Steam & Excursion > 261 Gourmet Express!! Things to do in Minneapolis?

Hello, so my g/f and I are heading up to Minneapolis this weekend for the Gourmet Express. We will be on the Sunday trip and are excited for this excursion! However I'm asking what places we can go check out while we are in town on saturday and monday. Obviously Mall of America is something we'll check out I'm sure but any resturaunts or breweries/bars that any of you fine folks can recommend? We've never been to MN. Also is anyone on here riding the trip this weekend?

Thanks

Posted from Android

I've traveled to the Twin Cities many times (a couple times with my girlfriend) and one thing I've never done is go to the Mall of America.  Here are some suggestions:

Rail-related, but not trainwatching:
Jackson Street Roundhouse (in St. Paul)
St. Paul Union Depot
Milwaukee Road Depot in Minneapolis (now a Marriott hotel, but with Milwaukee Road displays inside)
Great Northern Stone Arch Bridge (a biking and walking path) in Minneapolis
Metro Green Line linking the downtowns of Minneapolis and St. Paul (a fast light rail line)
James J. Hill House in St. Paul
Como-Harriet Streetcar Line in St. Paul. (Lake Harriet is very nice, too).

Other:
Mill City Museum (one of the best museums I've ever seen devoted to industrial history)
Minnesota History Center in St. Paul
Walker Art Center
Minneapolis Institute of the Arts
Mixed Blood Theater - Avante Garde Theater in Minneapolis
Rent a bike and bike one or more of the trails.  The Kennilworth Trail is the bicycle equivalent of an expressway.  Some of the trail network parallels active railroad lines.
Murray's - traditional "old school" type restaurant in Downtown Minneapolis
Gluek's Restaurant & Bar - A good place to go for anyone interested in Minneapolis brewery history.  There is a lot of interesting memorabilia about the Gluek's Brewery (no longer in business) in this bar.  It's in Downtown Minneapolis - http://www.glueks.com/
Gluek's is in Minneapolis' Warehouse District.  If you and your girlfriend want to go out to place with a lot of night life, this is one place to go.
Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis (A beautiful waterfall in a city park.  There is also a small Milwaukee Road depot in the park).

When I'm in the Twin Cities, I'm partial to Grain Belt Beer.  Another local brand is Pig's Eye Pilsner.  Pig's Eye was St. Paul's original name and was the name of the Milwaukee Road Yard in St. Paul.

Enjoy the Gourmet Express and have a great time in the Twin Cities!




 

Milwaukee Road 261 had a full tender of coal ready for the Gourment Express.  Minneapolis Junction, Minneapolis, MN, 11 September 2019.

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If you are partial to a properly drawn Guiness, Kieran's Irish Pub is the place in Minneapolis. Good Reubens and Fish & Chips too. http://kierans.com/

In St Paul, try Tavern on Grand and look especially at their ways they do Walleye. If you have never had Walleye, especially as shore lunch, try it here. http://www.thetavernongrand.com/

Another good place near Tavern on Grand is Cafe Latte. Great for cakes, scones and good salads. https://www.cafelatte.com/

In North Minneapolis, if you are looking around BNSF's Northtown Yard or CP's (Soo Line) old Shoreham Yard, try Emily's Lebanese Deli. Great Hummus and Baba Ghannuj. https://emilyslebanesedeli.com/ It is also not far from 261's home base.

At Northtown you will likely see a lot of MOW equipment. The annual conference for the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association is next week and they have a huge outdoor display that will be getting set up this weekend. I am coming to Mpls for the conference. 

If you have extra time and want to visit one of the best arboretum's in the country go to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum on the west side in Chaska. Not too far from where 261 will be running. Fantastic grounds and plant collections. http://www.arboretum.umn.edu/

There is lots to do in the Twin Cities. Enjoy

Excellent photos and suggestions from everyone. Wish I could be there also.

BTW, man that is a lot of coal to shovel...

Shovel?


That’s why later engines are built with mechanical stokers.
The Standard Model HT Stoker uses a jointed, Archimedes Screw to convey the coal under the cab, then up the ‘elevator tube ‘,
to the Firing Table.  The ‘Table is a large flat cast iron (coal) distributing surface ( about 2 sq.ft) with a row of steam-jets at it’s rear edge.  

The steam jets are typically 5 series of jets aimed across the grates, which carry the ‘firebed’.  The fireman’s position typically has separate stoker steam valve-groups...one set of 2 valves controls the stoker engine screw’s rotating speed
(incl. Fwd & Rev) , the other set controls the 5 individual jets—- so the fireman can set the jet-intensity to suit how far
he wants the coal to be thrown across the grates.

At low draft rates you blow the coal a little harder, than when pulling a heavy train.  
The wind thru the grates lifts the airborne coal chunks/dus furthe doen the grate area, so you reduce the jet
intensity....because, otherwise, the two drafts-force blows too much coal way down-front,
which can be a ‘very bad thing’..if you don’t compensate..

The two coal handling systems  ( the screw and the jets) convey and distribute the coal evenly
across the grates,so that 100% of the grate area is brightly burning while hauling the trains.

Manual Shoveling is confined to two aspects of coal burners: throwing coal, evenly, on the grates of a
stone-cold boiler prior to light-off, and then light manual-firing when keeping a low fire maintained evenly,
while sitting around, waiting.

I have also seen, and used, the shovel as a ‘deflecting vane’ ( on a ‘live’ steam engine) , where the fireman
places the shovel pan vertically inf front of the firing-table. Then the fireman opens the jets, runs the stoker screw
and deflects the entire coal stream into the rear corners of the grates, first one side
then, the other.  NKP Berk firemen, used to put in a ‘bank’ of coal about 2-tons, Into each rear corner ,
along with a big pile around the area directly under, and around the firing table.

So, a smart fireman actually does very little manual coal shoveling’....
In fact, “ the Best Firemen, are the laziest”....wherein, they build a Hot firebed, let the engine’s draft bring in the combutionair thru the grates, then just sprinkle enough coal to build a fire that’s 3,000 degrees ( at the flame tips).  The lazy firemen sit more than work, and make the job seem easier than than it appears.  That way the engine pretty much “fires itself’...  

The hardest firing job is the work in keeping a lively,  ‘fully involved grate’ when hauling little, or no,
train behind the tender. In that situation, it’s takes way-more attention , and shovel work to keep the entire bed
covered evenly and ‘lively’..

A decently-loaded engine burns a very bright, black-smoke-free Fire, all by itself, with little attention,
with greater economy, and 750-degree superheated steam going to the cylinders.
 A ‘light engine’ never burns a hot-enough Fire to get to superheat, thus, uses way-more steam and water...
and means more shovel-work for the fireman -keeping the ‘bare spots’ covered and lively.

​W.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/20/19 05:14 by wcamp1472.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I will have to try out a few today and Monday. We stopped at a place called Hell's kitchen so far and it's damn good!!

Posted from Android

MJV1988 Wrote:
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> Thanks for all the suggestions, I will have to try
> out a few today and Monday. We stopped at a place
> called Hell's kitchen so far and it's damn good!!
>
> Posted from Android

Glad you liked Hell's Kitchen.  I also had a good dinner on one or two of my previous visits.

Hope you enjoyed your train ride and being in Minneapolis.

Trip was FANTASTIC!!! We rode in the Cedar Rapids observation car and I personally was thrilled to be in it. We were definitely some of the younger folks on the train. The food menu was absolutely delicious!! The weather didn't turn out as well as we hoped and was overcast all day and then turned into rain on the return trip.

The highlight of the trip was when we stopped at Bongards Creameries in Benton Township, MN. The 261 stopped and let everyone off and then backed up about a 1/2 mile and came blasting by not once but twice for the photo run by! Second time it was using the original MILW whistle which I feel I haven't heard in years. Absolutely amazing feeling the ground shake beneath you! Steve Sandberg and his crew put on a hell of a photo run by!! Then when the train backed up the former MILW 32C did it's run bys for the folks. We then walked into tents they had set up and had some delicious wines and 5 different cheeses.

Shortly after we then boarded again and headed off to Glencoe and then returned to St. Louis park where we boarded. Nothing like sitting in the back of the Cedar Rapids while drinking a nice wine or beer as well as chatting with others. Im sure there's alot I've missed out on but I'll post more later. The 261 crew did an excellent job and was top notch in service. I hope to be back for next years trip!!


Posted from Android



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/19 07:36 by MJV1988.

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Seems like you had a great time both in Minneapolis and on the train ride.  Thanks for sharing your experiences.

This was one of two videos I took. I'm sorry the stability is not there but unfortunately I forgot my tripod and my first attempt on my normal camera was mediocre at best I felt. This second attempt was done on my cell phone. Crank it up and listen to 261 blast by!!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/19 21:21 by MJV1988.

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Thanks for sharing. 
Sounds like the old hoarse original whistle is back on the 261. I prefer the sound of the ATSF 6 chime that had been on it . Now I wonder if the 261 folks have rebuilt the air horn baffles to give the horn a  better sound ? 

UP951West Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks for sharing. 
> Sounds like the old hoarse original whistle is
> back on the 261. I prefer the sound of the ATSF 6
> chime that had been on it . Now I wonder if the
> 261 folks have rebuilt the air horn baffles to
> give the horn a  better sound ? 

Actually on the first run by it was using the ATSF 6 chime. I feel the original MILW whistle is never used much anymore sadly. I heard the air horn used a couple of times while standing on the observation deck in front of our car.

Posted from Android

UP951West Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks for sharing. 
> Sounds like the old hoarse original whistle is
> back on the 261. I prefer the sound of the ATSF 6
> chime that had been on it. Now I wonder if the
> 261 folks have rebuilt the air horn baffles to
> give the horn a  better sound? 

The original whistle has never been off the 261. We added the ATSF  6 chime back in the later 1990's, and activated that one with the engineer's whistle cord, The original whistle was then activated by an air valve on the fireman's side so that he has a way to blow a warning from his side of the locomotive if quickly needed. The air horn works very well now that it was discovered by one of the crew members that the air reservoir pressure was too high for it and by 
partially closing the supply valve we were able to get it to properly sound.

Ed Selinsky