Milwaukee Road 261 To Pull First Steam Excursion in Four Years, May 11-12,
2013
This spring the Friends of the 261, in cooperation with Amtrak and BNSF
Railway and Lake Superior Railroad Museum, will operate the Milwaukee Road
4-8-4 No. 261 under its own steam for the first time in four years,
pulling its inaugural excursion from Minneapolis to Duluth, Minnesota.
On Saturday, May 11, the excursion train will depart Minneapolis at 9:00
a.m. and travel BNSF Railway's ex-Great Northern Hinckley Subdivision.
Expected arrival in at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth is at
3:00 p.m.
Join us in the celebration, May 10th is National Train, the 143rd
anniversary of the driving of the Golden spike. Saturday evening, Lake
Superior Railroad along with the Friends of the 261, will be hosting a
dinner train that will depart the museum at 6:00 p.m. Prior to departure a
reception will be held to celebrate National Train day starting at 5:00
p.m. where refreshments and hors doeuvres will be for your enjoying. Once
en route the train will travel an hour north of Duluth while passengers
will enjoy the evening scenery of Minnesota's North Shore while dinning in
one of many vintage cars, then the engine will run around the train and we
will make the hour journey back to the museum for an 8:00 p.m. arrival. If
youd like to join for just the reception and not the dinner train, this
may be done, purchase your tickets in advance to secure your admission.
Wait there's more! Later in the night, 261 & 2719 will be on stage for a
night photo shoot starting at 10:00 p.m. funds from the photo shoot will
go to support both 261 & 2719.
On Sunday, May 12, our train will depart Duluth at 12:00 noon with arrival
in Minneapolis at 5:00 p.m.
Additional info:
First excursions scheduled for Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 No. 261
By Steve Glischinski, TRAINS News Wire January 18, 2013
After a four-year hiatus, Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 No. 261 will pull excursion
trains again this spring. The locomotive's owner, Minneapolis-based
Friends of the 261, has released details on the first public trips for the
locomotive since 2008. Amtrak and BNSF Railway have given the organization
the go-ahead to operate a two-day steam trip from Minneapolis to Duluth,
Minn., on May 11-12. The trip will utilize BNSF's ex-Great Northern
Railway Hinckley Subdivision, which saw its last regular passenger service
in 1985.
The destination for the trip will be Duluth's Lake Superior Railroad
Museum, home to Soo Line 4-6-2 No. 2719. The museum leases the locomotive
from the Locomotive & Tower Preservation Fund of Eau Claire, Wis. Plans
call for No. 2719 to be under steam as No. 261 arrives in Duluth, and may
include a short side-by-side operation as the No. 261 excursion enters the
city. Upon arrival, several cars from the No. 261 consist will be switched
out and used on a special No. 2719-powered dinner train departing at 6
p.m. on the museum's North Shore Scenic Railroad. Prior to departure a
reception will be held at the museum to celebrate National Train Day. No.
2719 will return to Duluth at 8 p.m., and later that evening both steam
locomotives will be used for a night photo session in the museum yard...
Ticket prices are $399 for Premium Class, $299 First Class, $179 Coach,
and $79 for Children's coach, ages 3-12. Tickets for the 2719 Dinner Train
are $140. Night photo session tickets are $49.95 and are limited to 50
participants.
http://261.com/steam-excursion-years/
2013
This spring the Friends of the 261, in cooperation with Amtrak and BNSF
Railway and Lake Superior Railroad Museum, will operate the Milwaukee Road
4-8-4 No. 261 under its own steam for the first time in four years,
pulling its inaugural excursion from Minneapolis to Duluth, Minnesota.
On Saturday, May 11, the excursion train will depart Minneapolis at 9:00
a.m. and travel BNSF Railway's ex-Great Northern Hinckley Subdivision.
Expected arrival in at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth is at
3:00 p.m.
Join us in the celebration, May 10th is National Train, the 143rd
anniversary of the driving of the Golden spike. Saturday evening, Lake
Superior Railroad along with the Friends of the 261, will be hosting a
dinner train that will depart the museum at 6:00 p.m. Prior to departure a
reception will be held to celebrate National Train day starting at 5:00
p.m. where refreshments and hors doeuvres will be for your enjoying. Once
en route the train will travel an hour north of Duluth while passengers
will enjoy the evening scenery of Minnesota's North Shore while dinning in
one of many vintage cars, then the engine will run around the train and we
will make the hour journey back to the museum for an 8:00 p.m. arrival. If
youd like to join for just the reception and not the dinner train, this
may be done, purchase your tickets in advance to secure your admission.
Wait there's more! Later in the night, 261 & 2719 will be on stage for a
night photo shoot starting at 10:00 p.m. funds from the photo shoot will
go to support both 261 & 2719.
On Sunday, May 12, our train will depart Duluth at 12:00 noon with arrival
in Minneapolis at 5:00 p.m.
Additional info:
First excursions scheduled for Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 No. 261
By Steve Glischinski, TRAINS News Wire January 18, 2013
After a four-year hiatus, Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 No. 261 will pull excursion
trains again this spring. The locomotive's owner, Minneapolis-based
Friends of the 261, has released details on the first public trips for the
locomotive since 2008. Amtrak and BNSF Railway have given the organization
the go-ahead to operate a two-day steam trip from Minneapolis to Duluth,
Minn., on May 11-12. The trip will utilize BNSF's ex-Great Northern
Railway Hinckley Subdivision, which saw its last regular passenger service
in 1985.
The destination for the trip will be Duluth's Lake Superior Railroad
Museum, home to Soo Line 4-6-2 No. 2719. The museum leases the locomotive
from the Locomotive & Tower Preservation Fund of Eau Claire, Wis. Plans
call for No. 2719 to be under steam as No. 261 arrives in Duluth, and may
include a short side-by-side operation as the No. 261 excursion enters the
city. Upon arrival, several cars from the No. 261 consist will be switched
out and used on a special No. 2719-powered dinner train departing at 6
p.m. on the museum's North Shore Scenic Railroad. Prior to departure a
reception will be held at the museum to celebrate National Train Day. No.
2719 will return to Duluth at 8 p.m., and later that evening both steam
locomotives will be used for a night photo session in the museum yard...
Ticket prices are $399 for Premium Class, $299 First Class, $179 Coach,
and $79 for Children's coach, ages 3-12. Tickets for the 2719 Dinner Train
are $140. Night photo session tickets are $49.95 and are limited to 50
participants.
http://261.com/steam-excursion-years/
