maxrailroad's video: The Real Life Polar Express - Pere Marquette 1225

On the weekend of December 4th, 2021, a group of friends and I trekked out to Owosso, Michigan to fulfill a bucket list item. The Polar Express is a classic holiday film that was instrumental in getting me hooked on trains, and seeing the real locomotive that inspired the holiday film has long been a dream of mine. Operated by the Steam Railroading Institute on the rail lines of the Great Lakes Central, The Pere Marquette 1225 N2 Berkshire ran trips this year from Owosso to the Ashley Christmas Village. Eager to get back into video, but armed only with my phone, I managed to throw a little feature together for Youtube. My group was treated to some snow flurries on Sunday morning which make for our opening scene. Spliced in with some runby clips and shots of the Christmas village in Ashley, this video features some incredible action from one of my favorite locomotives. The video concludes with a reverse move at the classic Carland Elevator location on this line, where we requested that the engineer lay into the auxiliary whistle, a Chesapeake and Ohio Hooter, and he happily treated us to a show. Enjoy and thanks for watching!