Steam & Excursion > 4449 Fall Color Excursion from Minneapolis

Now that SP 4449 and the excursion train have made it safely back to Minneapolis (we made it from Milwaukee to Minneapolis Jct. with only two stops and it took just a tad over eight hours on Monday), it is time to think about a fast, one-day excursion in the beautiful fall weather.

On October 10 and 11 (Saturday and Sunday), SP 4449 will pull the annual fall colors trip between Minneapolis Jct. and La Crescent, MN (just across the Mississippi River from La Crosse, WI), sponsored by the Friends of the 261. The regular 261 equipment will be handled including the open concession car, air-conditioned coaches and premium class provided by Super Dome 53 and the unique Skytop parlor-lounge "Cedar Rapids".

Tickets are available on line at the 261 website, www.261.com. A roundtrip coach ticket between Minneapolis and Winona is only $99.00 for a day of 60 mph running along the beautiful Mississippi River. The website also shows premium class still being available. We are hoping for a big turnout to help fill the "warchest" with some dollars for the rebuild of 261. Steve will arrange for additional cars from other sources if the demand warrants it but this has to be known well ahead of the departure dates. When SP 4449 heads back to Portland the Tuesday after these trips, who knows if she'll be back in the future and in reach of the eastern, southeastern and midwestern fans.

Please support these trips and mainline American steam. Thank you.

Silver Sky

So with a view towards "arming the warchest", do I read in there that the issues surrounding the lease are resolved ?

Not yet, but it is certainly not a dead issue.

Silver Sky

I tried to by 4 tickets and it wont let me sine up ? if there is something i not doing right?