2020 Summer Northern Lines

Restoration, upgrades to Milwaukee Road E9 32A near completion Volunteers and employees of the Friends of the 261 are making great progress with the restoration and upgrading of Milwaukee Road E9 32A. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, crews have been practicing social...

2019 November Northern Lines

North Pole Express on the ready track 2018 North Pole Express at Union Depot in St. Paul. The 2019 trips will operate Dec. 6-8 and Dec. 12-15. ©Steve Glischinski The 2019 North Pole Express is on the ready track to spread holiday cheer at Union Depot in St. Paul. The...

2019 Spring Northern Lines

Friends of the 261 now proud owner of Milwaukee Road E9A No. 32A By Don Crimmin Through the hard work of long-time members and volunteers Dr. Robert Schoeder and Mary Walters and the generosity of the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad and WATCO, the Friends of the 261...

2018 September Northern Lines

Frank E. Sandberg, Jr. 1941-2018 One of the founders of the Friends of the 261, Frank E. Sandberg Jr. passed away June 13 at age 77. Together with his wife Judy (who died in 2014), Frank founded the Friends of the 261 in the early 1990s as restoration of Milwaukee...

2016 Spring Northern Lines

261 heading to Duluth in June On Saturday, June 4, Milwaukee Road 261 will kick off the 2016 excursion season when its steams north from Minneapolis to Duluth, Minn. over BNSF Railway. The Duluth trip has become a tradition for Friends of the 261 excursion riders, and...

Northern (On)Lines! – July 2015

Northern (On)Lines! Welcome to the first edition of Northern (On)Lines! We’re planning this short email newsletter to keep members and friends informed about what’s happening with the Friends of the 261 on a timelier basis. We’ll try to get it out...