Description
The Monadnock, Steamtown & Northern Story
This is a comprehensive institutional history of the Monadnock, Steamtown & Northern Railroad, F. Nelson Blount’s tourist excursion railroad, from its inception in 1960 and 1961 to its dissolution and transfer into the Steamtown Foundation in 1971. The colorful world of steam preservation in the early 1960s comes to life! Discussed at length are the MS&N’s early roaming operations on the Claremont & Concord near Lake Sunapee, the Boston & Maine’s Cheshire Branch, and the former Rutland Railroad in Vermont. Packed with details, Steam Trains of Yesteryear dives further into facts and the human element of these topics than ever before. Also discussed are the subsequent political negotiations surrounding the search for a permanent home for Blount’s museum “Steamtown USA”, and the start of his freight-hauling shortline, the Green Mountain Railroad.
Scores of rare photographs—many in color and never published—from premier photographers and collections throughout New England illustrate the history. Extensive research was conducted with newspaper and document archives as well as with the Blount family, historical societies, Steamtown NHS, and individuals who worked with Blount personally.
Perhaps most importantly, Steam Trains of Yesteryearsets out to provide clarity, correction, and colorful details on the crucial and often-forgotten New England roots of the MS&N, Steamtown USA, and F. Nelson Blount.
List price: $44.95