#Pere marquette 1225 full#
#Pere marquette 1225 trial#

You can see all the cross streets so you can determine where to photograph this incredible Michigan steam train. Here is the route of the North Pole Express along it's journey to the Christmas Village of Ashley. The 1225 began an overhaul in 2010 in which a crew of engineers and volunteers worked tirelessly to replace its aging boiler.įour years later and nearly $1 million spent, the incredible Pere Marquette 1225 is back on the rails again! Where To Photograph the North Pole Express The 1225 attended conventions and hauled freight trains until 2009 when it suffered a couple failures.

#Pere marquette 1225 trial#

In November 1985, the 1225 moved under its own power for the first time since 1951 and made a few 12 mile trial runs between Owosso and Chesaning. The engine ended up at the Steam Railroading Institute (where it resides now) and engineers worked hard to get it running again. They had an ingenious (and ambitious) idea of restoring the 1225 Pere Marquette to begin exciting excursion trains that would transport football fans to the Michigan State University on game days.Īround 1982, the stream train was moved a couple times and went to live at the Tuscola & Saginaw Bay railroad in Owosso for restoration. Project 1225 by Berkshire Productions Publication date 1988 Topics 1988, 80s, Berkshire Productions, Pere Marquette, Steam, Train, Steam Locomotive, Steam Trains, 1225, Owosso, St. While it was there, a group of students was fascinated with the 1225 steam train so they decided to form The Michigan State University Railroad Club. In 1957, the MSU Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan thought the train was a great piece of machinery for students to study so they put it on display until 1981/1982. It hauled freight until it was retired in 1951 and was sent to be scrapped in New Buffalo Michigan. I decided to dig into the history of the 1225 Pere Marquette and discovered it was built in 1941 by the Lima Locomotive Works for the Pere Marquette Railway. I'm absolutely fascinated with the powerful, majestic and absolutely breathtaking 1225 Pere Marquette Steam Locomotive. The Steam Railroading Institute parking is marked and easy to find. Lionel made a model of the locomotive in 2008 including some with the tender that's lettered ' Polar Express' and a gold scale version made in 2014 to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of 'The Polar Express'.There is paid parking right across the street from the Steam Railroading Institute (about $10) if you are running late.įree parking is SUPER close, located at the NCG Cinema, and takes like 5-6 minutes to walk on paved walkways. Today, the #1225 runs on numerous excursions and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the largest operating steam locomotive in Michigan.

#Pere marquette 1225 full#

In 1988, after nearly a decade of dedicated restorative work by the Michigan State Trust for Railway Preservation, Inc., the locomotive was again in full operation. It was put on display at Michigan State University until 1983, when it was moved to the former Ann Arbor Railroad yard in Owosso for restoration. In 1957, #1225 was saved from the scrap yard by a C&O yardmaster who appreciated the locomotive’s unique “Christmas Day” road number. But the story of the “Christmas Day” Berkshire was not yet ended. In 1951, the ex-Pere Marquette locomotive was retired due to a rise in diesel locomotive service. The Pere Marquette Railway merged with Chesapeake & Ohio in 1947, and this Berkshire kept pace with the steadily growing auto industry around Detroit, supplying raw materials and delivering finished goods.

Built by Lima in 1941 and designed for “fast-freight” service, it spent most of its wartime years hauling steel and freight between Michigan factories and Indiana steel mills. 1225 was one of thirty-nine 2-8-4 Berkshire types ordered by the Pere Marquette Railway.