I've especially wanted to mention that I personally do perfectly agree that this video definitely has got awesome footage of Pere Marquette #1225 as the real Polar Express as the fine Berkshire type of steam-driven railway tender locomotive chuffs proudly down the line pulling a passenger train!
Now that they have the numberboards (which in some cases were actually used on the 1225 while being on the PM), all they need now is the firebox jacket!
Actually, they were only on after the PM and C&O merged. When 1225 came out of the shops back in 1941, it wasn't until the 50's when she got flying number boards. I personally think the engine looks more authentic without them.
I thought during the mid 40s during the war the N-1s got numberboards as well. I knew they had numberboards on the C&O, but I thought they were installed 2 years prior to the merger. And yes, the bald is actually original to the locomotive, and in some cases looks better than the numberboards.
But also, the huge lettering "Pere Marquette" is not original, either. The font is the same as it was when it rolled out of the shops, but the lettering "Pere Marquette" was a lot smaller on the PM and even into the 1990s and again in 2007-08.
I've especially wanted to mention that I personally had recently seen another video talking 'bout this fine Berkshire type of steam-driven railway tender locomotive known as Pere Marquette #1225 definitely had been built in the same exact place as Nickel Plate Road #765 known as the American Locomotive Company; which certainly happens to be exactly what we simply call ALCO for short!
I've especially wanted to mention that I personally just suddenly realizes that there's a diesel-electric locomotive working really hard to push the locomotive's passenger train from behind as well as working really hard to pull the passenger train from the front as the Berkshire type of steam-driven railway tender locomotive pushes the train tender first during the very first trip SINCE a long train of very full passenger coaches can simply be considered to be very heavy including on steep gradients; which certainly would BASICALLY mean a banker definitely will be needed for extra power! I've especially wanted to mention that I personally took notice that there were obviously 2 brake vans coupled to the train behind the last coach as well as directly behind the diesel-electic locomotive!
If 1225 also used white lines on the wheels, boiler, cab, snow plow, and yellow numbers on the number board under the headlight, and a mars light or not, she will become a Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4, like 765
1225 has been in the shop for a while getting her trailing truck rebuilt. When engines are in the shop they don't get the cosmetic attention that you would normally find when they are on the road. Thus, there was probably not enough time to re-graphite the rust on the firebox before the next run. Another example is Southern 630 a few years ago, she was getting firebox work done and had to get out of the shop so quickly they didnt have time to re-graphite the smokebox, thus there was a large rust patch for a while on the Radford excursions
