Exactly. It's called an "auxillary tender" to help increase the amount of water carried on the train. It helps extend the range of the steamer between stops.
@LocoCyc I was at the repair shop in owosso mich, when it was down in 09. My father inlaw and i were up in the cab talking with the guys working on it for about an hour or so. had a great time.
@JelloOnline This engine was used in the filming of the movie for sound effects, and the basic design of the engine in the movie. The cab, is the same in the movie and they are both 2-8-4 berkshire locomotives. :)
Thats a Sweet Video! I photographed her when she was lettered as the "Polar Express". I sure wish I had videotaped it. Who would have thought Warner Brothers would make the steam railroading institute give up the rights to use the logo!
@fafnir242 I have been in the cab of that engin, My father inlaw and i went to owosso at their repair shop when it was down in aug 09. I climed halfway in the firebox, and boiler. we talked to one of the enginers and a fireman, that were working on it. We must have been their for over an hour, we went early in the morning, their were no other people around, we had a great time talking with them about the pere marquette, they give tours their, Great place to visit..
very nice video; at the moment I'm, in northern Norway (about 2500 km northern than Michigan)at the LKAB line from Kiruna to Narvik: it's a bit cold (about -30°C) and polar night
for those of you that volunteer on 1225. did any of you notice that she sounded out of timing. like it was i dunno one or three beats per revolution of the cylinders.
@rexman92 the locomotive is a 2-8-4 Berkshire locomotive built by the Lima Locomotive works in 1941. The nerdy kid dose not have his facts right. ALCO and Lima built the Berkshires, but Lima is the one that came up with the design.
Can't we all just get along? LOL. I drive a truck for a living, but as important as the trucking industry is, a train can definitly get more frieght across our country than a truck. A train with 100 cars means at least 100 trucks not polluting the air. Once a train reaches it's destination, that's where the trucks take over. The railroad and the trucking industry actually work together even though it seems that they're competing. Let's enjoy the clip, and stop the bashing.
@JelloOnline The folks doing the restoration and maintenance on this engine created a 3-D computer model of it. When Warner Bros. or whoever went looking for a steam engine to use for the movie, they chose this one because they basically just had to download the existing 3-D computer model into their system.
Thats really nice, but I wish there were the blue and red coaches like in the movie. The movie by the way had a lot of errors in it involving the engine. Like how the kid says it's a Baldwin S-3.
Wow that train is slow! But one of my BFF'S went on it. My BFF said they served her cocoa and she did almost everything than the movie (polar express). BUT WHY DID THEY HAVE THE TRAIN IN SUMMER?
a couple of more errors are the number of cars the train has like at the beginning it has 6 later on like at the part where the ticket is over the bridge the train haves like 12 or something
I'm not trying to be a wise guy. All I'm saying is that alot of steam whistles survived and alot of Steam Engines did not. Why not put a whistle from a Hudson or a Greenbrier on her. I'm sure there are alot of whistles around that have that great sound of the steam era.
What do you mean twice? PM 1225 is still in service. Sure it only runs a few times a year but its not permantly retired. and I resent being called an Idiot. I'm an active member of SRI and the people running it are NOT idiots. Go Troll somewhere else
New York Central Hudsons where probably the greatest steam engines ever made. Look what Lionel modeled and look at the price they bring today. $2000.00 plus. It's too bad they didn't save one from scrapping. I guess your the expert on whistles. A steamboat whistle on a locomotive?
That beautiful steam locomotive needs a better whistle. The one they installed must be off a tank engine. Even the little Susie Q 142 has a better sound than this.
