Sleeping in late, I returned to the Milwaukee Amtrak station via the bridge with Milwaukee Road 261 bathed in the beautiful morning light. Our train had a consist of Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 261, auxiliary tender 250002, Amtrak P42DC 39, Milwaukee Road NSR coach 1615 "Grand Canyon", NSR coach 31 "Minnesota River", coach 800861 "Arizona", Union Pacific "Echo Canyon" PPCX 800721, Southern Pacific "Golden Sand" PPCX 800748, former Pennsylvania Railroad "Henry Hudson", NSR observation car "Wisconsin Valley", PPCX 800197 "Montana", PPCX 800702 "Lamberts Point" and skytop observation car 186 "Cedar Rapids".
At 10:05 AM, Milwaukee Road 261 reversed onto the waiting train to the west of the station.
The rear of the excursion train.
Milwaukee Road 261 pulled the train into station at 10:43 AM and I boarded "Golden Sand" for the trip to Chicago. Amtrak Hiawatha 334, also bound for Chicago, departed on time at 10:50 AM and we departed three minutes later.
The excursion train slowly made its way out of the station and over the switches crossing the Menomence River.
A good curve was next as we made our way to the Kinnickinnic River bridge followed by the crossing of the former Chicago and North Western, now Union Pacific, line. The steam engine's whistle brought back plenty of memories of other excursions with 261 that I had ridden.
It was a beautiful sunny day as we raced down the mainline across the Wisconsin countryside, blowing through Sturtevent as the public enjoyed our. We crossed into Illinois and slowed to a stop before Rondout to service the engine and I walked through the train to see the differences in the interiors. As we proceeded down the Metra line, there were looks of amazement on people's faces as Milwaukee Road 261 steamed by them. Photographers were everywhere along the route into the Windy City as we made our way to our only passenger stop at Glenview.
The train passed Tower A2 where the steam engine was moved slowly over all the crossings of the former Chicago and North Western.
Milwaukee Road 261 looked great at the curve at Canal Street.
We then entered Chicago Union Station at 1:42 PM on Track 19, ending an excellent first Milwaukee Road 261 excursion for this year.
Chicago
After I dropped my luggage off in the temporary Metropolitan Lounge in the southwest corner of the Great Hall, I ventured out to Roosevelt Street for some Amtrak and Metra action and I knew 261 would pass sometime soon on the way to the BNSF Western Avenue Yard for the layover until Friday. I had always wanted to take pictures from this famous vantage point in Chicago. The first train that came by was the northbound Texas Eagle, which later became the City of New Orleans that I would be riding in the evening.
The moment that about 200 people were waiting for took place as Milwaukee Road 261 steamed by on its way to Western Avenue. After almost everyone had left, the California Zephyr then departed thirty minutes late. For the duration of my visit to Chicago over the next several days, Amtrak was unable to have trains departing the station on time. The eastbound Southwest Chief then reversed in twenty minutes early and I met a father and son who had been on the rear platform with me on the Trainorders Sierra Coast Limited last month and had followed Milwaukee Road 261 down from Milwaukee. It is truly a small world!
The new Bluewater service then departed for Port Huron on time and the westbound Southwest Chief departed five minutes late, along with the on-time southbound Texas Eagle. The Wolverine from Detroit arrived fifteen minutes early then more Metra trains came and went before the Illini reversed out of the station to proceed to the St. Charles Air Line on the way to Carbondale.
I walked east across the bridge to the former Rock Island line to catch some Metra trains arriving and departing at La Salle Street station then walked all the way west across the bridge to a Baskin-Robbins for a chocolate mint cone before returning for more Metra and Amtrak action. The State House for St. Louis departed on time next.
Five minutes later, Amtrak's Pere Marquette for Grand Rapids departed on time then Metra trains kept departing the Zephyr Pit back to the station and soon the Zephyr Pit was empty. From here on, it was only outgoing and reversing Metra trains. Next we had a deadhead move of the late Empire Builder to the wye and then the Wolverine departed on time for Pontiac. This bridge on Roosevelt Street is an excellent train-watching spot which I highly recommend to any passenger train lover. I returned to the station for Char Dogs and to wait for my next Amtrak train.
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