on September 14, 1993, the engine deadheaded over Wisconsin Central in time for its first public excursions on September 18–19, 1993. The engine later returned to its new home at the leased Burlington Northern Minneapolis Junction facility. The following year, 261 had an extensive season, including excursions on Wisconsin Central and the Twin Cities & Western Railroad. Notable events included "Chocolate City Days" excursions, campaign trains, a movie shoot painted as "Lackawanna 1661", running over CSX tracks for the famed "New River Train", and a wrap-up celebrating the engine's 50th birthday in 1994. The engine participated in the Steamtown National Historic Site's grand opening in July 1995. Over five days, 261 deadheaded from Minneapolis to Scranton, Pennsylvania. The locomotive stayed in Scranton for the next year pulling numerous excursions, including rare-mileage trips, a rare snowplow run, and the engine's first steam doubleheader with Susquehanna and Western SY 2-8-2 No. 142. A Hancock 3-chime whistle was temporarily added to the locomotive and then replaced with an AT&SF 6-chime whistle, which remains on it today, but still also keeping its original non-Hancock 3 chime whistle and Leslie A-125 air horn. 261 returned to the Midwest after almost a year at Steamtown. On its way home, the engine made its first runs over the newly formed BNSF Railway. It pulled a few sets of excursions in 1997 and 1998 over BNSF and TC&W trackage. The year of 1998 presented 261 with its biggest assignment yet, as it was the first steam engine to pull BNSF's Employee Appreciation Special. The engine led a BNSF locomotive and a dozen of BNSF's business-car fleet around the upper Midwest portion of BNSF's route. This brought the engine back to Chicago before heading north to North Dakota and Montana, then through Minneapolis into Iowa before the EAS concluded at Topeka Railroad Days. 261 ended the 1998 operating season after a few more days on BNSF tracks. The 1999 season was short, with a weekend excursion in May from Minneapolis to Duluth along with runs on the Lake Superior Railroad Museum's tracks and another excursion in September. The year 2000 saw 261 leading excursions out of places such as Chicago, Omaha, and Kansas City. The engine also led an AAPRCO private-car special on August 29 to Duluth. The engine then led a long circle-trip over the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway as well as the North Shore Railroad