Rebuilding a Michigan Icon | Pere Marquette Steam Locomotive No. 1225 

I don’t think a lot of people realized how BADLY this work was needed and this video shows. The fact SRI didn’t have a major mechanical failure on 1225 due to these components is luck and also good craftsmanship on the part of the PM guys and Lima. Once the locomotive is back together this engine will be set for the rest of its life.

This engine isn’t just an icon of Michigan, she’s an icon of steam engines in general.

The fascinating thing about whole 1225 story is origins by a bunch of college students in the 1970s appreciated the industrial history of America and did what they could to help preserve a part of it. Truly exceptional in an era of apathy for such things.

The ol' girl has has been needing some MUCH needed work, especially the running gear, glad it's finally happening 👏👏👏👏

My son deeply respects what FMW Solutions does to restore steam locomotives 🚂 especially 1225 The Polar Express Engine and hopes they will be finished real soon.

While it’s a shame that the engine won’t be steaming this year due to the running gear work, I’m glad the engine is getting it and just hope once it’s done 1225 will continue to run as she always had for the last few decades.

I appreciate the work being done on the 1225. My dad participated in the engineer for an hour program and I would say it was one of the major highlights of his life.

Very encouraging to see the capabilities available to rebuild important steam locomotives. Great video; Thumbs Up!

What an involved project! Glad to know there are still young machinists out there who can take this on!

Rebuilding1225 is a serious undertaking, just ask Ed Dickins over at the UP steam program. Rebuilding 844 and 4014 was similar. Both were also converted to oil burning. It will surly be great to have another great steam locomotive back in service again. Good luck to all involved

my grandfather used to be a machinst at the sri untill he passed a few years back

Our nc&stl no 576 is coming along good

Can’t wait to see 1225 back on her wheels again!

I’m from Florida and I known the 1225 sense I heard her and always wanted to see it run. My family was going to try and see it this year but got cancelled with other things and the 1225 being out of service. However, I did see it once in the yard and it was amazing to see I felt like a young boy again and amazed the size of it and all of the moving parts and that the people keep her running and in services for almost nothing and I say thank you to all who do this you are persevering railroad history and people childhood.

Love seeing so much love and hard work being put into the engine.

I love Berkshires Especially PM 1225 And NKP 765

I worked on the Steam Engine back in the late 70's. I helped clean out the fire box, it was the dirtiest job at the time and few would volunteer to help. I was in my early 20's and the guy in charge of the firebox was in his 60's or 70's I would guess, he was very nice and greatly appreciated my help. As I remember there was a mountain of coal near her.

The 1225 may be out of service but the spirit of the polar express will forever live on with in me.

As a young child I was always obsessed with the more modern day equipment But as I’ve grown older I come to understand These old machines are working pieces of art. The Solid brass the heavy linkages parts were made to last

Yes i rode on this last year. it was fun we met the people who had the idea to rebuild the locomotive and got to wear an old hat and look at old photos! it was a fun experience and i hope ill see 1225 up and running again this year!

I’m really happy to see that My childhood movie engine is still out there

im happy 1225 is being repaired and brought back

I love This engine i Hope it will last a really long time for people to enjoy

Its absolutely insane the amount of effort that goes into restoring a steam loco

Very enjoyable to observe how maintenance on steam locomotives is performed, these operations are interesting and important to recognize since the steam era ended during the 1950s which is now 60+ years ago. I enjoy seeing the footage details of the repairs being performed on PM 1225 and the 1225 is a handsome locomotive to observe in excursion service action.

I second 1223 post. I helped on the first restoration and I am pleased and amazed at what you did. Thanks to all for making this possible.

i'm mad jelly of the people who get to work in shops like this

Lookin' good.

A true work of love to take care of a steam locomotive and my first hand on rail experience was with steam at the Texas State Railroad. I used to have the connections to ride in the cab but those are gone now. There are a lot of wonderful memories that I have of that time in my life and was able to sit in the engineers seat on the T & P 610 as well.

Rural King has a lot of knowledge on 1225! Appreciate the hard work and expertise going into this big project!!

I hope 1225 can travel out of state again one day. Maybe even with the 765 again.

SWEET..I’m so glad steam is coming back..seems there’s a surge in steam interest and a lot of old locos being restored to operation again.

hello from Kansas🇺🇸

Will be so awesome to see this locomotive running again 👍

It’s good to know that the polar express is still continuing to live on in full operation once this is complete heck I didn’t even know The Pere Marquette was going into an overhaul

My respect to the mechanics!

I’d imagine the tooling and die components as well as molding aspects can be challenging since many of these pieces were probably scrapped over time.

Thumbs up for a great video! Thank you for sharing the details. Loved every second of this.

Yes, the 'Michigan Icon' built in Lima, Ohio.

Delighted to know. Skilled and courageous men . What a wonder

nice one.

I got a chance to work on the restoration of 1225.

Excellent work! Keep 'em rolling.

Good work. 👏

Excellent info. Thanks for sharing.

she was also the steam locvvomotive used as a model I believe for the polar express

Great work chaps

Beautiful Video 5 STARS

So cool

Nice, Shane knows his s*** when it comes to steam engines. You know it is going to be a good restoration!

If only Pere Marquette 1223 Could be restored like this, it is on static display in Grand Haven, MI.

Looks like great work being done. Not cheap, but good. Awesome video. Man, that stuff would be hard and dangerous to work around.

tennessee has so many steam engines

id love a steam group to come and save the steam locomotive in my vetrains park cause it been there fro a long time and sure there a roof on it but its just sitting there not moving and id love to see it gget restored and ran again doesnt matter how far it gets run but as long as they fire it up 1 time and film it

That engine looks like the polar Express

Pere Marqette 1225 🚂🚂🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚂🚂

I Hope 1225 gets restored before Christmas I really want to ride the polar express

Do you guys plan on making a video on the acl 1504s restoration?

We’re ten years tops away from brand new steam engines being built via 3D printing

will it be ready for north pole express 23?

There's someting missing in the video's title. It should have been "Rebuilding a Michigan (and Movie) Icon"!

Did 1225’s wheels spend some time on the wheel lathe at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum? Reason why I ask is that several times when I’ve been on the shop tour the conductor mentioned 1225’s wheels are back in the back of the shop.

It'll never run. Good to see AHF is still on the job.

Hopefully 1225 has her whistle tuned sooner than later

I needed to know why they don’t dig a tunnel and do an extension for the main line Train so that they can extend the unused abandoned underground train stations. Why couldn’t they use the part D78 Stock train doors on the sides and also restructure the front face of the A60 and A62 stock that includes the class 313, class 314 and class 315 remix and make them all together and also redesign them an overhead line and also make them into Five cars per units and also having three Disabled Toilets on those Five cars per units A60 and A62 stock trains and also convert the A60 and A62 stock trains into a Scania N112, Volvo B10M, Gardner 6LXB, Gardner 6LXC and Gardner 8LXB Diesel Engines and also put the Loud 7-Speed Voith Gearboxes even Loud 8-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Gearboxes in the A60 and A62 stock, class 313, class 314, and class 315 and also modernise the A60 and A62 stock and make it into an 11 car per unit so it could have fewer doors, more tables, computers and mobile phone chargers. A Stock Trains and also having 8 Disabled Toilets on those A stock trains. why couldn’t we refurbish and modernise the Waterloo and city line Triple-Track train tunnel and make it Larger and extend it to the bank station, making it into a Triple-Track Railway Line so those Five countries such as Australia, Germany, Italy, Poland And Sweden to convert the waterloo and city line Triple-Track Railway tunnel into a High-Speed Railway lines? The Third Euro tunnel Triple-Track Railway line to make it 11 times better for passengers so they could go from A to B. Then put the modernised 11 car per unit A Stock and put them on a bigger modernised Waterloo and city line Triple-Track train tunnel so it could go to bank station to those Five countries such as Australia, Germany, Italy, Poland And Sweden. The modernised refurbished 11 cars per unit A stock could be a High Speed The Third Triple-Track Euro Tunnel Train So it is promising and 47 times a lot more possible to do this kind of project if that will be OK for London Australia, Germany, Italy, Poland And Sweden. oh by the way, could they also tunnel the Triple-Track Railway Line so it will stop from Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex so that the Passengers will go to Australia, Germany, Italy, Poland and Sweden and also extend the Triple-Track Railway Line from the Bank to Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex Stations so that more people from there could go to Australia, Germany, Italy, Poland And Sweden more Easily. Why couldn't they extend the Piccadilly Line and also build brand-new underground train stations so it could go even further right up to Clapton, Wood Street can they also make another brand new underground train station in Chingford and could they extend the Piccadilly Line and the DLR right up to Chingford? All of the classes 150, 155, 154, 117, 114, 105, and 106, will be replaced by all of the Scania N112, Volvo B10M, Gardner 6LXB, Gardner 6LXC and Gardner 8LXB Diesel Five carriages three disabled toilets are air conditioning trains including Highams Park for extended roots which is the Piccadilly line and the DLR trains. Could you also convert all of the 1973 stock trains into an air-conditioned maximum speed 78 km/hours (48 MPH) re-refurbished and make it into a 8 cars per unit if that will be alright, and also extend all of the Piccadilly train stations to make more space for all of the extended 8 car per unit 1973 stock air condition trains and can you also build another Mayflower and Tornado Steam Locomotive Companies and can they order Every 67 Octagon and Every 37 Hexagon shape LNER diagram unique small no.13 and unique small no.11 Boilers from those Countries such as Greece, Italy, Poland, and Sweden, can they make Mayflower and Tornado Steam Locomotive speeds by up to 147MPH so you can try and test it on the Original Mainline so it will be much more safer for the Passengers to enjoy the 147MPH speed Limit only for HS2 and Channel Tunnel mainline services, if they needed 16 Carriages Per units, can they use those class 55’s, class 44’s, class 40’s and class 43HST Diesel Locomotive’s right at the Back of those 18 Carriages Per Units so they can take over at the Back to let those Mayflower and Tornado Steam Locomotive’s have a rest for those interesting Journeys Please!!!!!!, oh can you make all of those Coal Boxes’s 18 Tonnes for all of those 147MPH Mayflower and Tornado Steam Locomotive’s so the Companies will Understand us PASSENGER’S!! So please make sure that the Builders can do as they are told!!!!! And Please do something about these very very important Professional ideas Please? Prime Minister of England, Prime Minister of Australia, Prime Minister of Sweden, Prime Minister of Germany, Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister of Poland and that Includes the Mayor of London.

The heck with Mars , let’s go with steam

I got lost on all the terminology of parts I didn't recognize... Would have been nice to see pictures of where the parts went...

Pls bring back the full black wheels and sides

When will she return to service?

Yes 1997! That is!

I might be an ohioian and dislike Michigan but I'll give the pat on the back for that beauty at least there's some things we can come together on

Out of curiosity, what would it take to convert the main journals to roller bearing? I see that you did change the bearings some, but why not go all the way to roller bearings?

I hope this famous seamer get back in service agin once this big repair is done

Is that Loco a Berkshire Class?

The Polar Express

Is this how I was built/born?

it would be cool to see the 1225 run from owosso to Detroit and then to grand rapids then to michigan city then back home to owosso

Why does the thumbnail look so much like a model train lol!

The polar express....

Didn’t I hear conversion to oil?? Or just for the bearings??

Man, I guess this will be out of commission for a while. no riding on it for Christmas.

Where will this engine run

It would be awesome if 1225 reunites again with 765 for a fourth time. Maybe bring 611 too!

rebuild the polar express 1225

Hey SRI! Question, how is it possible that 1225 got away with 70 years without an overhaul and other locomotives need much more frequent overhauls. Is this work beyond the 1472 FRA inspection?

L&N 1992 The 42nd L&N Big Emma 4 The Remake of I Love Toy Trains 1 (VHS)!

They should put sierra#3's whistle on her to seal the deal 😎

Will she be ready for the coming North Pole Express?

Ohhh, I thought you were talking about jobs and an honest government,, but yeah the train is cool too

Polar express !

Actually, essentially, actually.

Love what there doing but keep it coal berning please

it's not going to burn coal anymore? it's not the polar express without coal 😢

You like "basically".....

What happened? I was going to admit that 1225 was in service. On October 7th, 2022, PM 1225 was pulled from service for unknown reasons.

Pᵣₒmₒˢᵐ 🌷

Another great smelling coal burner 🔥 turned into deep fryer

Video title: restoring a steam locomotive. Video contents: finer points of machining and bushes👎

Looks like a waste of time & money! Drones is where the future is. Living the past is for people with no vision!

As soon as he ''we are doing a conversion to oil'' I LOST ALL INTEREST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😠😠😡 To me a proper steam loco burns COAL NOT OIL, the world is already short of crude oil, there are VAST reserves of coal MORE than enough to mankind out but NO lets not use that 😡😠😠😡