Скачать или смотреть 20240927 29 Empire Builder Windy City Express

Friends of the 261  offered an opportunity to ride their vintage passenger cars from the Twin Cities to Milwaukee or Chicago. This trip consisted of the Super Dome and Caritas on the route of behind Amtrak’s Empire Builder.

Tomah Trains was thrilled to catch these as they passed through the center of the state along the route of the Twin Cities Hiawatha.


Supper Dome
A new outlook on happy travel boosted the Milwaukee Road, with their first end-to-end dome cars built for any railroad. Built for the Milwaukee Road by Pullman Standard in 1952 as Super Dome 53, it is one of 10 ever built and is the heaviest passenger car ever built, weighing in at 104 tons.

Photo from June 25, 2006 while on another excursion behind Milwaukee Road 261 steam locomotive.

Caritas

Originally built for the Frisco in 1948, Caritas started life as a 14 roomette – 4 double bedroom Pullman sleeper car, #1450. In the 1960s, #1450 was sold to the CN were the it went from a stainless fluted side to a smooth side passenger car. In 1985, #1450 officially became Caritas, starting a new life in private ownership.

Caritas was extensively renovated in 1985 to include a spacious lounge with room 18 day riders, enlarged windows on the rear for spectacular views, an open platform, a kitchen with modern amenities, and update mechanicals as well.

Now owned by Friends of the 261, Caritas make a beautiful addition to the fleet. Caritas has 4 double bedrooms and a master bedroom for a overnight capacity for 10 Guest.
Photo from June 25, 2006 while on another excursion behind Milwaukee Road 261 steam locomotive during a service stop.