Pere Marquette 2-8-4 1225 will be staying close to home this fall after its owner, the Steam Railroading Institute, announced on August 13 that they would not be able to move the locomotive to Virginia for a series of fall foliage excursions. 

While the trips had not yet been announced, 1225 was slated to appear on the Buckingham Branch Railroad, which in recent years has hosted Norfolk & Western 4-8-4 611. SRI has been a partner in those trips by providing passenger cars, and there was a hope that 1225 would be able to stretch its legs on the main line, too. Unfortunately, the group was unable to secure an agreement with Class I railroads, specifically Norfolk Southern, to move the locomotive to Virginia. 

“Unfortunately, circumstances beyond SRI’s control have made it impossible to secure the necessary arrangements to move the steam engine, preventing us from planning and operating the excursions,” officials wrote. “While this is certainly disappointing news, we are not giving up on adding new opportunities to the calendar. We are actively working on other excursion options and hope to have some exciting alternatives to share soon.”

PM 1225 was built by Lima in October 1941, and restored for excursion service in the late 1980s. The locomotive is perhaps best known as the inspiration for the engine in the 2004 film “Polar Express.”

—Justin Franz