The Milwaukee Road and the 261

I've loved trains since I was a kid. Since I lived a few blocks from Hiawatha Avenue in South Minneapolis, which the Milwaukee Road ran right along side of, I've also been a Milwaukee Road fan. Number 261 is one of ten locomotives in the Milwaukee Road's S-3 class (numbered #260 thru #269), which were the last steam locomotives the railroad ordered. She was delivered in 1944 and ran for only 10 years when she was retired in 1954. It was donated to the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, WI and sat there until the Friends of the 261 got #261 running again in 1993. Of the ten locomotives in the class, only two survive. Her sister engine, #265, is on display at the Illinois Railway Museum. Ever since she was steamed up again, I've also been a huge fan of this wonderful steam locomotive. I try to ride and/or follow her whenever I can. Here are some pictures of the Milwaukee Road #261 and some other Milwaukee Road equipment I've caught on camera over the years. Click on the picture for the full size shot.

Milwaukee Road Steam Locomotive #261

July 1996 & May 1997

May 1999 - Going to Duluth, MN

Summer 2000

June 2002 - Going to La Crosse, WI

May 2005 - Going to Duluth, MN

Other Milwaukee Road Locomotives

Mil Rd #265 - May 2004 - Illinois Railway Museum

Mil Rd Fairbanks Morse #760 at the Illinois Railway Museum - Mil Rd Bi-Polar #E-2 at the National Transportation Museum

Skytop Observation Cedar Rapids and Superdome #53

The Milwaukee Road's Hiawatha got upgraded in 1948 with new cars, including the new Skytop Observations Cars. These cars were designed by Brook Stevens. Of the four of them built (Cedar Rapids, Priest Rapids, Coon Rapids, and Dell Rapids), only the Cedar Rapids is still on the rails. It was acquired by the Friends of the 261 in 1999. The Priest Rapids was burned by the Milwaukee Road. The Coon Rapids is currently stored in Escanaba MI, while the Dell Rapids is in a museum in Daytona Beach, FL. The Superdomes were built by Pullman for the Milwaukee Road's Hiawatha in 1952. The Friends of the 261 were able to acquire #53 in 2005. They now have the two premiere types of cars from the last generation of the Hiawatha's Streamliners.

Cedar Rapids & Superdome #53 - June 2007