71 Minutes
Milwaukee
Road 261 is a coal-burning 4-8-4 steam locomotive built in 1944 during
World War II by the American Locomotive Company. As the railroad
converted to diesels, 261 was retired in 1954 after a somewhat brief
career and donated to the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay,
Wisconsin. In 1991, the Museum and a group which later became the
Friends of the 261 agreed to a lease agreement to restore the engine and
operate it from a base in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The
fully restored locomotive performed amazingly well, and logged over
25,000 miles during its first 15 years of excursion service from late
1993 through late 2008. After some rocky negotiations regarding a new 15
year lease, the museum eventually agreed to sell the locomotive to the
Friends of the 261.
The
locomotive has been extensively rebuilt again, and operated its first
public excursion on a very blustery weekend in May, 2013. This highly
anticipated trip took riders from Minneapolis to Duluth, Minnesota on
Saturday, and returned to the Twin Cities on Sunday.
While
in Duluth, passengers had the opportunity to take another steam journey
on the North Shore Scenic Railroad behind Soo Line 2719. This 4-6-2
locomotive was also built by American Locomotive Company, 21 years
before 261, and was nearing the end of its first 15 years of restored
service not long after this event. The impressive Lake Superior Railroad
Museum, housed in and around the historic Duluth Union Depot, offered
special events during the weekend.
Passengers
and chasers came from all over the world to participate in this
historic coming-out party for 261. We assembled a team of four
videographers to capture the excitement of the special trips of both 261
and 2719 from many locations along the routes. This DVD features the
most extensive coverage available for the one-time event!