|
|
|
|
At 1:40 PM the Milwaukee Road 261 departed the La Crosse Station and headed east to the CP Rail yard and interchange with the BNSF ex CB&Q mainline.
We pulled east to the yard switch which we had to wait to be lined into the yard.
The Milwaukee Road 261 then made its way into the CP Rail La Crosse yard.
We headed down the yard track.
A CP Rail freight passed on the mainline heading towards the Twin Cities.
The Milwaukee Road 261 had to take some real tight curves to get out of the CP Rail yard to reach the BNSF mainline.
The Milwaukee Road 261 has reached the BNSF mainline with its train.
A BNSF freight waited at Grand Crossing for our train to clear.
A look west across the Mississippi River at Minnesota.
Another BNSF freight waits in the BNSF yard in La Crosse.
The Milwaukee Road 261 curves north out of La Crosse.
Another look west across the Mississippi River at Minnesota.
A look east at Wisconsin.
Further north at Trempealeau, the marina off to the west.
Views of the Mississippi River before the train started across the long fill north of Trempealeau.
Two views looking east across the lake from the fill.
The Mississippi River to the west.
Two more views of this Wisconsin lake.
We came to a stop at the end of double track so three views of this area.
One of the 261 crew inspects on of the cars during the stop.
An eastbound BNSF then came by our train heading south to La Crosse.
A look west across the Mississippi River at Minnesota.
One of the lakes covered with giant Lilly Pads.
The Mississippi River.
A Dredge at the harbor at East Winona.
Colorful Wisconsin!
An interesting barn near Cochrane.
The Dairyland Power Plant at Alma, Wisconsin.
Lock and Dam #4 which forms Lake Pepin.
Views across the Mississippi River at Minnesota.
The Mississippi River.
The lake to the Wisconsin side of our train.
The Mississippi River.
Bluffs near Nelson.
The Chippewa River.
The Mississippi River with Minnesota across the great waterway.
Red Wing across the Mississippi River.
The Mississippi River makes a big turn to the northwest right before the train entered the heavy rain showers that would be with us until we returned to near Cottage Grove.
The train made a brief servicing stop at Diamond Bluff.
The train chasers had to put up with the heavy rains on this afternoon.
The inside of the Concession Car.
Crossing the St Croix River.
The view across the river.
Looking up the Mississippi River to the Hasting Lift Bridge.
Nearing St Croix.
The Circle is complete at St Croix.
Approaching Lock and Dam #1. The train run straight back to St Paul and up Westminster Hill but about three miles from Minneapolis Jct we came to a stop. I said the Football scores so every one in the Great Dome would know how their favorite team did this Sunday while we had been riding the rails today. At least the rains had stopped.
Two views looking forward during the delay that lasted longer than I would have expected.
During the delay I walked back to the rear of the Cedar Rapids for the view out of the back of the train. The Milwaukee Road 261 finally got moving again and about three miles later we returned to Minneapolis Jct at 6:42 PM ending another excellent Milwaukee Road 261 Excursion. I thought as I drove away that I hoped the 15 Year rebuilding goes off without a hitch. More about that later. I drove west on Interstate 384 West to Interstate 494 south to Eden Prairie where I found the Best Western Eden Prairie Inn which I checked in for the night.
Heading home 9/15/2008After a continental breakfast at 6 AM I checked out and drove back to the MSP Airport where I returned the rental car. Security here is a lot friendlier than other places as they address you by your first name. The flight was oversold so they had to get 14 people to volunteer to take other flights. I boarded my Northwest Airlines Flight 319 and did Sudoku Puzzles almost the whole trip. We arrived into LAX early but it took too long to get off the plane. I waited 20 minutes and finally I spotted the LAUPT Flyaway Bus coming at me.
I boarded the bus at 11:18 AM and once we made all the pick ups we headed to LAUPT with no delay. I went up to the train and sat on the bench looking at a Metrolink train. I thought of the accident pictures I had seen and how the entire side of one of those cars had been ripped open. At 12:15 PM they open the doors of the Amtrak Surfliner 774.
Amtrak Surfliner 774. This train returned me to Santa Ana on time ending another great trip with the Milwaukee Road 261.
Time to Rebuild the Milwaukee Road 261 and it needs your help!Later this month all of the boiler flues and tubes will be removed so a visual inspection of the entire boiler can be made. Next all of the exterior sheet metal and boiler insulation will be removed. The inside of the boiler will be sand blasted to remove any scale deposits and then an ultrasound test will determine each part of the boilers integrity. The 261's wheel will be removed and shipped to a contractor to be turned. This job alone will cost $200,000! The boiler flues are special high quality steel that is no longer made in the USA. This material is currently manufactured in Germany, Korea and China and cost $14.00 a foot. Fortunately, about half of this material is already on hand. Back in the year 2000, the "Friends of the 261" jointly purchased some of this material along with the Union Pacific and Ohio Central Railroads. In addition to the boiler tube replacement, some minor firebox work must be done. This will include replacement of about 100 flexible stay bolts sleeves and repair the fire grates. On the exterior of the boiler all the laggings and jacketing will be removed. Most of the piping and running boards will be removed. The cab will be lifted off the boiler for inspection and all 3,000 flexible stay caps will be removed for inspection. After the inspection is complete, much of the piping will need to be replaced, new lagging and jacketing will be installed and a new paint scheme will be applied.
What will this all cost?They estimate that the boiler overhaul will cost $250,000 to $300,000. The Friends have already saved 30 percent of what will be required to recertify the boiler. They estimate the materials will cost about $150,000 and the labor will cost between $100,000 and $150,000. Our labor cost will be determined by how quickly we perform the work and how much paid contractors or volunteers will do. Some of the work will require paid contractors, such as certified welders and boilermakers. Currently the work is scheduled to take six to nine months, which should put the Milwaukee Road 261 back on the road in mid summer of 2009 if things go as planned. Combined with the normal day to day expenses that our passenger cars require, this means that the Friends of the 261 will have an uphill battle for the next couple of years.
What can you do to help!You could join the Friends of the 261 with a One year individual membership in "The Friends of the 261" Price $25.00. Or you could just contribute any thing you could to the Milwaukee Road 261. If anyone who reads this story contributes just $15.00, it would go a long way in helping to rebuild this great steam engine. Please send any donation to the address below.
Friends Of The 261, 4322 Lakepoint Court, Shoreview, MN 55126The Milwaukee Road 261 is a great steam engine and runs some of the best steam trips in the United States. Please help it so we can all enjoy it in the future!
| RETURN TO THE MAIN PAGE |
|
|
|
