The Flying Yankee

Silly question, but if it's that lightweight, why not just put a battery pack in?

The combination of propulsion, air compression, and HVAC would require a tremendous battery capacity. I'm sure it's not impossible, but a combustion engine is certainly justified in this case for practicality and basic levels of historical accuracy. I don't think 99% care exactly which diesel is in there, but I bet at least 30% would care if there wasn't one at all.

You never know with this thing though! They also said we'd never see a Big Boy run again...And if we did it certainly could never run on oil instead of coal.

You could install a pantograph and electrical voltage converters and regeneration equipment. Requiring expert custom design and further violating the restoration.

Or you could install a newer, say 1950s EMD diesel. And you could run it on biofuel. The EMD engines evolved from the Winton engines so it's logical. Or you could use a Tier I or II or III prime mover for reduced emissions.

When the Flying Yankee was in service for about 20 years, from what i've read around here and stuff they ran it on high-mileage routes six days a week with one day for maintenance. And basically retired it when they couldn't get spare parts. So if you swap the prime mover and possibly even the trucks then you would once again have a highly reliable trainset that is quite usable although doesn't meet current crash standards.

Imagine leasing it to the NNEPRA and using it for one Downeaster run per day.

Reading the FYA's press release, they are the ones who encouraged the state to give up ownership so the restoration can move forward and now that’s starting to happen. You need to read the RFP carefully; it spells out the direction the restoration must go in. The train is eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the restoration is being molded to meet those criteria, the new owners must adhere to the National Historical Park guidelines in restoration and the state will monitor that process even after they transfer ownership. We are probably looking at a rolling museum with limited operations to protect the integrity of the train; some of us may agree with it, some of us may not but regardless that's where it’s heading. For the first time in years, we all can collectively see a direction forward for this train and that's a beautiful thing, I applauded the folks at the FYA for this.

What the WGN is doing is taking SW components and retrofitting the Mark Twain Zephyr.

Presumably, that same approach could work for getting the Yankee operating again, but the preservationists would have to bend a little bit on authenticity. There's no shortage of SW components out there.

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MTZ is completely different, when the railroad took ownership there was nothing left on the inside just the shell. There is no historical significance to the MTZ beyond that and WGN is not looking to recreate one either, the entire train is going to be a rolling restaurant with all modern upgrades. Very similar to Climate Pledge Arean in Seattle where the NHL's Seattle Kraken play, they built a brand-new arena under the old historic roof, belonging to a building that is no more, the MTZ is the same thing on a much smaller scale. The FY is nearly original to the point that it is now a candidate to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As I said earlier, we can see a developing pattern emerging that is showing us where this restoration is heading. The FY is going to be a rolling museum, something the MTZ will never be able to be.

p42thedowneaster wrote: ↑Tue Nov 14, 2023 11:30 am 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/

Thanks very much!

https://www.conwaydailysun.com/news/loc ... EqAKVL2JmE

Tom Eastman wrote:The state of New Hampshire — which owns the train, having acquired it for $1 from late Story Land co-founder Bob Morrell — last November put out a request for proposals, seeking qualified applicants to submit their plans to restore it. The submission window closed Jan. 3, and the winning applicant will assume ownership of the train.

N.H. Department of Transportation Public Information Officer Richard Arcand recently confirmed to the Sun that the state is reviewing the submitted RFPs and has 60 days to make its choice.

Sounds like we should hear something within a few weeks.

The people who eventually own the FY should see if they can hire the guy who dieselized The Cog. He's a brilliant engineer, I worked with him for one summer at the Portsmouth Navy Yard when I was in college. Put a brand new diesel in there (whatever well-known brand fits the footprint and weight limits) and be done with it.

Agreed, no one really cares about using a legacy engine, just one that actually provides power and makes the wheels turn.

According to what I read (here??) the reason they retired The Flying Yankee in the 1950s after running it 6 days a week for 20 years, was the parts availability and the lower reliability of the Winton 201-A prime mover compared to EMD's evolutionary successors. Or maybe it had something to do with McGinnis and his schemes.

So if they want this bad boy to run around new england again like it should, it needs to be gently repowered. Or treat it as a museum piece and only run it a couple of times a year.

What did Illinois Railway Museum do with theirs?

BandA wrote: ↑Tue Feb 27, 2024 5:08 am What did Illinois Railway Museum do with theirs?

I'm pretty sure the IRM is only using their E5 with the Nebraska Zephyr train set. I don't think the original power car is used at all.

BandA wrote: ↑Tue Feb 27, 2024 5:08 am
So if they want this bad boy to run around new england again like it should, it needs to be gently repowered. Or treat it as a museum piece and only run it a couple of times a year.

Third alternative would be a shaker table, a big hydraulic ram and lots of TV screens offering a simulated ride . Extra charge to sit in the engineer's or conductors seat (if it was in the power car) . Same guy I mentioned earlier could build that too.

The guys in Wisconsin with the Mark Twain Zephyr are using a similar sized engine, an EMD 567 6 cylinder that should fit well in the chassis.

It's not a bad plan, but a newer unit could be even better. Even for limited use, it will be imperative to have functioning AC on the train since the windows do not open.

My awesome, but unsolicited operating suggestion: Flying Yankee would run daily over foliage season out of Fabyans' station! EB FY and WB Mountaineer meet at Sawyer's River. FY wyes at Bartlett and heads back west. Mountaineer runs to Fabyans and heads back to Crawford's for another meet so everyone can get their pics! EB FY goes on to Fabyans, most people get off, but some go on to Quebec Jct for the second wye and return. Park her under the cameras at Fabyan for the night, and start it all over the next day.

If you read the RFP, you would know the train is qualified to receive the state and national historical landmark designation, that's going to require the train to be kept in its original configuration as much as possible. Placing a new engine in it, could force them to change out the under frame in the power car, and that's not going to happen, not if it becomes a national historic landmark.