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. It was used for heavy mainline freight and passenger work until being retired by the railroad 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, has logged more than under its own power since that time. History Revenue service and retirement (1944–1958) Built by the American Locomotive Company in July 1944, 261 was originally operated by Milwaukee Road. The locomotive, weighing , is rated at a maximum of and maximum speed of and is coal-fueled. It operated on the railroad pulling mostly freight trains on the eastern portions of the route, but was also skilled at pulling fast passenger trains as well, and was assigned to the Milwaukee Division by March 1954. It was then retired in August 1956 and was eventually donated to the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin. As the new museum's first acquisition, 261 was moved to the museum site in 1958. Excursion service In 1991, the newly formed "North Star Rail" selected 261 for restoration for mainline excursions. It was selected for a variety of reasons. The engine was large enough to handle the expected trains at track speed. It featured several modern features for a steam locomotive, including easier to maintain roller bearings. It also already had its asbestos lagging removed, which is very expensive to remove for environmental and safety reasons. Finally, 261's relatively short 10-year service life meant that the engine's boiler is more pristine, meaning it would take less work to rebuild the engine. North Star Rail and the National Railroad Museum came to an agreement in November 1991 for a ten-year lease, which was later renewed ten years later. 261 was moved from Green Bay to Minneapolis to the GE shops at Humboldt Yard in September 1992. There, a full-time staff rebuilt the engine. Work progressed quickly, allowing for a hydrostatic test in June 1993, a test fireup in July, and eventual restoration completion in September. After passing the FRA inspection