MINNEAPOLIS - The Twin Cities is known for its long, cold winters, but inside the shop building at Minneapolis Junction, just east of downtown, Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 No. 261 waits for the warmth of spring, so workers from the nonprofit “Friends of the 261″ can resume the rebuilding efforts that began last fall. Following its last trip, a Minneapolis - La Crosse (Wis.) round trip on Canadian Pacific and BNSF Railway on Sept. 14, 2008, the locomotive was torn down for its federally mandated 1,472-day inspection and overhaul. This will be the largest amount of work performed on No. 261 since it was restored to service in 1993. The engine now resembles a shell, with major components removed and the boiler stripped of materials. Dismantling proceeded but no large expenditures will take place until a new lease agreement is reached.

In October 2008 the Friends of the 261 began working with the 261’s owner, the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wis., to work out the details of a new long-term lease of the engine. The present agreement only runs through November 2011 and dates to 1992. Chief Operating Officer Steve Sandberg has met with the museum’s board of directors to discuss terms of a new lease agreement. Meetings have taken place both in Green Bay and Minneapolis as the two organizations have been cooperating to work out a new deal. While the Friends expect much work on the overhaul to take place in 2009 if a lease agreement is reached, it’s likely that a rebuild would not be completed and the engine ready to roll again until 2010.

Assuming a new lease is concluded, the Friends will need to raise several thousand dollars to complete the rebuild. To help pay for the overhaul, The “Friends” is currently working with CP to operate fall color trips along the Mississippi River between St. Paul and La Crescent, Minn. Tentative plans call for the trains to run on October 10-11 and will be powered either by another steam locomotive or vintage diesels.