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Group restoring New England streamliner launches effort to bring Flying Yankee home (VIDEO)
The person narrating the flying Yankee video in the article sounds a lot like Bernie Sanders. I wonder if sanders was involved in the restoration of the streamlined diesel. Was he?
Progress in restoring it stopped because FYRG spent the money on gala events, and auctioned off critical components (like pistons from the Winton engine).
C&C had gotten a lot done when it was yanked from them, unexpectedly.
Then the plans changed, from restoration to being able to run on its own, to making it Amtrak compliant, but without a plan or way to do it.
So it spends more time sitting, and now its best prospects are maybe to be towed as a rolling exhibit.
I “bought” seat #8, fully expecting it was intended to roll again under its own power, but I don’t think they even put a nameplate on.
Being a natural born conspiracy theorist, I think there was a purpose in all this–to prevent an example of an economical, comfortable little train that could fill a niche in the passenger business successfully, as it did originally.
After all, the boss of the FYRG was a bigshot at Sanders and also the NH Motor Speedway. Why would he love trains?
The Flying Yankee in the 1930s on the Boston-Portland run was much faster than today’s Downeaster service, its a model of higher-speed rail in that manner, it shows would could be achieved today since it was already done in the past. Its too bad the train-set was too short for even the demand in the 1940s, a double-ended 6-car train would have worked out better. Too bad the B&M could not have splurged more on a longer train, or more sets to increase frequency. Image the service three sets could have provided on what was then a double-track mainline Boston-Portland!
I hope it runs again.
To anyone who is interested, it is not Mr. Sanders talking on the narrative. It’s a terrific example of rarely heard dialect of classic New England speak. Away from Boston or Maine, or the growlely tone of Rhode Island, is is usually reffered to as “flatland” , or in Connecticut, “shoreline”,accent. Without the exaggerated vowels or clipped consonants of its better know city cousins, you can still hear the lilt when the words like “Worthy” or “Time”. Vowles are softened, R’s are dragged a bit . I have heard this in Eastern Connecticut and between Springfield to Worcester and up north thu the Connecticut River Valley inti western New Hampshire and Vermont . sounds good, doesn’t it?
Steam into History posts AmazonSmile.
The voice is Fritz Wetherbee, who is on NHPTV, often doing interesting stories on New Hampshire history.
I sure hope they will make the Flying Yankee run on its own power some day.
Last I checked, FYRG was in the hole by $80,000 or so, money squandered on “gala fundraisers” where they raffled off critical engine components, killing off any likelihood of restoring the original Winton diesel engine.
The Flying Yankee was a victim of its own success…not big enough to carry the passenger traffic it revived. Benjamin Turon is right; more, longer trainsets, would have carried the demand.
When I talk “conspiracy theory” in regards to trains, it has roots in the destruction of the interurban and city trolley systems last century. It in fact was a conspiracy, and was proven in court, but the penalties were negligible.
A Flying Yankee type train can fill niches in transportation the powers that be would just as soon keep their monopolies over.
National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges, Inc. exists.
The trouble is the track in Concord is run by Pan Am who kicked out the New England Southern. The siding is near the old tower that controled the yard. On top of that safety is a real concern in that neck of the woods. More than likely it would become a target for vandals and taggers.
Let’s look at the “Bigger Picture” and try to appreciate the splendid irony, and at the same time aid two extremely worthy railway preservation causes. 1) “Flying Yankee” is headed homewards while 2) the 2nd and extremely rare McKeen Motor Car “Cuyamaca” has just left oblivion in Alaska and returned to its original home near San Diego, CA via a complex trip involving a ship and trucks-transport. Both are destined to roll again under their own power. Both share powerful technological internal combustion motive-power and richly historical railroad roots.
While CB&Q’s “Pioneer Zephyr” has been lovingly cosmetically restored as a major attraction at Chicago’s Museum of Science & Industry, it will likely never purr to life again. Nevada State Railroad Museum has expended millions of donated and state dollars to revive their former Virginia & Truckee Railroad McKeen motor car No. 22, which I applaud heartily, although it used a diesel hydraulic drive train rather than a bona fide McKeen gas engine and geared drive axle.
But here we are in 2016, looking at a near twin to “Pioneer Zephyr” – the “Flying Yankee” approaching a brighter operational life and still another, “typical” McKeen car – the next most intact body of only three such known to still exist. Both “Flying Yankee” and “Cuyamaca” are on the path toward rebirth. Is that not that astounding?
I’m stepping up to the plate to donate as much as I can to both projects. I urge others who see the importance and who truly care to do the same.