News from the 261 Shop

Saturday, December 8th. A typical Minnesota winter day: temperature about 5 degrees with a northwest wind to blow the snow around. It had snowed twice earlier in the week leaving just enough snow to cover the tracks at the shop. Perfect weather for jacking up a railroad coach, rolling out a truck and replacing it with a newer set of wheels. The 261 crew has become pretty adept at this particular job and by 4:00 in the afternoon the 202 had been retrofitted and the old truck had been moved to an alternate track.

Winter at the shop can be limiting, particular when the temperature is well below freezing. Equipment can be very stiff, engines hard to start and volunteers hard to motivate. Fortunately there are quite a few projects this winter that involve upgrades to coach interiors - heated interiors.

The stainless-steel Clocker coaches that have been running well on excursions for the past couple of years are being fitted with new restrooms: including new toilets, floors and relocated doors that will make them more convenient for passengers and easier to maintain for the crew. Tim has installed a new generator on one of the Clockers that will make it more flexible on excursions where HEP (head end power) is either unavailable or inadequate.

The heating/cooling ducting has been completed on the new concession car making it much more comfortable both in summer and fall. Custom-designed cabinetry, new refrigerators and ceiling fans with lights were installed earlier this year and the original oak floors refinished. Since our previous concession car was not going to be upgraded to Amtrak standards, this has been a welcome addition to the fleet.

The Superdome and Cedar Rapids have both been back-and-forth to Chicago numerous times since 261 was winterized. They have run very well and have not required much attention from the shop crew other than some additional wiring for additional electrical outlets. Planned upgrades to the Superdome will include reconfiguring the lower level room, removing bench seats, replacing the flooring and raising a soffit above a window that was a real nuisance to anyone under six feet giving Joey a more usable space for excursion service. These charters have been very well-received by customers and are a valuable source of revenue for the organization. Because of popularity of these trips we are planning several trips with the Superdome and the Cedar Rapids for next November and December.