LINCOLN, N.H. — The state of New Hampshire is looking to sell the Flying Yankee, the 1935 articulated New England streamliner built by Budd Co. for the Boston & Maine Railroad that is virtually identical to Burlington’s Pioneer Zephyr.
The Concord Monitor reports the state has issued a Request for Proposals for sale of the three-car trainset, which has long been at the Hobo Railroad in Lincoln, N.H., and has been the subject of failed restoration attempts both private and state-funded. Proposals are for “the relocation and encouraged restoration” of the trainset, and will be rated under a number of criteria addressing how they plan to handle preservation of the equipment. The buyer will have to sign “permanent restrictive covenants” regarding preservation and maintenance of the train at the time of closing; a document addressing those restrictions, along with other documents related to the potential sale, are available at the “Cultural Resources” page of the New Hampshire Department of Transportation website. Prospective buyers can view the train on Nov. 15 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., with components available for inspection from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
As described in the 2021 Classic Trains special issue, Burlington’s Zephyrs, the Flying Yankee was ordered just two months after the completion of the train that would come to be known as the Pioneer Zephyr in June 1934, and entered service as the Boston-Portland-Bangor, Maine, Flying Yankee on April 4, 1935. Unlike the Burlington streamliner, which included a Railway Post Office in the power car, the Boston & Maine trainset had coach seating in all three cars, as well as a baggage section, buffet, and solarium lounge. It operated on various New England routes until its retirement in 1957, after which it was displayed at the Edaville Railroad tourist line for 36 years.
It was moved to New Hampshire in 1993 as part of a restoration effort, was acquired by the state three years later, and moved again in 1997. But the restoration effort ran aground with the death of project leader Robert Morrell, and the train has been stored in Lincoln since 2005.
A nonprofit group formed in 1996 to support the restoration effort, the Flying Yankee Association, said Friday that it will apply to gain ownership of the train.
“The Flying Yankee Association is in a unique position, with both a dedicated team and strong partnerships, to ensure this beloved treasure not only remains true to history, but to have it ride down the tracks under its own power once again,” Brian LaPlant, the association’s chairman, said in a press release.
It occurs to me that the Flying Yankee Association should talk to North Conway Scenic Railroad to see if an association purchase and a move to Conway would be mutually beneficial.
A lot more cranberry bogs around here than the few ones mentioned; Sharon is a ways inland from the usual bog territory closer to the coast. Yes, other states are becoming bigger sources of cranberries. Using the two-footers in cranberry harvesting didn’t work very well. Hope this group can now work this out but Conway Scenic might have to work out some space issues and might overtax their facilities. How is the Hobo doing now in Lincoln? Same goes for Clark’s “Electric Bear Farm” which used to have a Boston Type Five, Laconia NH-built I believe?
Let’s see if the Flying Yankee Association will be able to purchase this beloved, legendary streamliner.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
North Conway Scenic Railroad should buy it and have it restored so the public will be able to enjoy it and it will be kept in New England
The third streamliner train in North America deserves to be saved for sure.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
Yes, agree! It would be neat to see the North Conway Scenic Railroad folks get the ‘Flying Yankee’ and preserve it for future public viewings.
They got in over their head with the insistence of restoring the 201 Winton engine of it’s been said, “The only thing that works reliably is the dipstick.” I’m as much a purist as anyone but reliable operation relies on reliable equipment. Enhanced efficiency is also a plus.
I remember it too. Edaville Railroad has had it’s highs and lows over the years, including the only Thomas the Tank Engine themed park in America. It’s had its struggles but the 2 footer steam trains are still operating albeit on a smaller loop as it heads into the popular “Festival of Lights” Christmas celebration.
I remember seeing this train on static display at the Edaville Railroad, which was a great little operating museum in Carver, Massachusetts, near Plymouth. I think the operating steamers were 2-foot gauge, running through the cranberry bogs. Sad that the railroad museum closed.
Cranberry bogs can be seen from the Route 495 Expressway in Plymouth County. There’s also a cranberry bog (I believe abandoned) inland in Sharon, in Norfolk County. It can be seen from South Main Street in Sharon, or from the Route 95 Expressway just north of the Foxborough town line.