@@nathancorcoran5347 Awesome! And what’s weird about Polar Express that if you look up the date it was released, it says Oct 30, and that’s like before Halloween! And I also didn’t know that train was part of the Polar Express movie, pretty cool!
I was on this trip with my daughter and four year old grandaughter on our way, of course, to the North Pole! The sounds on the train were unbelievable. My grandaughter can be seen in one of the train car windows waving to stopped traffic. Thanks for adding to what was already a great memory and adventure for us on the 1225.
The only time i saw a steam train in real life was the N&W 611 in thomasville NC april 9th or 10th cant remember but it was a blast seeing it i really wish i could see 1225 running and maybe chase it that would make my day and probably my whole life
That's great. The Pere Marquette 1225 is down right now for a complete overhaul, but the museum is open. Owosso is a great place, with a great night life, great restaurants, and it has tons of history and beautiful residential architecture, You will have fun!
Thank you so much, Draggerdrummer. The 1225 is down for a complete overhaul right now, but should be up and running again soon. It's always wonderful to see it. You should visit Owosso some time.
I remember waking up one Sat. morning as a student at MSU to the sound of some idiot on a horn. As I came awake I realized it was A train whistle. My dad was a train buff so I knew it was a train engine but couldn't figure it out. Am track did not come through at 7 am! Then it hit me: they had gotten the 1225 running! I dressed and got there in record time. Thanks to a good friend who was part of the crew I was able to get up in the cab, feel the heat, and blow the horn. What an experience!
Oh, thank you so so much for the sights and sounds that bring back such fond memories of my little boy days of the 40s and 50s. Is there a more beautiful sound than these? Love it a whole bunch. Thank you for posting. Ole Johnny B.
Even though I was born in the 80s and was a child of the 90s, I completely agree with you, sir. I grew up loving trains from a very young age, and even now I am still completely enamored of these amazing locomotives. I have some CDs and audio files of steam locomotive sounds, and whenever I listen to them, I'm no longer in 2012, but am standing on a platform in the golden age of railroading.
Steam locomotives are so impressive, with its massive size, steam and smoke pouring out, its shrieking steam whistle and those many moving parts you swear that its a living iron beast!
That must have been a thrill. About three years ago I took an excursion up to Clare, Michigan, and, when we were pulling back into Owosso it was evening and dark outside. As we were chugging east past and behind the houses on Cass Street, you could see people in their homes watching TV, playing cards, washing dishes in their kitchens, etc. Several waved to us through the windows in their homes. It was very nice.
Thank you so much for your nice comment. I've seen many grown men and women cry at the site of the 1225 rolling by. It's a gift to the world that we have it here. Thank you.
I love your comment. Thank you so much. It is tough to hold back the tears when something so historic and so great as the 1225 appears in it's full operational glory. It's a sight to behold.
I have to laugh at myself because as an adult I never thought of watching a train go by to be exciting until my 2 yr old nephew started to show an interest in trains (or choo choo train as he says).... of course I looked on RU-vid and found this video. And like my newphew we sat here in in amazment! I really enjoyed it... GREAT VIDEO.. GREAT JOB! Thanks
Thank you so much for your comment VanceSova. The slow deep-sounding bell is from the train. The rapid higher pitched bell is from the crossing signals.
Lodging in Owosso is about booked up. However, there are rooms in the nearby towns of Perry (10 mi), Chesaning (13 mi), Durand (15 mi), St. Johns (20 mi), Flint (25 mi), Okemos (28 mi), (East Lansing (33 mi), DeWitt (34 mi), Birch Run (35 mi), Lansing (37 mi.), Bridgeport (38 mi). Plus, arrangements are being made for camping in and around Owosso. The traffic conditions in and to and from Owosso are always very good. It's a well-designed city and area. Prepare for a good time!
Great insight. Yes, that would be wonderful. Whenever I hear the whistle go off, I hop into my car and race off to watch the 1225 make it's runs through the crossings in town, and then watch it rip down the rails through the country.
It is a thing of beauty that is always a thrill to see. It's down right now for a complete overhaul. Otherwise, it can be seen roaring down the rails quite often.
Magnificent! love it. I miss steam. And nothing in this combination in the way of a diesel coupled into the middle of the set up. Just steam! And real cabooses too!
Yes it is. Steven Spielberg's production company contacted the Smithsonian Institution for help to find an operating steam engine locomotive that fit certain specs. The Smithsonian sent the production company to the Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso. For several days, Spielberg's production company filmed the Pere Marquette steam locomotive in operation in and around Owosso. The exterior sites and sounds of the locomotive were used for the computer rendering of the movie Polar Express.
It's going to be quite the event, Daniel. Plus, there will be all kinds of additional things going on in Owosso to continue the fun after the TrainFestival closes down every night. I hope to meet you here!
The Great Lakes Central railroad - the largest regional railroad in Michigan - is also located in Owosso, Michigan, and it runs on the same rails. The Great Lakes Central's headquarters and main yards are located about 3/4 of a mile east of where this video was taken. The Huron Easter Railroad also runs on rails a couple hundred miles south of the rails in the video. So, you may have been hearing diesels from locomotives of one or both of those railroads.
@1musiclvr Thanks for the comment 1musiclvr. The tall building on the left is the old factory for the Woodard Furniture Company. Over $30 million was spent converting it into upscale loft apartments and condos, and there are businesses on the main floor, as well as a great restaurant called the Wrought Iron Grill. People come from all over the state to eat there. The building to its left is the old factory for the Owosso Casket Company, which closed in the mid-1950's.
Yes, the 1225 is awesome. As for the bell, it's only used when the locomotive is slowly moving along the rails and across switches in town - presumably as an added warning device.
Thank you for your nice comment. I have no idea what type whistle is on the 1225. The most recent whiste is more deeper-sounding. If I discover an answer to your question, I'll let you know. Thanks again.
I think 1225's normal whistle is either a 5-chime or 6-chime, not sure what kind though. The deeper whistle is a N&W 3-chime from 611. The higher 5-chime whistle in the PE movie is apparently from Sierra Railway 3 (a Lima).
That's right. However, sometimes, if the 1225 is on a run to a place where there isn't a turnaround or a turntable, a diesel locomotive will pull the train back to Owosso. That's because if the engine were at the back of the train pushing the train in reverse, the whistle would be too far away from some crossings to be an effective warning and, of course, the engineer wouldn't be able to see the track ahead.
Wow, that's a thing of beauty. I'm amazed as to how close you got and how you can see all the details like in the smoke for example. Does that thing still run? It will be a sad time when we don't see those at all anymore.
At around 1:50, the SUV at the stop sign is really pissing off the driver behind them (you can hear them honking their horn). If I saw a steam engine rolling through my town, I would sit there and watch it go by too lol. Not something you get to see everyday these days.
Nice locomotive and train. I like the video and your description is great. The bell on the steam engine is interesting. I'm now not sure if the ringing sound comes from it exclusively or also from the crossing signal. At first I thought it was the crossing signal only.
I just noticed that they had the whistle mounted in the spot for guest whistles and the regular dome spot was empty with the cap still on it. Interesting
I believe the bells are used as additional warning as the train makes it's way through the city. As for guns, the U. S. actually has a far lower violent crime rate and home invasion rate than in G. B., for example. May it's because criminals know that many households are well-armed. In any event.Owosso is a wonderful place, and I hope you'll come for a visit someday.
What a great train. Just a few suggestions to get a real nice video next time. Cut the first 50 secs of this video. Put a wind muffler over the mic when its windy, the camcorder should have been about four to five feet higher if possible. Stay out of the shot, shadows and stuff.
@34002salisbury Its also partly because 4449 is so big. . .Its too big to fit on a lot of other railroads, so it hasn't really traveled too much. Its even troublesome moving it around the US sometimes.
