Milwaukee Road 261

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Milwaukee Road 261
Milwaukee Road No. 261 at Milwaukee Intermodal Station in June 2006
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder ALCO's Schenectady Works Serial number 71974 Build date July 1944 Rebuild date 2008–2013
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-8-4  • UIC 2′D2′ h2 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Leading dia. 36 in (914 mm) Driver dia. 74 in (1,880 mm) Trailing dia. 38 in (965 mm) (lead axle) 44 in (1,118 mm) (trail axle) Wheelbase Loco & tender: 95.54 ft (29.12 m) Length 109 ft 7+3⁄4 in (33.42 m) Height 15 ft 6 in (4.72 m) Axle load 64,825 lb (32.413 short tons) Adhesive weight 259,300 lb (129.7 short tons) Loco weight 460,000 lb (230 short tons) Tender weight 364,100 lb (182.1 short tons) Total weight 824,100 lb (412.1 short tons) Fuel type Coal (Will soon be converted to oil from a $200,000 proposal as of March 11, 2021) Fuel capacity 50,000 lb (25 short tons) Water cap. 20,000 US gal (76,000 L; 17,000 imp gal) Boiler pressure 250 lbf/in2 (1.72 MPa) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 26 in × 32 in (660 mm × 813 mm)
Performance figures Maximum speed 100 mph (160 km/h) Power output 4,500 hp (3,400 kW) Tractive effort 62,119 lbf (276.32 kN) Factor of adh. 4.17
Career Operators Milwaukee Road Class S3 Number in class 2nd of 10 Numbers MILW 261 DLW 1661 Retired August 1956 Preserved 1958 Restored September 14, 1993 Current owner Friends of the 261 Disposition Operational

Milwaukee Road 261 is a class "S3" 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in Schenectady, New York in July 1944 for the Milwaukee Road (MILW). It was used for heavy mainline freight and passenger work until being retired by the MILW in 1956.

Instead of being dismantled for scrap, 261 was preserved and donated to the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin in 1958. Today, the locomotive is owned, operated and maintained by the Minneapolis-based nonprofit organization Friends of the 261, which runs occasional and seasonal excursion trains using the locomotive. The steam engine, restored in 1993,^[1] has logged more than 25,000 miles (40,000 km) under its own power since that time.