Flying Yankee
Encyclopedia
The Flying Yankee was a diesel
-powered streamliner
built in 1935 for the Maine Central Railroad
and the Boston and Maine Railroad by Budd Company
and with mechanical and electrical equipment from Electro-Motive Corporation. It was the third streamliner train in North America
after the Union Pacific Railroad
's M-10000
and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
's Pioneer Zephyr
; the Flying Yankee was, in fact, a virtual clone of the latter, except that it dispensed with the baggage/mail space to seat 142 in three articulated cars.
The lightweight train was constructed with welded stainless steel
using Budd's patented process. The engine was an 8-cylinder Winton 201-A diesel, driving a generator; the lead truck was equipped with traction motors. It was fitted with air conditioning in all cars. No dining car was provided; instead, meals were prepared in a galley and served to passengers in trays that clipped to the back of the seat in front.
The train was delivered in February 1935, and toured the BM-MEC railroad system before entering service on April 1. The daily route served began in Portland, Maine
, then to Boston, Massachusetts, followed by a return to Portland and continuing to Bangor, Maine
, returning through Portland to Boston and finally returning to Portland late in the day, a distance of 750 miles per day. This schedule was kept six days a week; the trainset spent Sundays undergoing maintenance. The train proved extremely successful, attracting new ridership and earning a profit for its owners.
Later on, as newer equipment replaced it on one route, it would be switched to other routes, bearing the names The Cheshire, The Minuteman, The Mountaineer , and The Business Man.
As railroad passenger ridership declined in the 1950s the Yankee was also getting old, and thus the trainset was retired, running its last on May 7, 1957. The railroad donated the trainset to the Edaville Railroad
tourist / museum operation in Carver, Massachusetts
. The train remained on static display there for about 40 years until it was moved in the early 1990s to Glen, New Hampshire
after being purchased by the late Bob Morrell, former owner of Story Land
.
In 1997, the train was moved to the Claremont Concord Railroad's shops in Claremont, New Hampshire
for a complete restoration once purchased by the State of New Hampshire, which is presently ongoing. , the major structural restoration has been completed, and detailed restoration of components is proceeding. The eventual goal is to restore the train completely to running condition. The train was moved to Lincoln, New Hampshire
, on August 10, 2005, to the Hobo Railroad
where the mechanical restoration is taking place.
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
-powered streamliner
Streamliner
A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "bullet trains". Less commonly, the term is applied to fully faired recumbent bicycles...
built in 1935 for the Maine Central Railroad
Maine Central Railroad
The Maine Central Railroad Company was a railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. It operated a mainline between South Portland, Maine, east to the Canada-U.S...
and the Boston and Maine Railroad by Budd Company
Budd Company
The Budd Company is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the automobile industry, and was formerly a manufacturer of stainless steel passenger rail cars during the 20th century....
and with mechanical and electrical equipment from Electro-Motive Corporation. It was the third streamliner train in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
after the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
's M-10000
M-10000
The Union Pacific Railroad's M-10000, delivered to the railroad on February 12, 1934, at a cost of $230,997, was the first internal combustion engine, lightweight streamlined express passenger train in the United States. The carbodies and interior fittings were built by Pullman-Standard...
and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri,...
's Pioneer Zephyr
Pioneer Zephyr
The Pioneer Zephyr is a diesel-powered railroad train formed of railroad cars permanently articulated together with Jacobs bogies, built by the Budd Company in 1934 for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad , commonly known as the Burlington...
; the Flying Yankee was, in fact, a virtual clone of the latter, except that it dispensed with the baggage/mail space to seat 142 in three articulated cars.
The lightweight train was constructed with welded stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
using Budd's patented process. The engine was an 8-cylinder Winton 201-A diesel, driving a generator; the lead truck was equipped with traction motors. It was fitted with air conditioning in all cars. No dining car was provided; instead, meals were prepared in a galley and served to passengers in trays that clipped to the back of the seat in front.
The train was delivered in February 1935, and toured the BM-MEC railroad system before entering service on April 1. The daily route served began in Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, then to Boston, Massachusetts, followed by a return to Portland and continuing to Bangor, Maine
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
, returning through Portland to Boston and finally returning to Portland late in the day, a distance of 750 miles per day. This schedule was kept six days a week; the trainset spent Sundays undergoing maintenance. The train proved extremely successful, attracting new ridership and earning a profit for its owners.
Later on, as newer equipment replaced it on one route, it would be switched to other routes, bearing the names The Cheshire, The Minuteman, The Mountaineer , and The Business Man.
As railroad passenger ridership declined in the 1950s the Yankee was also getting old, and thus the trainset was retired, running its last on May 7, 1957. The railroad donated the trainset to the Edaville Railroad
Edaville Railroad
The Edaville Railroad is a heritage railroad in South Carver, Massachusetts.Opened in 1947, the Edaville Railroad is generally regarded as one of the oldest heritage railroads in the United States....
tourist / museum operation in Carver, Massachusetts
Carver, Massachusetts
Carver is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,163 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2008 population of 11,574. It is named for John Carver, the first governor of the Plymouth Colony.- Demographics :...
. The train remained on static display there for about 40 years until it was moved in the early 1990s to Glen, New Hampshire
Glen, New Hampshire
Glen is an unincorporated village in the town of Bartlett in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The village is the home of Story Land, a popular amusement park in the Mount Washington Valley region, a resort area that also includes the communities of North Conway and Jackson.Glen is found at...
after being purchased by the late Bob Morrell, former owner of Story Land
Story Land
Story Land is a theme park located in Glen, New Hampshire.In the few years prior to opening, the founders, Bob and Ruth Morrell, had purchased a large number of dolls from Germany based on storybook characters. This was the basis for the park. When it opened, it had just one ride: a ride on an old...
.
Claremont, New Hampshire
There were 5,685 households out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had...
for a complete restoration once purchased by the State of New Hampshire, which is presently ongoing. , the major structural restoration has been completed, and detailed restoration of components is proceeding. The eventual goal is to restore the train completely to running condition. The train was moved to Lincoln, New Hampshire
Lincoln, New Hampshire
Lincoln is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the second-largest town by area in New Hampshire. The population was 1,662 at the 2010 census. The town is home to the New Hampshire Highland Games and to a portion of Franconia Notch State Park. Set in the White Mountains,...
, on August 10, 2005, to the Hobo Railroad
Hobo Railroad
The Hobo Railroad consists of two heritage railroads in central New Hampshire, in the United States.One, in Lincoln, offers passenger excursion trains through the White Mountains...
where the mechanical restoration is taking place.
Further reading
- Colquhoun, Lorna, New Hampshire Union Leader (August 11, 2005), Flying Yankee rolls into Hobo Railroad. Retrieved August 11, 2005.
- Lindblade, Carl E. and The Flying Yankee Restoration Group. The Story of the Flying Yankee. Retrieved from http://www.flyingyankee.com/history.html on December 19, 2004
External links
- The Flying Yankee Restoration Group - The organization that is undertaking the train's complete restoration.