Milwaukee Road 261

Specifications
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	with 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
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)

Type and origin
Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Builder	American Locomotive Company (Schenectady Works)
Serial number	71974
Build date	July 1944

Milwaukee Road 261
Milwaukee Road 261
	Milwaukee Road No. 261 at Milwaukee Intermodal Station in June 2006
Power type
Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Builder	American Locomotive Company (Schenectady Works)
Serial number	71974
Build date	July 1944
Configuration:;
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	with 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
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)
Maximum speed
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
Operators
Career
Operators	Milwaukee Road; Friends of the 261
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 S3 class 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, has logged more than 25,000 miles (40,000 km) under its own power since that time.