The Flying Yankee

NHV 669 wrote: ↑Sat Nov 04, 2023 7:12 pm New press release regarding transfer of ownership:

https://flyingyankee.org/news/request-f ... kkV-j_D9UY

Actually, it's just that NH DOT has issued an RFP regarding potential transfer of ownership. The DOT announcement is here, and that links to a page with a long list of items; scroll down to the Flying Yankee section for all the details.

The RFP is regarding a transfer of ownership, which is what I wrote and linked to.... it's right there in the press release...

It appears there's two press releases, one from the state and the other from the Flying Yankee Association. There must be legal reasons for not just transferring the train to them, but either way it's a big development and the first big news for the train in 10 to 15 years.

.Without actually doing the reading, NHDOT can't just give something to someone they like, they have to accept the best proposal. Of course they set the criteria and ranking.

State law requires it to go to bid.

My reading of the report is that the bidding proces has more to do with the restoration plan as opposed to competing monetary bids (they expect to transfer it for the usual $1 price tag). The FY association should have a pretty solid shot at getting the FY transferred. Afterall it was their idea, they have cash on hand, and a workable plan that keeps it in state.

Another reasonable bidder I could see entering is Patriot Rail (new owners of Hobo). The train is already on their land, they have 1 wye track, and most importantly they have shop capabilities already in place. Maybe we could see the FY with an ALCo 539?

You would need a wye at both ends of any route the FY would be planned to run...

If restoration was an option at the current location, it likely would have been undertaken already, given that it has sat directly next to the shop for 15 years. The current group seems very intent on moving it elsewhere.

As for shop "capabilities", I'd love to hear how the FY is supposed to fit in a building that is smaller than the trainset itself, especially with no trucks to move it on. Why on earth would Patriot Rail even think twice about taking on someone else's project they have no ties to, other than where it sits?

I agree it's unlikely, but there is always a chance. Bob Morrel learned this in the 90s when the state shocklingly determined that CSRR was a better fit for the Mtn Division than the FY concept leaving the train stuck in Glen for years.

And I agree, the Lincoln shop is probably not perfect, but certainly items can be worked on inside and then installed outside. Also, at Claremont they put the cars on shop trucks and moved them around individually, so I assume that would have been the plan there as well.

As to operations...the second wye is a real problem! If they can pull off a logistical miracle with VTR and CSX, there is an existing wye at North Chelmsford. That would be an epic excursion route, but perhaps too improbable. Maybe split the trip into 2 days... Day 1: Meredith to Lincoln and back to Meredith. Day 2: depart from Winni (Meredith, Laconia or Tilton) hand it off to VTR and run down to N. Chelmsford and back to Winni. Rinse and repeat.

More realistically, I think they would engineer a coupler and brakeline on the back end of the FY. Run out to Jack O' lantern under FY power and then drag it back with a locomotive. I suppose that would be a risk of total private ownership...They might get it done, but you might not like the final results.

The train wasn't "stuck for years" in Glen, it wasn't even on display five full years. It spent more time at Claremont, and it's been at the Hobo almost two decades. What exactly was shocking about the state's decision? CSRX was already an established operation with running equipment on hand, Bob had nothing more than a static display that hadn't run in 35 years even back then. Hardly a tough call to make there...

Running it on the Hobo at all makes little sense, especially the idea of tacking on a coupler for the sake of towing the set in reverse, which isn't what it was designed for. You can't run around the train once back in Lincoln anyway.

The "Winni"-N. Chelmsford trip doesn't really make any sense either, especially given that it's what, 60-70 rail miles one way to any of those spots? Even at 25 mph, that's longer than anyone is going to want to sit on a train with no food or bathroom to use, let alone the fact that the Hobo has never run a trip that kind of distance over their own property with their own equipment. I don't even think their track speed is anywhere near 25.

Considering the goal is to get it out of there, there's little use in making nonsensical modifications to the trainset for the sake of running it on a logistically unfeasible route in the first place. Especially when you're asking three different carriers to operate the train. You'd still need someone qualified between Concord and NC; a VTR crew isn't going to get you south of the yard.

Okay if we can dream . . . CSRR is seriously considering a Cruise Train that would bring Portland cruise ship passengers through the notch. This is very successful in Alaska and the cruise ship passenger is a winning market for such things. Initially of course the connection will be a bus but eventually after much effort the historic Flying Yankee could an interesting option.

Since this thread was dormant for a while and I've never actually been to the Hobo to see the FY, I have a couple of questions about the set. Please, being mindful of the past discussions around this, I am not trying to start a war... I am genuinely curious.

1. ISTR photos in this thread showing that the interior of the passenger cars had been largely gutted; is that still the case, or has there been some restoration work done there?
2. I clearly remember that the original Winton engine in the set was deemed unsuitable to move forward with. Has there been any activity around replacing it? Is that even feasible?

Again, please, I know there's been a lot of passion here around this train and I'm not trying to stumble into an argument. Thanks!

p42thedowneaster wrote: ↑Mon Nov 13, 2023 11:12 amAs to operations...the second wye is a real problem! If they can pull off a logistical miracle with VTR and CSX, there is an existing wye at North Chelmsford. That would be an epic excursion route, but perhaps too improbable. Maybe split the trip into 2 days... Day 1: Meredith to Lincoln and back to Meredith. Day 2: depart from Winni (Meredith, Laconia or Tilton) hand it off to VTR and run down to N. Chelmsford and back to Winni. Rinse and repeat.

More realistically, I think they would engineer a coupler and brakeline on the back end of the FY. Run out to Jack O' lantern under FY power and then drag it back with a locomotive. I suppose that would be a risk of total private ownership...They might get it done, but you might not like the final results.

The Yankee had a set up to operate backwards and did so quiet often, including but not limited to operations between Nashua and Concord. Nashua was the nearest turning location to the shops in Concord.

Oh wow! I had not heard that! That makes operational possibilities much more open for the FY! So does it have full controls, or does it work more like a caboose-type brake valve?

If the latter, maybe a route with few crossings would be best like Kearsarge to Redstone. You could run back and forth for summer weekends there and then in peak season take it Bartlett to Quebec jct (Maybe run a train to shuttle riders from N.Conway to Bartlett or add capacity to the existing sawyers excursion. )

markhb wrote: ↑Tue Nov 14, 2023 9:39 am Since this thread was dormant for a while and I've never actually been to the Hobo to see the FY, I have a couple of questions about the set. Please, being mindful of the past discussions around this, I am not trying to start a war... I am genuinely curious.

1. ISTR photos in this thread showing that the interior of the passenger cars had been largely gutted; is that still the case, or has there been some restoration work done there?
2. I clearly remember that the original Winton engine in the set was deemed unsuitable to move forward with. Has there been any activity around replacing it? Is that even feasible?

Again, please, I know there's been a lot of passion here around this train and I'm not trying to stumble into an argument. Thanks!

1. Yes some interior work has been done. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/cont ... 07+053.jpg
B-car looks amazing. Interior work hasn't happened on the A and C car yet, but plenty of other work is done.
2. The Winton apparently wasn't going to work for reliability on Amtrak territory. The new change of intended use may make the Winton more appropriate, but still might not be worth it. Check out the Mark Twain Zephry restoration to see how they solved the problem on their very similar train set. https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews ... ts-trucks/

The Winton 201A isn't going back in the FY, you can count on that. The prohibitive cost of attempting to fully restore an engine that has a limited availability of usable existing replacement parts, and ones that would have to be fabricated from scratch anyway sealed that fate before it was moved to the Hobo almost 20 years ago.