History of the Flying Yankee
The Flying Yankee was a historic streamlined trainset operated by both the Boston and Maine Railroad as well as the Maine Central Railroad. It was one of the first lightweight, diesel-powered trains in the United States and represented a significant innovation in rail travel during Depression Era America.
Conception and Construction
The train was built in 1935 by the Budd Company of Philadelphia joining the very similar Zephyr built for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy and the Pullman built Union Pacific M-10001. This group would be the first three streamliners to roam the rails. The Flying Yankee was an articulated permanently coupled three car trainset.
The Budd company pioneered the stainless steel body type along with the streamlined shovel nose shape that reduced the overall weight and air resistance of the train. The entire train's weight was equivalent to a heavyweight Pullman car. This allowed for speeds of more than 100 miles per hour in addition to lower fuel consumption, in comparison to a P-2 class pacific steam locomotive which topped out around 80 mph. In an ad for Veedol Motor Oil as seen in the April, 1935 issue of Popular Mechanics, it was stated that it accelerates so fast that if it raced a conventional steam train it would be 6 miles ahead by the time they both reached 90 miles per hour. The Yankee was also one of the first air conditioned trains and featured a solarium lounge in the rear section. While Burlington's early streamliner fleet would grow to over 10 trainsets, the northeast remained home to only one.
Ad Photo
"Flying Yankee" from an April 1935 ad in Popular Mechanics
The train was powered by a 8 cylinder, 201A Winton diesel engine, which drove an electric generator, making it a diesel electric set. The Flying Yankee varied from the Pioneer Zephyr, by not having a Baggage or RPO section to allow for more seating space, as well as a galley for preparation of tray service food and beverages for passengers. The trainset was given the number 6000 and joined an ALCo HH600 #1101, Ingersoll-Rand/GE switcher #1100 and two Baggage RPO units #1140 and #1141. The diesel era was just beginning on the Minute Man Line.
Service History
The Flying Yankee was delivered in February and began service on April 1st, 1935. It operated on a 158-mile route between Boston, Massachusetts, and Bangor, Maine. The train at its peak averaged over 700 miles per day as it ran 1 round trip between Portland and Bangor Maine on the Maine Central, and 2 round trips between Boston, MA and Portland, ME on the B&M. The train was famous for its speed, completing the route in less time than conventional steam powered trains. The Flying Yankee operated as train 16 Southbound from Bangor, Maine's Union Station and 15 Northbound from Boston's North Station.
The daily schedule for the Flying Yankee was designed for business travelers, offering a rapid round trip that allowed for a full day of work or business in either city. The introduction of this high speed, modern train helped to attract passengers back to the railways at a time when competition from automobiles and soon air travel was growing.
Menu Photo
The Armstrong Co. provided a Buffet Service menu which included a small variety of cuisine from a ham and cheese sandwich to lamb chops, as well as classic cocktails like Manhattans and Old Fashions.
The trainset ran in scheduled service until May of 1957. In the later years, the train was relegated to secondary routes as newer equipment took over duties on the mainline to handle heavier wartime traffic. As the routes changed in the 1940s, so did its name. It traveled on the White Mountain run as the Mountaineer between Boston, Ma and Littleton, NH. It ran as the Cheshire between Boston, MA and White River Jct. VT, and as the Minute Man between Boston, Ma and Troy, NY. Despite the name changes, many still referred to it as the Flying Yankee, no matter what the timetables listed and as the original name plate remained on the C car. Passengers can still travel the original route using Amtrak’s Downeaster service which operates 7 days a week.
Post Service History
After its retirement in 1957, the railroad donated the trainset to the Edaville Railroad in Carver Massachusetts where it would remain until 1993 when the train was purchased by Bob Morrell who moved it to Glen, New Hampshire. Then, in 1997 the state of New Hampshire took over ownership and moved the train to the shops of the Concord and Claremont Railroad. By 2004, the major structural work had been completed, but the restoration would remain incomplete. The train was moved for the third time to the Hobo Railroad in Lincoln, New Hampshire in 2005. The state eventually put the train up for sale where it was purchased by the Flying Yankee Association. The association has found a home at the Conway Scenic Railroad where the set was moved to in July of 2024. Has the itinerant Yankee found its forever home?
Modeling The Flying Yankee
The Flying Yankee has been re-created in model form in several scales. While all of the models captured the spirit of this great streamliner, some are much more accurate than others.
O Scale/O Gauge:
MTH released in their Premier Line, a Pioneer Zephyr painted as The Flying Yankee in 2008 part # 20-2887-1. This model was not correct as it had the RPO section remaining and not tooled correctly for the one off Yankee. Also to note, this set had 4 total cars making it one longer than it should have been to represent the tin fish. They also released part # 30-2298-1, a similar model in their lower detail O Gauge RailKing line.
Lionel cataloged the Flying Yankee in 1935 as a die-cast model with a chrome finish, as well as other more colorful liveries. This set was produced for 6 more years until 1941. This was also re-released by MTH in 2013 in their Lionel Corporation Tinplate Line.
The train was produced in O Scale brass by 3rd Rail a Division of Sunset Models
S Scale:
A total of 31 sets were imported by River Raisin Models produced by Ajin Precision in Korea, broken down to 22 Scale, 8 hi-rail DC, and 11 hi-rail AC sets. These models were in the as-delivered scheme and featured lighting, full interiors, and full width working diaphragms making for a very nice looking model.
HO Scale:
There have been several brass models of the Flying Yankee in HO Scale. One offering was in the Orion Models line of NJ Custom Brass part #168. Challenger Imports catalog # 2081.1 was produced in 1993 with a nickel plated finish. The Challenger model lacked a detailed interior, but featured exterior lighting.
Bethlehem Car Works has introduced the Yankee as a 3D printed resin model in kit form. The kit comes complete with a smooth high precision motor and complete drivetrain. A full interior down to the ashtrays is also included. Waterslide decals from Highball Graphics with as-delivered, Minute Man, Cheshire, and Mountaineer liveries give the modeler the options to complete the model for their specific timeframe. The Deluxe set includes a DCC & Sound decoder with a custom sound file from Streamlined Backshops and a custom lighting package from Model Train Technologies for exterior and interior lighting.