By Railfan & Railroad Staff

OWOSSO, Mich. — The Steam Railroading Institute has hired FMW Solutions to do critical running gear and wheel work on Pere Marquette 2-8-4 1225. This will be the most extensive running gear work performed on the locomotive since before it was retired in 1951.  

FMW Solutions has emerged as one of the premier steam locomotive contractors in recent years, doing work on a number of major restorations, including United States Sugar Corporation 148, Atlantic Coast Line 1504, Pennsylvania Railroad 1361, Nashville, Chattanooga, & St. Louis No. 576, and Western Maryland Scenic Railroad No. 1309. FMW will lift 1225 and its 30-tons of drivers, axles and wheel assemblies will be removed and rebuilt. 

“Locomotive 1225 has emerged as an icon in our industry and one of the few large mainline steam engines with a regular operating schedule, which puts a unique kind of demand on a machine that’s 80 years old,” said Shane Meador, Vice President of Mechanical for FMW Solutions. “We’re looking forward to assisting SRI in getting thousands of miles more out of this machine.”

Locomotive 1225 regularly runs on the Great Lakes Central Railroad. For more information, visit the Steam Railroading Institute’s website.