Book excerpt: Steam Trains of Yesteryear: The Monadnock, Steamtown & Northern Story is a comprehensive institutional history of the Monadnock, Steamtown & Northern Railroad, F. Nelson Blount's standard-gauge 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 operations on Claremont & Concord, Boston & Maine and Rutland Railroad lines in western New Hampshire and eastern Vermont. Also discussed are the subsequent political dealings and negotiations involving the search for a permanent home for Blount's museum, Steamtown USA, and the start of the freight-hauling Green Mountain Railroad.Scores of rare photographs-many in color-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.