Rick Kfoury 194 pages softcover
Steam Trains of Yesteryear: The Monadnock, Steamtown & Northern Story
by Rick Kfoury 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. Steam Trains of Yesteryear dives
further into the facts and human element of these topics than ever
before. Also discussed are the subsequent political negotiations
involving 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 before 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 Yesteryear
sets 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.
