Greetings:

The Valley Railroad Co. (dba: Essex Steam Train & Riverboat) is currently interviewing candidates for the position of Chief Mechanical Officer.

Salary commensurate with experience, full benefits.

Relevant job experience required with the daily operation & management of steam locomotives, 80 ton G.E. diesel electric locomotives and 20th century passenger equipment. Brake systems include 6ET, 14EL, 26RL, P-2, U-12, ABD, 24 and 26.

Contact Kevin Dodd: kdodd@essexsteamtrain.com to schedule an interview.

J.David

Seems a role like this would ideally be promoted from within the organization.

Anyone want to chime in on pros and cons of promoting from within vs. hiring from outside?

NO. J David knows what the Hell he's doing, and he's a fair, honest, and straight shooting fella. He has good, solid reasons for whatever course of action he is taking.

The idea is to find the best-qualified, and best-motivated, candidate, whether from inside or outside.

There are also shops in which 'promotion from inside' appears to be somewhat rigged -- viz. the situation described in an earlier thread here about discriminatory behavior at a certain Colorado tourist operation's shop...

I would think the entire list of -really qualified- people would fit on one side of an index card.

I wonder what the pay is. Equivalent experience in general industry would be at least $35-40 an hour plus a comprehensive benefit package.

I'd hope for more, but wouldn't be surprised if you're correct.

Kind of frustrating really. I'm in Seattle, and granted our cost of living is high. On Prevailing Wage jobs, you can make $59.07 as a track laborer. Sure seems like that sort of experience and expertise should get you something close.

Around here (Arkansas) $40 would be good money. Some other places it would be pretty slim.

I just wonder....I don't think most tourist operations are cash cows. Are they able to pay wages comparable to the 'outside world'...especially when a position like this needs you to be a jack of all trades.

Strasburg currently has a job opening for "Engine House Mechanic" with salary listed as $15-30 per hour based on experience.

I would certainly hope that a CMO would be paid much more than that - since it requires much much more experience, knowledge, and responsibility.

Valley Railroad is a bit unique - the right of way is technically a state park. Who currently owns the for-profit railroad? It was started by the non-profit RR Museum of New England, the non-profit Empire State Railway Museum and private investors - not sure if all of those are still owners or not?

"It was started by the non-profit RR Museum of New England, the non-profit Empire State Railway Museum and private investors - not sure if all of those are still owners or not?"

A (very) brief history--

The always-for-profit Valley Railroad was originally a combined effort involving Gifford Warner (an Essex river excursion boat operator who had obtained a railroad charter from the state legislature about 1969), Stephen D. Bogen (who obtained a lease for the 21-mile line from the NYNH&H trustees in 1969, to prevent the track from being removed), Empire State Railway Museum (Bogen's leadership of that entity going back to at least 1961, and then the operation by ESRM at Middletown NY 1962-1966), Oliver O. Jensen (Editor and a founder of American Heritage Magazine, and another ESRM leader) and the Connecticut Valley Railroad Association (a group that evolved out of the Warehouse Point Trolley Museum's small steam operation program).

In short, Warner had the legal right to operate a railroad, Bogen and Jensen had some money, and some additional investors to sell stock to, ESRM had some volunteer personnel (mostly from eastern NY State) and some equipment (and Bogen had some of his own equipment- LIRR 44-ton GE and 2-8-0 #97), and CVRA had many local Connecticut volunteers.

The VRR opened on July 29, 1971, having spent about $42,000 to get to that point. By 1975, the railroad was carrying over 100,000 passengers per year, and had at least 4 full time paid staff. ESRM and CVRA (by then a full non-profit as CVRM) each had some shares of stock.

By 1980, ESRM had largely faded from the scene, except for some loans to VRR, and its equipment that was onsite, much of which was transferred about 1986 to CVRM/RMNE.

In 1995, CVRM (which had changed its name to Railroad Museum of New England) commenced a move to the Waterbury-Torrington Branch owned by Conn. DOT, and started operations in 1996. RMNE later sold its VRR stock shares back to VRR.

VRR is still a for-profit stock corporation, with the majority share ownership and operating control resting with Kevin Dodd and his family. As the older individual stockholders have died, their shares have generally been sold back to the company or to a few individual directors. VRR grosses in excess of $7 million annually, and also operates the connecting riverboat, plus another excursion boat line.

Howard P.

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Is/was that the same entity that is now in Phoenicia, NY, on an out-of-service section of the Catskill Mountain RR?

"Is/was that the same entity that is now in Phoenicia, NY, on an out-of-service section of the Catskill Mountain RR?"

Yes, same ESRM. By the early 1980s, it had gone dormant except for publishing the "Steam Passenger Service Directory" (aka "The Steam Directory"), which was a nice cash cow in those days. A group of new members from the Kingston area joined ESRM and about 1986, joined CVRM/RMNE. They showed up en-masse to a regular CVRM monthly meeting, and after some rather heated commentary, diplomacy prevailed. ESRM got the financial accounts it was seeking, the rights to the Steam Directory, and piece of equipment (NYC/D&H 154 diner "Lion Gardiner"). CVRM/RMNE got some of the ESRM equipment, and VRR received a couple of pieces (open excursion car LNE gondola 728 in particular).

Howard P.

Speaking of which, what's been happening with the Lion Gardiner recently?

As an aside, I'm pretty sure the photo of the 103 and Jensen was taken in Unionville and not Middletown.

Last year it was located at an old Ford plant in Lorain, OH, that also was a former Ohio Locomotive Works facility at one time: viewtopic.php?p=334835#p334835