Latest News
Old locomotive’s trip to Duluth pays tribute to longtime volunteer.
Judy Sandberg was the backbone of the Friends of the 261, a nonprofit group that owns and operates a rebuilt steam locomotive and its fleet of historic cars. Sandberg volunteered daily for nearly 25 years for the Minneapolis-based group. As administrator, she handled...
Cedar Rapids Restoration
Steve Glischinski Shoreview, MN MINNEAPOLIS – Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 No. 261 was steamed up Sept. 13 for the first time since October 2013. Friends of the 261 Chief Operating...
2014 June Northern Lines
London Calling: Friends of the 261 to offer tour of English Heritage railways The Friends of the 261 is sponsoring a tour to England this September to tour heritage railways and ride behind mainline steam locomotives. The tour will be based in London, and will feature...
Restoration work progressing on Milwaukee Road Skytop ‘Cedar Rapids’
By Steve Glischinski Published: January 31, 2014 MINNEAPOLIS – The Friends of the 261 are progressing on the restoration of former Milwaukee Road Skytop parlor lounge observation car Cedar Rapids. The car, built by the Milwaukee Road at its Milwaukee Shops in 1948, is...
2013 Winter Northern Lines
Private car trip to Washington, D.C. planned for spring Following the successful trip to Whitefish, Mont. last summer, the Friends of the 261 will be offering another luxury private rail car trip in spring 2014. The Capitol Express will depart Minneapolis/St. Paul for...
Station2Station
Friend’s car fleet travels cross-country on “Station to Station” artist train “Station to Station: A Nomadic Happening” an Avant-garde traveling music, film, and art extravaganza hired the Friends of the 261 to assemble an assortment of cars that traveled...
Bonton Model Shoot
September 2013, the Friends of the 261 opened the Cedar Rapids up to Bonton to use as a background for their fall catalog. Their theme for the fall catalog was Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Among the Cedar Rapids where many vintage aircraft and cars. [ngg...
261 Test Runs
Milwaukee Road No. 261 makes test runs, preparations continue for Duluth excursion By Steve Glischinski Published: April 22, 2013 MINNEAPOLIS – On April 20, Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 No. 261 successfully pulled a five-car test train from Minneapolis to Glencoe on the Twin...
First Steam Excursion in Four Years!
Notice: The Radisson in downtown Duluth is expected to remain closed through May 15th after a water line broke and flooded parts of the hotel's basement causing its guests to find other accommodations. For those of you that have reserved a room at the Radisson, we...
2012 Winter Northern Lines
MILWAUKEE 261 STEAMS AGAIN! After a four-year rebuild effort by the Friends of the 261, Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 No. 261 steamed again on Sept. 29, 2012. The locomotive last operated on Sept. 14, 2008, when it pulled a round trip excursion from Minneapolis to La Crosse,...