The Indian Valley Railroad Advertisement with Rainbow Tiger aka Norfolk & Western J Class 611.
The Indian Valley Railroad (abbreviated as IVRR) is a fictitious railroad company owned by J.B. King, of which Shining Time is a part of.
History
The Railroad was incorporated in 1885 when a group of investors from Snarleyville purchased a pre-existing group of small trunk lines running east to west, and began laying down track for a main-line from north to south. The east/west spur connects to the north/south spur at Chubby Corners, at the center of the Railroad, which makes the railroad form a rough 'X' shape. Two larger class-one railroads connect at either end of the north/south line, technically making the railroad a short-line railroad with east/west branchlines. As of 1990, the railroad remained independently owned, primarily serving the small communities around the nearby hills. Proud of its history, the Indian Valley Railroad has maintained many of its original quirks, some of which date back to around the time of its founding.
Route
The Indian Valley Railroad is said to run from Big City to Pelican Falls, stopping at Lucy's Leap, Fort Farley, Snarleyville, Cloggyville, Buttertown, Spotsville, Waddley, Farmer's Dell, Twiddly Junction, Doodle Haven, Muffle Mountain, Dillylick, Chubby Corners, Leaky Park, and of course, Shining Time Station.
Employees
Current (as of TATMR)
- J.B. King: Superintendent and Owner
- Stacy Jones: Stationmaster, Shining Time Station
- Billy Twofeathers (Steam/Diesel Engine Driver & Mechanic)
- Mr. Conductor (Alec Baldwin) (Conductor)
- (Mr. Conductor) Junior (Conductor)
Former
- Harry Cupper (Engineer and Mechanic (Retired))
- Mr. Conductor (Ringo Starr) (Conductor (Quit))
Unknown
- Mr. Conductor (George Carlin) (Conductor)
Locomotives
The locomotives that have been seen on the Indian Valley Railroad in the Shining Time Station are the Union Pacific 844 (which has been named as the Rainbow Sun), Norfolk & Western 611 (which has been named as the Rainbow Tiger), Reading 2101 (which has been named as the President’s Train), Southern Pacific 4449 "Daylight" (which has been the Sunset Flyer) and Union Pacific "Big Boy" 4014 (which has been named as the Twilight Special).
In Thomas and the Magic Railroad, the Strasburg Railroad's ex-Norfolk & Western locomotive #475 was given the role of the Rainbow Sun. The tender and three of the Strasburg Railroad's coaches were relettered "INDIAN VALLEY" for the film, although only two coaches ended up being used. The coaches retained this lettering for quite some time after filming had been completed.
In 'Tis A Gift, the Rainbow Sun was briefly played by Grand Canyon Railway's ex-Lake Superior & Ishpeming locomotive #18.
Engine #23 - Old Realible and Engine #46 - Old Dependable are mentioned.
Trains
- Rainbow Sun
- President's Train
- Sunset Flyer
- West Wind Limited
- Empire Limited
- Ridgeline Loader
- Twiddly Junction Express
- Twilight Special
- Chubby Corner Special
- Moonlit Express
- Mimosa Limited
- Browntown Express
- Golden Flyer
- Circus Train
- Daybreak Express
- Dillylick Express
- Fireball Express
- Fort Farley Flyer
- Highball Express
- Indian Falls Limited
- Kingston Limited
- Leaky Park Flyer
- Livestock Freight Train
- Lucy Lake Local
- Midnight Express
- Midnight Special (train)
- Morning Express
- Muffle Mountain Flyer
- Pelican Falls Express
- R&O Recycling Train
- Rainbow Tiger
- Rocking Horse Special
- Silver Comet
- Snarleyville Freight
- Spotsville Flyer
- Sunrise Express
- The Founder's Day Express
- The Honeymoon Special
- The Mail Train
- The Northern Star
- The Royal Train
- The Ski Train
- The Snarleyville Express
- The Tourist Train
- Twiddly Junction Express
- Wabash Cannonball (Train)
- The Eastern Wind
- Indian Valley Local
- EggyWegg Express
- The Flying Mountaineer
- Lucy's Leap Express
In Real Life
By pure coincidence, there was a real Indian Valley Railroad. A railroad was opened in 1917 and ran from the town of Paxton, California to the Engels Copper Mines, which were the largest copper mines in California. The line was run by two ex-D&RGW C-28 class 2-8-0 Consolidation type steam locomotives (formerly D&RG #661 and #668) with two freight cars and one passenger car. The line was shut down in 1938 due to lack of traffic and the declining value of copper. There was also a real Indian Valley where the copper mines were located.