Northern New England Steam Railroading History and Museums

 Rick Kfoury will be presenter for this month’s program. He is the President of the Boston and Maine Historical Society, and has done a program or two in the past. 63 years ago, in 1962, F. Nelson Blount’s Monadnock, Steamtown & Northern Railroad thundered out of Keene on the Boston & Maine Railroad’s Cheshire Branch, briefly returning The Elm City to the nostalgic era of steam railroading. Meanwhile, plans for the largest steam railroading museum in the United States, Steamtown U.S.A., bubbled to the brink of possibility for Keene - only to be extinguished by red tape and political delays. Rick Kfoury, president of the B&MRRHS and author of 'Steam Trains of Yesteryear: The Monadnock, Steamtown & Northern Story', will examine Keene’s last chance for railroad prominence with photographs, documents, 8mm film, and in-person accounts."

Northern New England Steam Railroading

The presentation starts at about 48 minutes into the video.

Please use the slider at the bottom of the screen to advance the video to that time.

Mid-Atlantic Railroading in the early to mid-1980s including Conrail and connecting lines by Bradon Kulik

 Mid-Atlantic (NY/NJ/PA/Delaware) railroading in the early to mid-1980s with an emphasis on Conrail as well as connecting lines, presented at the January 2025 Membership Meeting of the 470 Railroad Club.

Mid-Atlantic Railroading by Brandon Kulik

The presentation starts at about 15 minutes.  

Please use the "slider" at the bottom of the screen to advance the video to that point

Locomotive Restoration by the 470 Railroad Club, presented by Eric Grover and Jackson Small on December 18, 2024

 This month ‘s meeting is being done by program coordinators Eric Grover and Jackson Small on the club’s equipment. Have you ever wondered about what it takes to restore a diesel locomotive? In this presentation we are going to give an in-depth view of the restoration projects that the 470 club has completed over the past few years. We will cover the history of these locomotives and the process that it took to restore them. We will look at the skill and craft that is needed to make these locomotives look brand new. It’s neither easy nor clean, but it’s a job that skilled volunteers do because of the love and passion they have for railroad history. So, join the 470 club in a review of its restoration projects completed in the last few years and get an inside look at what it takes to make something old new again.

Locomotive Restoration by the 470 Railroad Club

History of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban and Restoration of the Narcissus by Phil Morse on November 20, 2024

 

Phil Morse - A septuagenarian who was born in Portland, Maine. Current Resident of Saco. Long-time member/volunteer of the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport. Former Trustee, President/CEO, and Executive Director. Currently, the Sponsor for the restoration of the 1912, Portland-Lewiston Interurban, No. 14, Narcissus, and Administrator for the Blog (now approaching 600K total views) that features the Narcissus Project, all the former Electric Railways in Maine, and Theodore Roosevelt's connections in Maine (TR was a passenger on the Narcissus, on August 18, 1914).

The talk will highlight the history of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban, the extended life of the Narcissus, and its current restoration.

Portland Lewiston Interurban

History of the Flying Yankee by Bob Kotsonis

Flying Yankee Past Present And Future 

In this video, Bob Kotsonis, Treasurer of the Flying Yankee Association, reviews the modern history of Boston & Maine Railroad Streamliner #6000, more commonly known as the Flying Yankee. He discusses the attempts made by multiple groups to restore and operate it and reviews the current status and condition of the train and its recent acquisition from the State of New Hampshire and move to its new home in Conway, NH.

The Return of Boston and Maine 1741 from Railfan and Railroad Magazine by Eric Grover

 Here is Eric's recent article about 1741

Return of Boston & Maine 1741

Final 2024 Work on 1741 and all three locomotives stored for the winter reported by Cory

 

Work was concluded on the 1741 for this season. The final plates were welded in the nose, door locks added , and front walkway latch was added . The 1741 operated with 573 on the regular mountaineer on Sunday and performed flawlessly. After the trip 1741/573/4266/4268 were all moved to the north yard and dead and drained for winter storage. More work will continue next year including some flooring in the cab, cab interior paint and short nose paint as well. Donations always help keep our projects moving.  As we enter the winter season we will work on transportation for some other donations we have obtained.