The “Friends of the 261,” in cooperation with Amtrak, BNSF Railway and Lake Superior Railroad Museum, will operate the Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 No. 261 pulling a Fall excursion from Minneapolis to Duluth, Minnesota.
Milwaukee 261 blasts south through the blazing fall colors along the Hinckley Sub on the return trip from Boylston, MN. Photo by Kevin The Krazy 1.
The destination for the trip will be the Duluth’s Lake Superior Railroad Museum, home of several locomotive displays, including Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway 2-8-8-4 “Yellowstone” No. 227. The huge locomotive once pulled trains of iron ore from the Mesabi and Vermilion Iron Ranges to the yards at Proctor and Two Harbors, Minn. Every 20 minutes the 227 “runs” as its massive wheels turn, the running lights switch on, and the sound of the engine in service is piped out through hidden speakers.
On Saturday, September 27th, the excursion train will depart Minneapolis Jct. 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.* Minneapolis Jct is located at 401 Harrison St NE, Mpls, MN 55413, plenty of parking is available on site.
The trip will utilize BNSF’s ex-Great Northern Railway Hinckley Subdivision, which saw its last regular passenger service in 1985, when Amtrak’s “North Star” made its last run. The line boasts several large steel trestles, including the tall bridge over the Kettle River at Sandstone, Minn.
One way trips have been added for October 11th from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Milwaukee or Chicago, and October 31st from Chicago or Milwaukee to Minneapolis/St. Paul aboard vintage passenger cars.
Related articles:
- 2012 Fall Color Excursions to Benefit Milwaukee Road 261 (therailroadnation.com)
- Milw 261 to pull steam train excursions this spring (therailroadnation.com)
- Milwaukee Road 261 Fall Colors Excursions set for October (therailroadnation.com)
- Duluth Missabe & Iron Range Railway (DMIR) (omrw.wordpress.com)
