The legendary Pere Marquette 1225, featured in the move “Polar Express,” appears to be ready to lead the Steam Railroading Institute’s annual North Pole Express excursions after completing a test run this week following summer-long refurbishment.
After it was pulled out of service during last year’s North Pole Express runs, the 80-year-old locomotive underwent reconstruction, boiler refurbishment and repairs to the superheaters, according to an SRI post on Facebook.
“Big news from Owosso today — the legendary Pere Marquette 1225 roared back to life for its test run at the Steam Railroading Institute!” the SRI said in a Facebook post on Nov. 20. “The crew has been hard at work preparing this iconic steam locomotive for the upcoming North Pole Express excursions, and seeing 1225 under steam again is nothing short of pure Christmas magic in motion.”
On occasion, the SRI has used other trains in its collection to pull excursions when the 80-plus-year-old train suffered mechanical issues.
“The sights… the sound… that unmistakable whistle echoing across the yard — it’s all a reminder that the holiday season is right around the corner, and the magic starts here in Owosso,” the SRI said in a post.
Located in the former Ann Arbor Railway backshop, 405 S. Washington St. in Owosso, the Steam Railroading Institute teaches the public the history of steam-era railroading in Michigan and the Great Lakes region.
One of the institute’s biggest events is its annual North Pole Express weekend trips. The Pere Marquette 1225 was featured in the popular Christmas movie, “The Polar Express.”
Passengers enjoy a two-hour train ride each way to and from Ashley featuring a vintage-themed Christmas party featuring live music, photo opportunities and Santa himself.
Train rides run Saturday and Sunday from Nov. 21-Dec. 21, according to the railroad’s website, although tickets are currently listed as sold out. If tickets become available they will be posted online, according to the group’s website.
What is the Pere Marquette 1225?
The 1225 was built in October 1941 at the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio for the Pere Marquette Railway, the SRI says on its website.
The locomotive was used for 10 years between Detroit, Toledo, Flint, Saginaw, Grand Rapids and Chicago. The locomotive is one of 39 2-8-4, or “Berkshire,” types ordered by the Pere Marquette Railroad.
The Pere Marquette 1225 is 15 feet, 8 inches tall, and 101 feet long with a combined engine and tender weight of 401 tons. It can produce 5,000 horsepower.
“It takes about eight hours to generate a full head of steam on the locomotive’s boiler, which operates at 245 pounds per square inch. The tender holds 22 tons of coal and 22,000 gallons of water, consuming one ton of coal for every 12 miles and 150 gallons of water per mile. The locomotive cost $245,000 or roughly $2.5 million by today’s standards,” the SRI says.
Why is the PM 1225 famous?
The engine is part of the National Register of Historic Structures.
It was the model for the animated locomotive in the 2004 Warner Brothers Christmas Classic, “The Polar Express,” which starred Tom Hanks. The 1225’s blueprints were used as the prototype for the locomotive image, as well as its sounds to bring the train in the animated film to life.
Can you watch the Pere Marquette 1225 pass by?
Yes, but officials warn observers to stay off the tracks. People have nearly been struck by the train in previous years.
Safety tips include:
Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pere Marquette 1225 ready to run. ‘North Pole Express’ season starts
Reporting by Jalen Williams and Dan Basso, USA TODAY NETWORK / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
