Next for Milwaukee Road 261: new boiler tubes

Published: March 22, 2012

New tubes shine inside the boiler of Milwaukee Road 261 in Minneapolis on March 21. Older tubes yet to be removed are on the right.

Photo by Steve Glischinski

MINNEAPOLIS – The rebuilding of Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 No. 261 is moving ahead, with the goal of the first steam up this spring. The 1944 Alco is owned by the non-profit Friends of the 261 and is undergoing an extensive rebuild at the organization’s shop in Minneapolis. The well-travelled excursion locomotive last operated in 2008.

Boiler work is currently the focus. This week workers and volunteers expect to complete installation of two hundred 21Ž4-inch boiler tubes. This will be followed by installation of 58 larger 51Ž2-inch tubes, which hold the super heater units in place. In the cab, new wood flooring has been put into place, and a diesel multiple unit control has been installed to allow diesels to be controlled from 261. New drop down ash pan sides have been installed to allow for quicker inspection and cleaning. A new lighting system has been built, and plans are to install the lights under the locomotive to allow for quicker inspections, especially at night.

Traming of the driving rods, which involves precision trimming of the area where the rods are held on the driving wheel crank pins, was handled at no cost by Panther Precision Machine of Ramsey, Minn. Panther is also making new brasses for the rods.

Friends of the 261 Chief Operating Officer Steve Sandberg told Trains News Wire that he hopes to do a hydrostatic test of the boiler later this spring, followed by the engine’s first fire up. Sandberg said there is no plan to operate 261 on excursions trips this year, but that doesn’t mean it won’t run. “We are planning to operate 261 on tests to evaluate its performance before committing to main line operations,” Sandberg said. – Steve Glischinski