The Flying Yankee

markhb wrote:Has anyone suggested to the state that if they were to fully fund restoration to the point of being able to operate the train, they could take it around as a mobile liquor store?

Don't forget the slot machines! (Brings back memories of a certain Maine gubernatorial candidate who proposed as "casino train" between Portland and Montreal.)

markhb wrote:Has anyone suggested to the state that if they were to fully fund restoration to the point of being able to operate the train, they could take it around as a mobile liquor store? How much could they make out of it if they parked it in Laconia for Bike Week, or near Loudon during a NASCAR weekend? They could probably pay off the restoration in a year!

Take it down the Eastern on summer holiday weekends and park it where the road to Hampton Beach crosses the tracks

Cosmo wrote:

mxdata wrote: the State has not reached any decisions about putting the train up for sale, at least not at the present time.

MX

Nor is there any inkling to hint that they are even CONSIDERING doing so... EVER.

Regarding the present situation, it seems the responsibility rests solely with the state of New Hampshire to determine what will happen to the trainset next. Since there are no museum groups even remotely expressing interest, it seems a little premature to suggest that the train could be relocated anywhere else.

-otto-

First sentence correct.
Second sentence....why not just wait and see.
You might not know all the people who are interested in this.
Or on the other hand you might know them, but not know they are interested.

MX

With as iconic as the Yankee is, I would highly doubt that there isn't any interested parties. The issue is to be able to get complete control of the trainset and wash the stench of the current management groap....er group off of the trainset. As Otto well knows a lot of times with important and highly volitile aquisitions such as this, the best policy is to keep the lips slammed shut so as not to get the foamermill churning prematurely. The ability of people to start unsubstanciated blather and cause unintentional headaches has been seen time and time again.
I would have to agree with MX that there are people interested in the Yankee (I personally know of one group who is at least talking about putting in a proposal) but they are not going to come onto the forums and say "We're putting in a proposal". That would just stir up an all ready putrid pot of poo. Nothing can or will be done until the State of New Hampshire starts to take a pro-active role with the train, but here again I would guess that the state government has a few bigger fish to fry than a 3 car tainset that has about as much chance of making them money as congress has of being a functioning body.

For the state to divest itself of the Flying Yankee, some of the elected NH officials
would surely be involved. Even if action by the Legislature would not be necessary,
it would seem that the Executive Council, which has to approve contracts, purchases,
and the like, would be involved along with the Governor making a recommendation.
At any rate, until after the November 6th election results are known, followed by the
makeup of any legislative committees being known and sworn in sometime after the
first of the year, nothing will happen at the state level before then.

Well, it could be worse... http://www.irm.org/gallery/Mark-Twain-Zephyr Not sure where the old girl is now.

On the Mark Twain from Wikipedia, for whatever it worth, have attached:

On January 24, 2008, it was supposedly moved to Granite City, Illinois for display in a downtown redevelopment effort but was shown by Gateway Rail Services in nearby Madison, Illinois to a group from the 2008 St. Louis Railroad Prototype Modelers Meet in August, 2008. A 2011 report from a Burlington railfan says the train is still at Gateway.[3]

The Christmas installment of the internet newsletter arrived recently, so I guess the FYRG must still be "alive".

MX

Not doing well from what I'm told........

Well, here we are in 2013 now, anybody heard any recent news?

MX

Sad

It sort of reminds me of the green goats. Or were those green pigs? Whatever.

MX

mxdata wrote:It sort of reminds me of the green goats. Or were those green pigs? Whatever.

MX

I don't get the reference.

mxdata wrote:Well, here we are in 2013 now, anybody heard any recent news?

MX

Why not contact them for a comment? Show them this whole thread and ask them to address all the myths and rumors...

-otto-

I don't see any difference in asking that question in 2004 or 2013. I percieve the same response - BS. They didn't get the nickname "Yankme" for nothing.