Well for starters, let's announce that Milwaukee Road 261 has been sold, or at least, so reports Sterling Rail's website. Please see the following link:

http://www.sterlingrail.com/547/class.php?id=107

Nobody is saying much about the buyer at this point other than that he's on the west coast.
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Sandberg Sightings!

Last weekend Steve Sandberg was at the Rail Passenger Car Alliance Convention in North Carolina and was seen deeply engaged in conversation with Wick Moorman of the Norfolk Southern over a two hour span. The conversations were said to include steam operations in general and the 611 specifically. Other than that I don't know much.
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Sandberg comments: lot of activity in progress toward's putting another Northern in the Friends shop. Should have more info in a week or two.

In a certain fashion, if NRM didn't have a home for 261, they couldn't have picked a better time to sell it. Anybody know how much was paid?

Of course now the engine still needs major mechanical work to do anything or go anywhere. It might behoove the new owner to talk with Mr. Sandberg to contract for rebuilding the engine--for whatever, or whereever else it goes to.

I do know of a 400 mile heavy railed mainline railroad that might be willing to host it, but I guess we'll have to see who got it and what they intend to do with it.

Stay tuned.

Michael Seitz

Interesting! When did the Green Bay folks decide to sell #261? How long was it listed on the Sterling Rail site?

I had to make sure I hadn't missed winter and woken up on April 1st....

Dave

If this information is correct then I have mixed feelings about it.

On one hand it is frustrating that an arrangement wasn't able to be worked out between NRM and Steve Sandburg, but on the otherhand if the 261 has been sold, it's chances of operating again may improve should it just go back to Green Bay.

Don't get me wrong, I am happy whenever I hear news of a steam restoration or potential good news as in steam preservation one learns to never get their hopes up too much, but it seems to me the west coast has a plethora of operable mainline steam with SP 4449, SP&S 700, ATSF 3751, UP 844 and UP 3985 whereas here in the southeast or well the east coast in general the Western Maryland Scenic's 734 or the CN 3254, CP 2317 at Steamtown or the Reading & Northern's 425 are about the largest steam you will find that are currently or have recently been operable. And I forgot to include the Nickel Plate 765 and Pere Marquette 1225, which some might consider east and some might consider 'mid-west', I really don't want to get into that debate that was discussed in a fairly recent forum discussion. True, BNSF and UP are a lot more receptive to steam operations than NS or CSX, which has not always been the case as the Burlington Northern as well as Santa Fe were not that receptive to steam operations in the 1980s which along with Norfolk Southern's decision in 1994 shows how quickly a railroad's willingness to host steam locomotives on their lines can change.

If the 261 has been sold to someone on the West Coast, I would imagine that a conversion to oil would be almost certain to happen, should the locomotive have been purchased with the intent to return it to operation.

Since it isn't April 1, I have to assume that the link posted is at least somewhat credible. All I can say is the saga of 261 has been filled with more drama than a daytime soap opera....

Whatever is the case, I wish nothing but a hopeful future for the Milwaukee Road 261, NRM and Steve Sandburg and the Friends group.

If 261 has indeed been sold, I have to wonder if the new owner might be willing to offer more reasonable lease terms than the folks in Green Bay were.

I think given the cost of capital, it would be difficult to lease 261 at a price amenable to the previous business plan. Not to say impossible, or the owner wouldn't take a loss, but improbable. Aside from which, I think Mr. Sandberg has moved on and is looking for something else to work with, with the 261 experience providing valuable lessons for the next go round.

Of course I COULD be wrong and some benefactor may have decided to deal with the issue and make the engine available to Sandberg and company (not as incredible as it might seem). I guess we'll know really soon.

The engine is still in Minneapolis/St. Paul as of now, isn't it?

Micheal Seitz
Missoula MT

Talk about outside the norm of museum operations. Wow!

That said, I hope Neil Young has fun with her. I can see her barnstorming the US painted up Lionel Lines!

Rob

ps: that's a guess, not a fact

Has there been a chapter missed somewhere ??

Wasn't the stance of NRM that this was an important part of the collection and if either a suitable lease with the Friends group, or another group couldn't be found, that the 261 would return "home" ?

Now, there's a whole new home ?

Seems like (should there have been any question in anyone's mind) that this was just a flat out money grab for NRM from the get-go.

One man's view from afar

I thought that too. Geeezzzz, on the surface, sure seems to be a stab in the back for the "previous" Friends of the 261. The Green Bay museum was sure singing a different tune then about making the 261 the centerpiece of a new museum exhibit.

Hmmm, fantasizing here that the real buyer is a proxy for Steve Sandberg and really bought the 261 for Steve ?? :D Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, wishful thinking. LOL

Mike

Well lets see, Tom Payne just got the operating rights from Snohomish, WA to Woodinville, WA over former BNSF tracks and is planning on starting a dinner train....Hmmmmmmmm.

Rich

Unsubstantiated rumor at this point, but a poster on Trainorders claims to have contacted Sterling Rail, who allegedly said that #261 was sold to a collector in the western US who plans to lease it back to the "Friends of 261." (Has anyone seen Fred Kepner lurking around lately?)

Another point to be considered is that the city of Roanoke owns the 611, not Norfolk Southern. Even is Sandberg and Moorman were talking about it as a candidate, it isn't entirely up to Moorman. I am sure he has some influence over the museum, however. Hmmm...

I see, that removes NRM from the debacle and NRM gets money out of the deal, party party for NRM, money money and that seems to be NRM's ideality.

I hope the new owner is more amicable and steam smart.

I don't think the engine could have been sold as it is given the circumstances, where would you return the engine to now?

If the engine was returned to NRM in the conditions it would have been "friends" would be looking for that other steamer anyways and if NRM decided to sell it then there would have been a different operator to run it. I tend to believe this manuever preserves the current efforts "friends" are working on for the engine.

I say good deal.

that makes sense, however, from this discussion viewtopic.php?f=1&t=28612&view=previous it says 611 is probably not going to happen, perhaps there has been a change of heart?