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Diesel Excursions to raise funds for
Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 No. 261!
Minneapolis to Minneapolis to Winona &
Boylston, Wisconsin La Crescent, Minnesota
October 9, 2010 October 10, 2010
Presented by the
"Friends of the 261"
This autumn the "Friends of the 261" in cooperation with Amtrak, BNSF Railway and Canadian Pacific will operate diesel-powered fall color excursion trains to help rise funds for the rebuilding of Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 No. 261. Pulled by Amtrak diesels, the trips will cover two routes. On Saturday, Oct. 9, our excursion train will depart Minneapolis at 9:00 a.m. and travel BNSF Railway's ex-Great Northern Hinckley Subdivision 88 miles to Askov, Minn. where it will arrive at 11 a.m. At The train will make a brief stop to load passengers, then proceed 36 miles north to the wye at Boylston, just south of Superior. After turning, the train will return to Askov arriving at 1:30 p.m. Passengers may detrain for a one hour stop and may visit the Pine County Historical Society, located in the former Great Northern depot. Arrival in Minneapolis will be at 5 p.m. The train will operate a total round-trip of 250 miles over trackage that has not seen regular passenger service since 1985.
Milwaukee Road No. 261 is being rebuilt to pull main line steam excursions again! The engine was sold to the non-profit Friends of the 261 in the spring of 2010. No. 261 was built by the American Locomotive Company in 1944 and is the largest coal fueled steam locomotive in service in the United States today.
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On Sunday, Oct. 10 our train will operate from Minneapolis to La Crescent, Minn., with an intermediate stop at Winona. The train will depart Minneapolis at 9:00 a.m. and operate via Canadian Pacific's scenic ex-Milwaukee Road main line along the Mississippi River. Passengers may detrain in Winona to spend the afternoon in town. The train will continue 24 miles to La Crescent where it will be turned and return to Winona and Minneapolis.
Both trips will include coach, first class and premium class. Premium class includes reserved seating in Milwaukee Road Skytop observation Cedar Rapids or Super Dome 53. Tickets for the trips may be obtained by filling out and mailing the attached ticket order form along with a check or money order made out to "Friends of the 261," 4322 Lakepoint Court, Shoreview, MN 55126. Visa and Mastercard are accepted.
Please include a large (#10) stamped, self-addressed envelope with your order. You may also order tickets by visiting www.261.com. Order now since these trips are sure to be sellouts!
*times and cars on trip are tentative and are subject to change with out notice
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Important Ticket Information
Milwaukee Road 261
No. 261 was built by the American Locomotive Company in Schenectady, New York in July 1944 for the Chicago,Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific, nicknamed "The Milwaukee Road." Classified as an "S3" type by the railroad, it was one of ten S3s built and is one of two surviving examples
of larger Milwaukee Road steam power. No. 261 spent its early career pulling passenger and freight trains between Chicago and the Twin Cities, Chicago and Omaha, and Milwaukee and
Premium class passengers can enjoy scenic views from former Milwaukee Road Skytop lounge observation Cedar Rapids (above) or Super Dome 53 (below).
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Savanna, Ill. The locomotive has 74-inch driving wheels and the engine and tender weigh 460,00 pounds. It is a coal-burner and has a boiler pressure of 250 pounds per square inch. The Milwaukee Road donated No. 261 to the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wis., in 1954. It was returned to service in 1993 and pulled excursion trains for 15 years until September 2008. Now owned by the non-profit Friends of the 261, the engine requires an expensive rebuilding to return to service in 2011. Any revenues from these excursions will go directly to assist in the overhaul of this classic American steam locomotive.
 General Information
"Friends of the 261" is not responsible
for equipment substitution and assumes no liability for inconvenience caused by delays. Trains will run rain or shine. Seats are not reserved except in Premium Class. Seating will be available 30 minutes prior to departure time. Smoking is allowed only in vestibules. Light food service (such as hot dogs or sandwiches) and souvenirs can be purchased in the commissary car.
We welcome disabled or handicapped
passengers. However, because these are older cars, there are no special handicapped facilities available. Please consider the suitability of these trips carefully and call (651) 765-9812 for additional information between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Central Time. If you have special physical needs, please give us advance notice.
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Check or money orders should be made out to:
"Friends of the 261"
and mailed to:
4322 Lakepoint Court
Shoreview, MN 55126.
Please include your phone number/e-mail address and a large stamped, self-addressed return envelope with your order. Visa and Mastercard are accepted.
You may also order on line by clicking the link below
Did You Know?
Milwaukee Road 261 was one of ten S3 type steam locomotive built for the railroad in 1944. It was in regular service for only ten years and has now been in excursion service for longer than it worked for the railroad - 15 years.
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