By Railfan & Railroad Staff
The non-profit Flying Yankee Association has officially taken possession of the famed Boston & Maine Flying Yankee steamliner and is planning to move it to the Conway Scenic Railroad in the “near future,” officials say.
The three-car train is expected to be moved from its current location in Lincoln, N.H., to Conway, where space has reportedly been made for the streamliner. The group plans to construct a building to protect the train at Conway and eventually open a museum. Long-term plans call for it to be restored and operated on the Conway Scenic.
The historic train was previously owned by the state of New Hampshire, which recently decided to sell it. After an exhaustive process, the non-profit was selected to be the new owner.
“It is truly an exciting time to be a Flying Yankee fan,” said Brian LaPlant, Chairman of
the Flying Yankee Association. “This beautiful train can now be properly protected, preserved, restored, and, one day, returned to the rails as a reminder of New England’s historic railroading past.”
The Flying Yankee was built by the Budd Company in 1935 and ran in New England for 22 years until it was retired in 1957. It was privately owned and displayed at the Edaville Railroad for 40 years until it was acquired by New Hampshire in 1997. Since then a non-profit group has been trying to restore the train, first at the Claremont & Concord and most recently at the Hobo Railroad. However, in recent years, those efforts have collapsed and little has happened with the train, only the third of its type built in North America.
Starting in the spring of 2021, volunteers updated and filed all the required state and federal documents to bring the group back into good standing and established a new name, the Flying Yankee Association. Along with that came a brand new board of directors, including several members with business and management experience. The Flying Yankee is presently in a “partially restored state.”
Updates will be posted to the group’s website, flyingyankee.org, as well as its Facebook, X, and Instagram pages.