for this trip. In 2014, 261 operated the Inaugural "North Pole Express" in St. Paul. For two weekends, 261 operated out of St. Paul Union Depot pulling short trips decorated for this excursion. The train consisted of 4 coaches and operated on a long track on the Depot grounds. 261 even posed next to Canadian Pacific's Holiday Train when it also visited the depot. It reprised its role as the locomotive for the "North Pole Express" at St. Paul Union Depot from 2015 to 2022, operating over two weekends each December. During the 2022 run, the locomotive only operated the first weekend; the 32A operated trains the second. In October 2015, 261 attended the 2015 Railway Interchange Show in Minneapolis on October 4–7. On October 10, 261 pulled a daytime round-trip excursion to Boylston, WI, where it was wyed and returned to Minneapolis. The next day, 261 did the same to Willmar, MN, but used a turntable to face forward for the return to Minneapolis. Amtrak's Phase IV heritage unit #184 joined 261 for both trips. 261 traveled to St. Paul Union Depot under steam to be displayed along other equipment for "Union Depot Train Days", celebrating the 90th anniversary of the building. It was featured in a night photo shoot with Soo Line 2500, an EMD FP7. On June 4, 2016, 261 ran a round-trip to Duluth, Minnesota, returning to Minneapolis on June 5. Amtrak had been power short, so 261 performed this trip on its own. In September 2016, 261 operated on Twin Cities and Western Railroad and Minnesota Prairie Line trackage. The Minnesota Prairie Line is former Chicago and North Western Railway trackage that originally belonged to the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway. 261 operated as far west as Winthrop, Minnesota. It was the first time in 60 years that a steam engine had operated on the Minnesota Prairie Line. The same route was operated in the fall of 2017. In October 2016, 261 operated three round-trips from Minneapolis on the Twin Cities and Western Railroad, running on former Milwaukee Road tracks. 261 operated without a diesel helper except to be pulled back to Minneapolis, as there were no places to turn the train around. In June 2017, 261 operated on the Red River Valley and Western Railroad in North Dakota. Due to changes made to Amtrak's policy for charter trains in 2018, 261 was unable to