Steam Locomotive Fans

PM 1225 & 1223 are sisters, and survivors. They are the last remaining Pere Marquette Berkshires, and 2 of only a handful of Van Sweargian 2-8-4s left. Of these few, only 2 are operational, 1225 in Owosso, MI and Nickel Plate 765 in Fort Wayne, IN. Ex NKP 763 is currently being restored to operating condition on the Ohio Central RR. I hope you enjoy learning about these fine steamers.

1225 passes the Michigan Bean Co. elevator in Henderson, MI.

The 2-8-4 Berkshire locomotive is the expansion of the 2-8-2 Mikado type. The first 2-8-4 was built in 1926 by the Lima Locomotive works as a demonstrator, designated class A-1 due to its superior design. The superpower design was the ingenious idea of a soft spoken genius named Will Woodard. He thought that by enlarging a locomotives firebox, you could get more power out of one engine. His idea worked. The new "Superpower" locomotives were easily recognizable by the extra set of trailing wheels under the fire box. To demonstrate the power of the 2-8-4, Lima and the New York Central Railroad staged a publicity stunt. Two trains left an NYC yard 10 minutes apart from each other. One was pulled by one of the NYCs "Super Mikado" class H-10 2-8-2s that Lima had constructed a few years earliar, the other pulled by the Lima A-1. The 2-8-4s train was much heavier than that of the train being pulled by the 2-8-2. The 2-8-4 performed magnificantly, and the tower operator had to switch the 2-8-4 to an adjacent track to allow it to pass the 2-8-2 without either train having to slow down! The Berkshire arrived at it's destination 15 minutes ahead of the 2-8-2, a remarkable feat. The NYC was impressed and ordered many 2-8-4s for it's subsidiary, the Boston & Albany Railroad. Some of the best Berkshires were the Van Sweargians, which ran on the Chesepeake & Ohio, Pere Marquette, Nickel Plate, and Virginian Railroads.

1225 loads passengers on the North Pole Express on 12/8/07.

The Pere Marquette ordered 3 different classes of Berkshires. The first, numbers 1201 through 1215, were the N class, built in 1937. The second class, numbers 1216 through 1227, were the N-1 class, built in 1941. 1225 & 1223 are of this class. The last class, the N-2's, numbers 1228 through 1239 were built in 1944. It is a little known fact that PM Berk's actually have larger cylinders than their more famous Nickel Plate Road cousins, and thus have over 5,000 more lbs of tractive effort, giving the PM berks a total tractive effort of 69,350 lbs. Pere Marquette's 2-8-4's were among the best of the Van Sweargian's, with 69" drivers, a coupler-to-coupler length of 101 feet, a total weight of 436,500 lbs, 794,500 lbs with tender, 90 square feet of grate in the firebox, carrying 22,000 gallons of water and 22 tons of coal. They also had an operating boiler pressure of 245 psi.

Pere Marquette #1215 at Detroit, MI in the early 40's. 1215 is an N class 2-8-4. Railfan.net

Pere Marquette 1225 is a 2-8-4 Berkshire type locomotive. Built in 1941 by the Lima Locomotive Works of Lima, OH, it worked on the PM until the road was merged into the C&O in 1949. There she served for a few more years before being retired. 1225 then sat at MSU in Lansing, MI unil in the early 80's it was moved to the former Ann Arbor RR shops in Owosso, MI to be restored. It was restored in 1988 by the Michigan State Trust for Steam Preservation. In 2004, 1225 stared in a hollywood movie, The Polar Express. The locomotive was not actually in the movie (the movie is 3D animation), but sounds from the locomotive were used, and 1225 served as the pattern for the Berkshire in the movie.

1225 rounds a curve on a North Pole Express excursion weekend in Henderson, MI.

1225 has racked up a lot of miles in excursion service since it's restoration in 1988. Recently, the engine had new super heater tubes installed and some boiler work done. SRI is also working on their newly purchased Missisipian 2-8-0, but work is haulted at the moment to get the 1225 back up and running. They also run Flag Coal Co. #76, an 0-4-0T every saturday from Labor Day to Memorial day. Stop by and see them! The railroad that SRI runs 1225 on the Tuscola & Saginaw Bay RR, was recently purchased by a new company and renamed Great Lakes Central. Nothing seems to have changed though, because 1225 continues running all over the GLC. To learn more about the 1225 and it's organization, check out http://www.mstrp.com

 In the cab of 1225. Jay Tester

1225 simmers in the morning sun with the North Pole Express in late November of 2006.

1225 as she appears today. For an April 2007 photo freight, she had her white striping removed and had her old "flying" numberboards added back on top of her smokebox. She currently remains this way.

Pere Marquette 2-8-4 Berkshire Class N-1 #1225 (and 1223) Specifications:

Length: 101 Feet

Height: 16 Feet

Weight (engine and tender): 400 Tons

Horsepower: 3,000 est.

Tractive Effort: 69,850 lbs.

Operating Boiler Pressure: 245 psi

Coal Capacity: 22 Tons

Water Capacity: 22,000 Gallons

Water Consumed Per Mile (WCPM): 150 Gallons

(source: www.mstrp.com)

Modeling Tips:

Life Like Proto 2000 recently released HO Van Sweargian Berkshires lettered for Pere Marquette. The represent N and N2 classes, not an N1 like the 1225 and sister 1223. I have N2 #1236 from P2K and it is THE best HO steam locomotive I own. If you're a fan of PM 2-8-4's or any of the Van Sweargian Berks, this model is for you! Bachmann has also recently released HO 2-8-4's in NKP, C&O and PM, numbers 1225 and 1218. Rivarossi did Berkshires in HO lettered for PM years ago, but these models aren't very detailed and can be quite troublesome.

PM 1223 in Grand Haven, MI.

Pere Marquette #1223 is a 2-8-4 Berkshire, built by the Lima Locomotive Works for the Pere Marquette Railroad. She served the PM well until 1947, when the PM was merged into the Chesepeake & Ohio. #1223 then served on the C&O on the old PM division until she was retired in 1951. She curretly resides in Grand Haven, MI, a few blocks from the Mid-Michigan RR mainline. She's owned by the city of Grand Haven and the Tri-Cities Historical Society, and her maintainence and preservation is taking care of by the Pere Marquette 1223 Preservation Comitee. There are currently no official plans for her restoration, but there's been quite a bit of talk about it. #1223 had a complete analyzation a few years ago, and everything is in prestine condition. To quote one of the inspectors, "For an engine that has been stored outside for over 40 years, it is in prestine condition". 1223 is currently displayed with a Pere Marquette Boxcar, a Pere Marquette Caboose, and a Grand Trunk Western Caboose, at the site of the old Grand Trunk Western RR yard and coaling tower.

Many parts from the 1223 were used to aid in the restoration of PM #1225 in the 1980's. Parts that were missing from the engine have been fabricated or cosmetically "replaced". With a lot of work and a LOT of money, who knows, maybe she'll ride the rails once again.

Standing on the steps on the fireman's side, we get a sense of what one would see looking out of this beast rolling down the high iron.

One with a keen eye might notice that 1225 has her numberboards mounted on her headlight, while 1223 has them up top by the bell. Both versions are correct. The 1225's appearence is as built, and 1223's is as it appeared in service. The 1225 also has yellow lettering, while 1223's is white. These are both correct as well.

1223 and all her glory. The Pere Marquette 1223 Preservation Comitee holds an annual Ice Cream Social during which the offer tours of the equipment on display. Going into the cab of 1223 is a must do!

#1223's specs are identical to the 1225's above, being that they are in the same class. Although, all three classes of PM Berks have identical specifications.

The 1223, with the GTW coal tipple in the background.

In the cab of 1223.

1223's massive tender, which carried 22 tons of coal and 22,000 gallons of water.