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Reassembly of Milwaukee Road 261 nearly complete
Will the engine still be Amtrak certified, or will they have to go through that process again? I imagine with Hunter in charge, CP will be a lot less friendly to steam than it was before, and they’ll really need their Amtrak certification to run.
It would be nice to see her run through Savanna, Il. My neighbor use to be her fireman when she was runnin on the Milw RD.
It will be fabulous to see her running again!
It is heartfelt that this steam locomotive still touches us. In the latter part of it’s active career, I’m sure Milwaukee Road was happy to phase it out of operations in favor of new diesel units that were less labor intensive and more economically fesible. It at least was spared in it’s 2nd life… as a static exhibit, and finally found a 3rd life which it now lives. 261’s reappearance next season should be viewed with much anticipation!
It’s too bad we’ll have to wait until next year, but the crews are doing the work in a logical progression. Better to do it right than to hurry it up.
Steve Mitchell, Yard Goat Images
I’ll be looking forward to seeing this jewel of steam back in service, fired up by real coal! The smell, sights, and sounds of a true steam engine bring back sweet childhood memories.
261 visited Steamtown while my family and I were there; it was thrilling to see it go by, and even underneath us. It’s a great loco and I’ll be glad to see it back in service!