Cool!! love that loco, but the down time is a killer.

She looks better than when she was new....great success.

Elliot and Chris I totally agree she looks awesome! What a wonderful job! Can't wait to see her on the mainline soon! 

Does friends of the 261 have a website? I love my Lionel #261! She looks great pulling my streamlined passenger consist or a long freight train. Paul

No info/update on the rebuild,unless I missed it somewhere http://261.com/

This is exciting nontheless especially after 261 almost ended up on static display.

At least they haven't put that stupid looking red Mars light back on!

I agree her future a few years back after her 15 year clock ran out was in limbo. I am very happy to see this beast of the rails hit the high iron again. 

For now. I actually like it personally. It adds a  new dimension to the face of the locomotive plus it is historically accurate. Milwaukee Road 265 has it on its smoke box . 

That IS great news!

Thanks, Rick O, I just got the site up and put it in my favorites list. Paul

I agree! 

Milwaukee Road No. 261 fired up, moves under power for first time since 2008

By Steve Glischinski

Published: October 1, 2012

At 6:14 p.m. on Saturday No. 261 moved for the first time in over four years.

Photo by Steve Glischinski

MINNEAPOLIS – After a four-year rebuild effort, Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 No. 261 steamed again on Sept. 29. The locomotive last operated on Sept. 14, 2008, when it pulled a round trip excursion from Minneapolis to La Crosse, Wis., on BNSF Railway and Canadian Pacific. That evening its fire was dropped, ending a run where the locomotive had operated at least once a year since 1993. Dismantling work then began for its federally mandated 1,472-day inspection. The non-profit Friends of the 261, which leased the engine from owner National Railroad Museum of Green Bay, Wis., would conduct the work. The Milwaukee Road had donated the engine to the museum in 1956 as its first exhibit locomotive.

However, in early 2009 a dispute between the museum and the Friends over increased lease payments nearly led to the engine being permanently sidelined. Work stopped on the rebuild while the two parties attempted to come to an agreement. Unable to reach an agreement, in November 2009 the Friends announced they were returning the locomotive to Green Bay for display.

The museum then put No. 261 up for sale for $225,000, and found a taker in a California businessman who hoped to buy the engine and have the Friends overhaul and operate it. That deal fell through in March 2010. The museum then offered to sell 261 directly to the Friends, which finalized the purchase in May 2010.

The rebuilding effort then went into high gear. Parts were stripped off the engine, and in July 2010 a crane lifted the 227,000-pound boiler off the driving wheels, which were shipped out for quartering and to have the tires turned. Various appliances were rebuilt, an ultrasound inspection of the boiler was conducted, and staybolts replaced as needed. In December 2011 the locomotive got its wheels back, and in July 2012 it passed a hydrostatic boiler test, paving the way for final reassembly and fire up.

At 6:41 a.m. on Sept. 29, a fire was lit in the boiler of the 1944 Alco for the first time since 2008. All day the crew of Friends employees and volunteers conducted static testing of various systems, tested the boiler under pressure, and set the safety valves. Finally, at 6:14 p.m., Friends of the 261 Chief Operating Officer Steve Sandberg pulled the throttle, and the locomotive moved again, making several runs back and forth on yard tracks outside the Friends shop to check 261’s new spring rigging and side rod bearings.

There are no plans for No. 261 to pull public trips in 2012, but Sandberg said the organization hopes to operate an excursion with the locomotive in the spring of 2013. The Friends is also operating two diesel-powered fund-raising excursions on Oct. 13-14 from Minneapolis to Superior, Wis., and Minneapolis to Winona and La Crescent, Minn. For more information go to www.261.com.

Sweet article Gary. Thanks for sharing! I am glad the Friends of the 261 have her as their permanent property. 

I should pay closer attention to these things. I could have gone over to see that today.

You will be able to see it soon when its running full throttle on the main line! 

Actually Minneapolis Junction / Harrison Street is about a 30 minute drive from my house. I was only 10 minutes away when I was at the dentist. 

I think the word you seek is "teeth". That dental visit cost me a lot of trains.

I see the steam up was Saturday. That would have been far more entertaining than watching the Gophers get whipped by Iowa.

I like the Red Mars light on the 261.  It didn't have it when new, but that's why they offset the bell when the locomotive was new.  They had planned on the red emergency light, probably as soon as they could afford it knowing the Milwaukee's finances.  I believe all the S-2 northerns came without them, but the railroad themselves, probably installed them by this date, and so did the F-6 hudsons, and even some of the L-3 mikados.   The only S-3 northerns that I know of that had no Red light, were the four engines that got sent to the "Gap" in Idaho and Washington.  They were numbers 262,263,267, and 269. They looked just like the 261 does now, except for the visor on the headlight.

    And would somebody please beg them to take that god awfully visor OFF the headlight. The Milwaukee Road never had them on any class of engine that I've ever seen.  It was fine for an excursion back East to make the Delaware Lackawanna & Western people happy, but on home turf it looks ugly.  Heck, If they are going to start boogering up the natural look of the engine, they might as well put shrouding on it and make it look like a 4-8-4 version of an F-7 Hiawatha steamer.

   I have the headlight from the #262, and it looks beautiful with NO visor.

  Craig Hanson    Vay, Idaho

Y'know, I think I like the 261 better without the red Mars light.

Rusty

With out question Rusty, she looks much better IMHO.

My vote goes with Craig Hanson. Return the Mars light, remove the visor and make available the original (at time of restoration - 1993) "screaming crazy woman" whistle. Also the S3's did not have the New York Central type smokebox front at time of delivery, but rather a conventional raised version. Re the whistle, the current whistle, as I understand it, was from an ATSF 2900, and is very commanding, to scare idiots off the right of way; just like the sound of the earlier whistle. Safety/legal defense probably negates the early whistle.

If so, it would be the first time that ever happened.

I don't think the 261 legal team (is there such a thing?) really cares which whistle is on the locomotive. If it is FRA compliant, which virtually all of them are, that's all that matters.

Mark,

The 261 has two whistles: 1) an original Mil Road S3 whistle, and 2) a Santa Fe whistle.

Who cares what it has/doesn't have, its runnin! It was only a few years ago it seemed as though it would never run again and be put on static display where all of the moving parts could rust together. Heck if it had a disco ball on the front I'd still be excited to see it run. Its a BIG GLASS, and its definitely more than half full.

Hey Guys! I agree with Mark S in that I think the 261 looks better with the Mars Light. It may not have come from the factory with it but it has been on the locomotive for a while and the locomotive seems to be lacking something when I see it. Especially with that big empty space where it was supposed to be.

Then again Rick is also right it is running so I will take her charging full steam on the main line any day over a mars light.

Was just looking through Jim Scribbins' "Milwaukee Road Remembered" book and found photos of S2 and S3 Milw 4-8-4's with Mars lights as early as 1946, so the Mars light may well have been with the 261 for much of it's Milwaukee Road employment. And Jack/Hot Water - glad to hear that Milw original is still mounted on it. The first time I heard it, I was absolutely shocked; it sounded like nothing I had ever heard before on a Northern! Or, heck, any other steam locomotive, including in Mexico, where they had some pretty crazy whistles!

the 261 sounded better with the DL&W pocono 1643 whistle from henry peterson on it.....

Here she is at DesPlaines, IL on May, 19, 1994, before the FonduLac trip; no visor, but there's the Red Emergency Light  (aka REL) .

The red light in question is NOT a mars light. It is an oscillating red Emergency light for use when the locomotive is STOPPED.

A Mars Light is a white light with an oscillating reflector which sweeps the beam around in a figure-8 pattern. It is used when the locomotive is moving.

Thanks, Rich...I have corrected my caption.

The Burlington's Mars lights, mounted on steam locomotives and GP/SD diesels had the white oscillating light on top and a red lense on the bottom. Was the red light a fixed light for the same purpose: emergency warning when the locmotive was stopped? Never saw the red light used.

Rich,

Actually that/those "red emergency warning lights" are indeed manufactured by The Mars Signal Light Co., who also manufactured the "white Mars Light" you are referring to. The red emergency warning lights also oscillate in the "patented" flat figure 8 pattern, typical of pretty much ALL Mars products.

The Pyle-National Corp. oscillating lights could NOT use that Mars flat figure 8 pattern.

Well how about that. I learn something new here every day. Thanks, Jack.

And, they weren't just for trains.  I remember seeing double ended Mars lights on Chicago Fire Department equipment in the 1950's.

Rusty

Yep, I remember those also! It was cool following a pumper down the street on our bikes, following those oscillating red lights!

Typically, the red oscillating headlight on diesel-electrics so-equipped comes on when the pneumatic control switch opens, due to an emergency brake application (intentional or undesired) or from a penalty brake application from something such as failing to acknowledge passing a signal displaying a less favorable indicatin than Clear in ATS territory.  This requires opposing trains on an adjacent track to stop and proceed at Restricted Speed, the thought being that something could have derailed and caused the undesired emergency application, or that the unplanned braking could have jackknifed a car or cars in the train.

I do not know if it works similarly on the small percentage of steam engines so-equipped, as they do not use a PC switch to interrupt the production of power during emergency or penalty applications.  They might have another relay that causes the red oscillating light to be displayed under those conditions.

Some railroads required the Engineer to display the red oscillating headlight when stopped to take on or drop off passengers at stations where there was an adjacent track.  This was to prevent an opposing train from passing through the station during the station stop.

A unique requirement existed on Santa Fe.  In single track Automatic Block Signal territory, if a train stopped at a signal displaying a red aspect and a number plate, and the track could not be seen all the way to the next signal (e.g., there was a curve) then the train would stop, wait 5 minutes, and then proceed at Restricted Speed, displaying the red oscillating light until the next signal was passed.  This lasted until the end of Santa Fe passenger service.

I've never seen pics of the Milwaukee 4-8-4s in service without the red light, so I assume it's one of the things that will be added while finishing working on the engine (will won't be operating until spring 2013).

BTW I'm guessing they didn't want too many people there, I'm one of the "Friends of 261" and nothing was put out ahead of time about this.