Pere Marquette, 1225, and the Polar Express

There are three things in the title. Fr. Jacques Marquette founded the first European settlement in what is now Michigan, Sault Ste. Marie, and then went on to found St. Ignace, eventually prompting its settlers and residents to name many things in the region for him, including a railroad. Pere Marquette 1225 is a restored 2-8-4 (or Berkshire type) steam locomotive built by Lima Locomotive Works for the Pere Marquette railroad and now operated by the Steam Railroading Institute. The Polar Express is the title of a train in the movie of the same name as well as in the book from which the movie was adapted. 1225 was used by the

movie's producers as the motion-capture basis for the train seen in the animated movie.

Today, I posted a picture of the Lionel G gauge Polar Express on my Facebook page. It's running under my Christmas tree as it has for several seasons now. The model, like the original locomotive, eats fuel. In this case, batteries of the heavy C-size kind. The original burned coal, as does the restored locomotive. (video Courtesy of Steam Railroading Institute.)

Dwell, for a moment, on how railroading has connected us to our history, and to enjoyment of current pop culture and art. Pere Marquette is not the only railroad in U.S. history with a connection to the enigmatic and difficult-to-spell Sault Ste. Marie. Historically, 1225 shouldn't exist but for the Michigan railroad's connection to Chesapeake & Ohio and the decision to purchase or so-called modern steam along with railroads like the (also strangely named) Nickel Plate and Norfolk & Western.

And, if you are writing a children's train story that is eerily difficult to place in a particular era, a steam locomotive is the only kind of train that will do the trick. That the producers of the animated movie recognized the value of using a real locomotive so that the animation was not cartoon-like is a credit to both their artistry and their foresight. My home Christmas decorations are that much better for it, and children love a steamer. 1225 is a classic.

Pere Marquette, I think, is somewhere happy and thankful to God for the connection.

Merry Christmas.

©2019 C. A. Turek - mistertrains@gmail.com