Flying Yankee Association to purchase Budd streamliner
Details of transfer of 1935 articulated trainset still to be completed
The Flying Yankee Association preservation group has been selected by the New Hampshire Department of Transportation as the purchaser of the historic Budd articulated streamliner Flying Yankee, the virtual duplicate of Burlington’s Pioneer Zephyr that has been owned by the state since 1996.
Selection follows a process that began in fall 2023 with a Request for Proposals. That request called for the train’s relocation from its current location at the Hobo Railroad, the heritage line in Lincoln, N.H., purchased last year by Patriot Rail. It also encouraged the train’s restoration.
“We are both honored and thrilled to be receiving this historic train from the state,” Brian LaPlant, president of the FYA, said in a press release. “The Flying Yankee has languished for far too long, and we look forward to preserving, relocating, and restoring the train, thanks to the state, as well as our friends, partners, and supporters that will help make this dream become a reality. A beautiful piece of New England history has been saved today.”
The three-car train, built in 1935 for the Boston & Maine Railroad, operated on various New England routes until its retirement in 1957, then was displayed at the Edaville Railroad tourist line for 36 years. On-again, off-again restoration efforts began in 1993.
The association is scheduled to meet with state officials later this summer to finalize transfer details, after which the state’s Executive Council will approve those details and transfer ownership. —