Milwaukee Road 261 will be running trips to Duluth this weekend. So what's Steve Sandberg doing on a Friday afternoon? That's him on the back of the pickup truck, spray painting a coach.

That's a Northwest Airlines 757 Captain boarding his new aircraft. Er...well actually the Amtrak Genesis unit that provides head end power for 261's consist.

Big, black and beautiful: 261 simmers quietly in the afternoon sun outside Harrison Street.

Okay, so I'm fond of weird, detail shots. This is the dynamo on 261.

I cheerfully admit that I'm biased, but I think this is one of the best looking Northerns around.

I liked your shots. Can u post more or leave a link to others?I like 261 also.

Hello,Are the Clocker Coaches going to receive Milwaukee Road Lettering or PRR lettering? If I remember correctly these are former PRR cars and it is hard to tell if they are receiving MILW maroon or PRR Tuscan. Also, will the newly acquired Superdome be on these trips?Many thanks for making the posts and sharing the info - With this level of quality it could have been submitted as a breif.Tom Cornillie

The Superdome is the second to last car in the consist, just ahead of the Cedar Rapids. As to your other question, I doubt I'd recognize the coach in question if it bit me on the ankle. I shoulda shot some of the cars as well.I'll try to chase tomorrow and get some more pictures.Doug

The two stainless steel cars pictured in your other photos ARE former Amtrak Clocker coaches (Provided my Amtrak Heritage Fleet recongnition skills are not failing me) these cars were built for the PRR's Congressional and converted to a high capacity seating for use on the Northeast Corridor Clockers. Later they were rebuilt for use on Amtrak's Adirondak.Also, has the super-dome been repainted into MILW colors?Thanks,Tom Cornillie

Ah...thanks. The Superdome has not been repainted yet.

Tom, All three of the former Clocker coaches now have the maroon window band. The paint is a compromise to the Milwaukee Road paint scheme. The remainder of the carbody will remain stainless. Robert Franzen's car, "Arizona", was used on the Grand Excursion last year. The two #261 fleet cars will be named "Lake Pepin" and "St. Paul Pass". Time did not allow that to happen prior to the trip. As for the Super Dome, there is some minor body work to be accomplished prior to the car receiving a coat of paint. The paint job will be a big undertaking. The car will probably run the remainder of the year in charter and excursion service as it presently looks. We were able to restore the "Super Dome" lettering under the belly windows as a quick tribute to her former livery. The car was a huge hit on the Duluth excursion over the weekend.Don C.

I had no idea the cars had been painted only hours before I arrived. Sun morning when we were watering cars I noticed that those two looked rather "fresh"....guess that explains it.