Up early, Bob Riskie and I walked to the south side of Interstate 94 where Bob went to church and I went to the laundromat.
I returned via Cleveland Avenue and detoured by the Minnesota Commercial Shops, where a three-car local reversed across the crossing behind me. Later we walked to MacDonald's, but they were not open until 10:00 AM so I settled for a chocolate donuts and a Coca-Cola at a petrol station. On the walk back to the Days Inn, crossing the bridge just west, was a two-unit Twin Cities and Western transfer run on its way to St. Paul.
Scene at the Minnesota Commercial shops before I returned to the hotel then reclaimed my luggage then Bob and I walked over to the Amtrak station so he knew the way, since we were both departing from there tonight, albeit to different locations. We stored our bags and waited for a taxi to take us to Harrison Street, home of Milwaukee Road 261 for our last trip behind that steam engine. After a forty minute wait, the taxi finally arrived and upon arrival, we saw the Amtrak locomotives on the rear of the train and Milwaukee Road 261 on the point. The auxiliary tender and "Minnesota" would not be used today.
I choose the former Chicago, Burlington and Quincy California Zephyr coach "Silver Larch", which had Amfleet seats. Right on time at 11:00 AM, Milwaukee Road 261 started pulling forward to Van Buren then stopped, reversed around the wye to Harrison Street on a route I ridden before, then pulled forward to Minneapolis Junction, providing me a new section of track.
We returned to the mainline and with Milwaukee Road 261 leading, steamed our way east, passing between the double stack trains to Union Yard. At Union Tower, I could see where the line to the Stone Arch bridge and downtown Minneapolis took off, then at St. Anthony, the line Amtrak uses to Midway station diverged. This location is also known as GN Junction with the Minnesota Commercial yard to the south. We travelled east past BNSF Midway Yard and by Midway Stadium, home of the minor league baseball team St. Paul Saints, then went underneath Snelling Avenue and by Energy Park. We slowly made our way by Dale Street, the Minnesota Transportation Museum at the Jackson Street Roundhouse then joined the Union Pacific line at Westminster before going under Lafayette Avenue as we descended the steep Westminster Hill. At Seventh Street, we turned onto the west leg of the St. Paul wye.
I bought my last Milwaukee Road 261 hot dog and talked with Crimmins for awhile then Skip Waters from Texas found me in the "Silver Larch" and we talked briefly.
The Celebration Belle and the Spirit of Peoria entertained us as we waited for our next departure for Short Line Hill at 1:02 PM.
We passed the Mississippi Queen, St. Paul Union Depot and the Delta Queen as we passed Robert Street, then paralleled the Mississippi River to Chestnut Junction, where Short Line Hill takes off.
Our steam engine chugged loudly up the grade away from the river and engine worked hard pulling our train up this steep hill and soon we ran by Fordson Junction before passing through the neighbourhoods for four miles then reached the top of Short Line Hill and crossed over Interstate 94 before stopping at Merriam Park, just short of the Minnesota Commercial shops. This would be our turnaround point for this excursion. At 1:44 PM, the Amtrak diesels started pulling us back to St. Paul and we descended Short Line Hill more slowly than we ascended. Skip told me that he had upgraded to Premium Class for the journey back to Minneapolis Jct for $25 and offered to do the same for me. Minutes later, I had been upgraded and we soon arrived back at St. Paul. Skip and I walked outside the train all the way back to "Cedar Rapids" and boarded.
I had once been in "Cedar Rapids" on a 261 excursion from Duluth to near Two Harbors a few years ago. This would be my first daylight trip in this car and would be a fantastic way to end my Milwaukee Road 261 trips this year. The Milwaukee Road's Hiawatha streamliners are the stuff of legend. Bringing up the rear of the Twin Cities Hiawathas were the incomparable Skytop parlor lounge observation cars, including the famous "Cedar Rapids".
Designed by famed industrial designer Brooks Stevens and built by the Milwaukee Road in 1948 in its own Milwaukee Shops for service on the Twin Cities Hiawathas, the "Cedar Rapids" is one of only four Skytop observation parlour lounges ever built and the only one that can still ride the rails today. "The Finishing touch to a perfect train" is how the Milwaukee Road described its Skytop observation cars. With one drawing room-kitchen, this car is ideal for a small group. With 24 big comfortable, reclining, rotating parlor chairs, which make for the smoothest ride you will ever have. Additional seating for 12 more in the Skytop Solarium, will top of your journey just right, with a full view of the tracks rolling out from behind and the sky above. This car also retains all its original woodwork, upholstery and wool carpeting throughout.
Skip and I talked almost the whole time to departure time and I saw and briefly talked to Doyle McCormack of Southern Pacific 4449 and he later joined us in the rear of the "Cedar Rapids". At 4:04 PM, we reversed out of St. Paul to East Division Street where we waited for a green signal.
Milwaukee Road 261 then stormed up Westminster Hill. With Doyle sitting with us, we had great steam railroad conversation all the way back to Minneapolis Junction, where we were wyed once again so that 261 could be cut off and put into its fenced area of the shops. The Amtrak locomotives then pushed the train to a stop at the detraining area and when the train stopped, the Milwaukee Road 261 trips for 2004 were finished. I said goodbye to Doyle, Skip and the rest, especially the crew of 261, for the excellent trips. Special thanks to North Star Rail, the Friends of Milwaukee Road 261, Canadian Pacific Railway, BNSF, Iowa, Chicago and Eastern and Iowa Interstate for everything they did to make this set of excursions a success.
One last picture of Milwaukee Road 261 then I found Bob and we started walking back to the Days Inn and he told me our Empire Builder was over an hour late leaving Chicago. We walked by the University of Minnesota before stopping at an Arby's/Sbarro for dinner and a rest then continued walking and at Transfer Road, Bob went straight back to the Days Inn to check out.
Bob was off to Grand Forks, Minnesota and I was going to Minot, North Dakota. We arrived at the Amtrak station at 8:00 PM and did nothing but wait for our train. About 8:45 PM, the Amtrak locomotives from the steam excursion brought all the private cars to the station to be taken back to Chicago on Tuesday. Dennis Larsen came in to say goodbye as he had just come off the Celebration Belle and we thanked him for everything.
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