Essex Steam Train & Riverboat
Some experiences are less about arriving at a historic site and more about the journey itself. Our trip aboard the Essex Steam Train and Riverboat in Connecticut gave us the opportunity to experience two forms of transportation that once played an important role in moving people through New England.
The journey begins at the historic Essex Station in Essex, Connecticut. The railroad here traces its roots to the Connecticut Valley Railroad, which was chartered in 1868 and began operating between Hartford and Saybrook Point in 1871. The line followed the Connecticut River Valley, connecting small towns and communities with larger transportation networks at a time when the railroad was transforming travel throughout New England.
Passenger service on the line eventually disappeared, but the railroad itself survived. In 1971, exactly a century after the original Connecticut Valley Railroad began operation, steam excursion service was established from Essex. Today the Valley Railroad preserves and operates a portion of that historic route as the Essex Steam Train.
One of the pleasures of the experience is the locomotive itself. Standing beside one of these enormous steam engines gives a very different appreciation for nineteenth- and early twentieth-century rail travel. The sound, steam and machinery make the technology tangible in a way that seeing a locomotive sitting inside a museum cannot quite duplicate.
The train travels north from Essex through the lower Connecticut River Valley to Deep River Landing. Much of the route passes through woods, wetlands and stretches of countryside that remain surprisingly undeveloped. From the train, it is possible to understand why the Connecticut River Valley has long been recognized as one of New England’s particularly beautiful landscapes.
At Deep River Landing, the experience changes completely. Passengers leave the train and board a riverboat for a cruise on the Connecticut River. Instead of seeing the valley from the railroad tracks, we were now seeing it from the water.
That combination is what made the excursion particularly interesting to me. Long before highways and automobiles dominated transportation, rivers and railroads were essential connections between New England communities. The Connecticut River had been a transportation corridor for centuries before the railroad arrived, carrying people and goods through the region. The railroad added another layer to that transportation history during the nineteenth century.
The riverboat portion also allowed us to slow down and simply enjoy the landscape. From the open deck, the wooded hills rise from the river while boats pass along the water and small communities appear along the shoreline. It is easy to forget how close this peaceful landscape is to the heavily traveled highways and cities of southern New England.
Eventually the riverboat returns to Deep River Landing, where the steam train is waiting for the trip back to Essex Station. The result is a wonderful loop through the Connecticut River Valley—part railroad journey and part river cruise. For a few hours, the steam train, the riverboat and the Connecticut River allowed us to experience a little of the way generations before us traveled through this beautiful part of New England.
