more)

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. O... (more)

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. O... (more)

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. O... (more)

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. O... (more)

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. O... (more)

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. O... (more)

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. O... (more)

Valley Railroad shop worker Chip cuts a superheater tube out of locomotive No. 97's boiler. This work is to stabilize the locomotive, and do some preparation work prior to the start of her 1472 d... (more)