Milwaukee Road No. 261 is a 4-8-4 steam locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company in 1944 for the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad.
The locomotive was part of a late generation of large American steam power designed for high-speed freight and passenger assignments at a time when dieselization was already accelerating.
No. 261 worked roughly a decade in regular Milwaukee Road service, including territory that later became important to its preservation career.
After retirement, the locomotive entered museum preservation rather than being scrapped.
In the early 1990s a volunteer-supported effort moved 261 from the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay and began restoration work.
Friends of the 261 developed from the volunteer organization supporting the locomotive and later became the principal preservation group responsible for the engine and a fleet of historic passenger cars.
No. 261 returned to steam in the 1990s and operated extensive excursion mileage across multiple railroads.
The locomotive later underwent another major rebuild after its earlier operating period ended, returning to service again in 2013.
Friends of the 261 maintains the locomotive as part of a broader operating heritage program rather than a static museum display.
For TransitSatellite, No. 261 should be represented with dated operating eras. Museum display, first restoration, later rebuild, and present excursion operation are separate chapters in the same physical locomotive’s history.