While the trips will still cater to railroad enthusiasts, the Friends also hopes to tap into the growing number of people that look for unusual food and wine events. For them, the attraction is being able to experience fine food, wine, and cocktails on board a moving train; the fact it is being pulled by a steam locomotive is just an added attraction. As such, the train has been named the “Gourmet Express.” Any money earned from the trips will go to equip No. 261 with positive train control equipment.
The Friends will have chefs aboard the train to prepare meals, and is contacting wine makers to conduct wine tastings. The train will be made up of mostly first class cars, although some coaches will also be carried, along with two open door baggage/concession cars.
The schedule reflects the dining theme. Rather than leaving early in the morning, the Sept. 8 train will depart at 1 p.m. and return at 8 p.m. so passengers can enjoy afternoon and evening meals. On Sept. 9 the train will depart Minneapolis at 10:30 a.m. returning at 5 p.m. offering a brunch during the trip.
The train will include Premium Class, Dome Class, Presidential Class, First Class, and coach seating. Premium Class includes seating in Milwaukee Road Skytop observation car Cedar Rapids. Dome Class features seating in Milwaukee Road Super Dome 53 or newly restored Western Pacific ex-California Zephyr Budd dome Silver Palace, where passengers can have a meal under glass. Premium Class also includes complimentary meals, hors d’oeuvres, beverages and reserved seating, while First Class includes complimentary meals, snacks and beverages in lounge cars. Presidential Class features seating in former railroad business cars Lamberts Point or Milwaukee.
The Twin Cities & Western main line was once the route of Milwaukee Road’s famed Olympian Hiawatha that traveled from Chicago and the Twin Cities to Seattle/Tacoma. The line has not seen regularly scheduled passenger train service since 1969. No. 261 operated over this trackage when it was in regular service for the Milwaukee Road between 1944 and 1954. The trips will head west from Minneapolis through Hopkins, Norwood, and Glencoe with No. 261 leading, but since there is nowhere to turn the steam locomotive a TC&W diesel will pull the train east to Minneapolis.
The Friends previously scheduled a positive train control fundraising trip from Minneapolis to Duluth over BNSF Railway on June 9-10, but was forced to cancel the trip when Amtrak changed its charter train policy earlier this year.
For more information, go to www.261.com.
If I were the Amtrak President, I would invite some ot the Emirates Air people to help me improve service. Their servie–all classes–reminds me of the elegance, class and grace once associated with passenger trains.
Visit the Emirates Air website: It is AMAZING the quality they offer.
Sounds like a nice trip.
I may ride this trip, I had tickets for the Duluth trip but since that got canceled may ride/chase this one.
I’m just glad the 261 group has a great relationship with the TC&W-RRV&W, so they have an alternative to Amtrak pulling the plug on running on BNSF or CP. Sure, I’ve ridden to Glencoe, MN twice already but that won’t stop me from making it three and four times after both day’s trips. A bonus is 261 running on “home rails” (former route of MILW trains 15-16).