Tickets Now Available for Two Big Events 

We have a couple of wonderful events coming up that you should make plans to attend, so get out your calendar and mark these down.  The first is a tried, but true event, the Fourth Annual Flying Yankee Celebration (formerly known as the Gala), which will be held this year on a Friday night, April 3, at the Executive Court in Manchester, NH.  This is a wonderful event and we hope you'll be able to attend and help us celebrate the 74th anniversary of The Flying Yankee.  This is a great time to get out for an evening with your significant other while knowing you are also helping to advance the cause of the restoration of this glorious and historic piece of   The event will consist of a cocktail hour, a fabulous dinner with your choice of either Broiled Salmon served with a Champagne Terragon Cream Sauce or Grilled Marinated Chicken Breats marinated with Authentic Italian Seasonings.  Of course, dinner is followed by dessert.  We will have our huge and always popular silent auction and the evening will end with our live auction.  George Foster is back as the Auctioneer and, anyone who has attended the Celebration in the past, can attest to his professional and entertaining way.  In between, we plan to offer live music and dancing.  A special $99 rate at the adjacent Best Western, a beautiful and nearly brand new hotel, will also be available for attendees.  Call 877-627-2525 for your reservation and mention you're with the Flying Yankee Celebration.  They also have a couple of beautiful jacuzzi suites available, if you really want to make it an even more special night away.  We are very pleased to annouce that Southwest Airlines is back as the Presenting Sponsor and FairPoint Communications is returning as our Platinum Sponsor with Bombardier North America as a Silver Sponsor and we are grateful for their support.  Tickets for the Fourth Annual Celebration are now available.  Just click on the display below or send your check for $60 per person to The Flying Yankee, PO Box 145, N. Woodstock, NH 03262 or call 603-968-3003. We hope to see you at our Celebration this year.

 

White Mountain Railfest Weekend

The other event being worked on as we speak is the First Annual White Mountain Railfest Weekend, presented by The Flying Yankee and sponsored by Railfan and Railroad Magazine and brought to you in association with The Hobo Railroad, Clark's Trading Post and the White Mountain Central Railroad, the Cafe Lafayette Dinner Train, Comfort Inn & Suites and the Lincoln-Woodstock Chamber of Commerce.  This event is scheduled for June 12-14, 2009.  You will have the opportunity to enjoy special photo shoots, ride the Hobo Railroad all the way to the historic Ashland Station, ride the White Mountain Central Railroad steam eninge, visit Clark's Trading Post and see countless restored steam engines and many other pieces of rail history.  The Comfort Inn and Suites, the official lodging property of The Flying Yankee, will have special room rates available for that weekend and the Chamber will have many other lodging options available.  This promises to be a huge and very popular event and we'll continue to advise you as more events are added.  Again, tickets are now available.  Here's the itinerary for the weekend:

Starting the program off at dusk Friday evening will be a night photo shoot led by Railfan and Railroad Editor Steve Barry, well known throughout North America for his night images of contemporary and historical rail equipment. Various pieces of Hobo, Plymouth & Lincoln RR and privately owned locomotives and cars will be the subjects of Steve's program. Admission to this and all other events will be limited to ticket holders for the weekend event.

Saturday morning will start with the opportunity for ticketholders to thoroughly inspect the restoration efforts under way on the 1935 Budd built ex Boston and Maine articulated train The Flying Yankee. The three car articulated train set has one coach completly rebuilt in its "as delivered" configuration.  The trucks were recently rebuilt to Amtrak compatible standards and, currently, options for the prime mover and HEP units are being considered.

Saturday will also see attendees traveling to Ashland, NH and back on a special excursion with photo run-bys in some of the most beautiful areas in New England, not accessible by road. This trip will use Ben Clark's Hobo Railroad/Plymouth and Lincoln Railroad equipment and, at press time, plans are under way for the possible use of some privately owned rolling stock. This trip will cross the Pemigewasset River at several locations and roll along the ex Boston and Maine's Lincoln Branch through a portion of the still unspoiled scenery of the White Mountain region of New Hampshire. This special excursion will also provide ample time to view the equipment and facilities of the railroad at Lincoln.

Saturday night will feature an all-reserved trip using the equipment of the Café Lafayette Dinner Train. Twenty-four extra fare dome section seats are available on a first come, first serve basis in the 1952 ex-Illinois Central City of New Orleans Dining Car "Granite Eagle".  Owners Leslie Holloway and Lance Burak are donating a portion of every meal ticket sold to The Flying Yankee’s restoration fund. The dinner train, which is an extra fare option, will also feature a photo session during the trip. The five course meal will feature three entrees, including beef, chicken and seafood. Also available is a vegetarian entrée with advance notice.

Sunday will feature the steam locomotives of the White Mountain Central Railroad, located at the famous Clark's Trading Post. Photo run bys using the line's 1904 covered bridge as a backdrop will top off the weekend. The roster includes a two-truck Climax, Heisler, 2-4-2 Baldwin and a 1943 GE 65 ton diesel. As with the other events, only ticket holders will have access to riding the two percent grade line.  As a special added bonus, attendees are welcome to enjoy access to all of the Clark's Trading Post sites and activities upon completion of the trip, including the famous trained bear show.  Clark's also has several museums that will be of interest to attendees and all of their train equipment will be on display for this special event.

The Comfort Inn and Suites is the Official Hotel of The Flying Yankee and The White Mountain Railfest Weekend and they are offering a special rate for attendees of this event.  Other lodging properties of all types and price ranges are available and can be found at the Lincoln-Woodstock Chamber of Commerce.

Tickets for the White Mountain Railfest Weekend are now available by clicking on the display below, by sending a check to The Flying Yankee, PO Box 145, N. Woodstock, NH 03262 or by calling 603-968-3003. 

Some Very Important Reminders from the FY

Just a reminder that the phone number for The Flying Yankee has changed.  You can now reach us anytime at 603-968-3003.  If there is nobody to take your call, please leave a message or you can try the office cell phone at 603-369-1738.  The mailing address remains PO Box 145, N. Woodstock, NH 03262.  Should you have something to send us by means other than the U.S. Post Office, please use 11 Brunt Ave., Ashland, NH 03217 as a shipping address.

Tickets remain available for the first-ever Flying Yankee Seat Raffle.  Get yours online at www.flyingyankee.com, send a check for $25 each or five for $100 to PO Box 145, N. Woodstock, NH 03262 or call 603-968-3003. 

These are extremely challenging economic times and we here at The Flying Yankee could use your help more than ever.  There are a myriad of ways you can help.  Check our website for the many ways you can make a donation.  A recently completed Economic Impact Study indicates that The Flying Yankee will provide nearly 100 new jobs to the region.  Combine this with our mission to educate future generations on the benefits of technology and rail transportation to the environment and the fact that we are saving an incredible piece of American history and that makes this project extremely unique and important.  We know many of you have helped in the past and hope you'll continue your generous support.  

Thank you for your ongoing support of The Flying Yankee restoration project. 

Check out our DVD Now on our Website

If you've never seen our DVD covering the history and future of The Flying Yankee, moderated by New Hampshire's own Fritz Weatherbee, now you can see it right from the front page of our website by clicking here.  Just click on the box on left that says "Take a Ride on YouTube and you're really in for a very special treat.

Come see us at the ARS Show in Springfield

The Flying Yankee will once again be participating in the Annual Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Showy at the Eastern States Exposition Ground (better known as the Big E) in Springfield, January 24 and 25, 2009.  We expect to once again be located right next to the Hobo Railroad exhibit in the Better Living Center, the largest of the four buildings that are filled to the brim during this show.  This is the largest train show in the northeast and I hope I'll get to see a good number of you in Springfield in January.

                                        A Proud Supporter of The Flying Yankee