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My 1969
Chevy Camaro

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Anniversary Photo's

Who IS Minnesota Jones?
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Holly
Trolley w/Santa at the Como Harriet Streetcar Line
Welcome to
the madness of Minnesota Jones.com! This site is mainly a photo album of the various
hobbies and collections I have. There are some family pictures and
other items too. And yes... Indiana Jones is well represented!
Some of my pages have a lot of pictures, so please be patient while they load for
you. Just click on the icons on the left to access the section you
want.
You must choose, but choose wisely...

Horrible news... Milwaukee
Road 261 to go back to the National Railroad Museum! Here's the
press release by Steve Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer of North Star
Rail:
Friends of the 261 to
return Milwaukee Road 261 to National Railroad Museum
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, Nov. 20, 2009:
The “Friends of the 261” was unable to accept the final offer for an
extension of its lease agreement for Milwaukee Road 261 from the National
Railroad Museum of Green Bay, Wis. As a result, the famous steam
locomotive, which was built in 1944 and used by the “Friends” in excursion
service from 1993 to 2008, will eventually return to the Museum as a
display.
The National Railroad Museum, which owns the 261, and the “Friends” have
been attempting to negotiate a new lease for the past several years. The
Friends asked for at least a 15-year lease agreement while the NRM’s final
offer was for a ten-year term. Friends of the 261 and North Star Rail
Chief Operating Officer Steve Sandberg said the decision to return 261 was
based on simple economics. “The Museum’s latest offer would only extend us
a ten-year lease, but under current Federal regulations boiler overhauls
have a 15-year term. The cost for the 10-year lease was $20,000 per year
with a four percent increase annually compounding. After incurring the
cost of rebuilding the locomotive, the Friends would be paying in addition
an average of $25,000 per year for the 10-year period. After ten years we
would have to give the locomotive back with 33 percent of its service life
still left. It’s hard to amortize the cost of a 15-year boiler overhaul in
a ten-year time frame. We just could not economically justify spending
$400,000 to $600,000 on an overhaul, plus paying a substantially increased
lease payment, for only a ten-year lease term.”
For several years the “Friends” has been cross subsidizing the cost of 261
operations by leasing or chartering passenger cars from a fleet of cars it
has built up over the years. This has enabled the not for profit Friends
of 261 to keep the 261 in operation – the only privately sponsored
mainline steam organization to do so, year after year.
Sandberg said it has been a privilege to restore and operate 261 over the
past 15 years. “It has been one of the joys of my life to operate
Milwaukee Road 261, especially since my grandfather used to run the
locomotive on the Milwaukee Road when it was in regular service. I want to
thank the National Railroad Museum for entrusting our organization with
this historic engine for the last decade and a half.”
Even with the conclusion of 261 operations, the Friends of the 261 will
remain active. The group will continue to charter and lease its extensive
fleet of passenger cars for Amtrak and excursion trips. In 2010, the group
is working to bring another main line steam locomotive to Minneapolis for
several excursions, and, in the long run, may acquire another steam
locomotive to restore to operation.
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This is horrible news for
all the friends of Milwaukee Road 261 that are out there. The
National Railroad Museum's policy of "money first/railfans second" has given them a huge
black eye over this. I encourage ALL railfans everywhere to
write or email the National Railroad Museum in their disgust over this
terrible decision. A link to their website for comments is
HERE. Please write them about your
disapproval over this. I've rode and chased this locomotive for
years and will miss it dearly. Godspeed 261...
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