Pere Marquette 1225 is a class "N-1" 2-8-4 "Berkshire" type steam locomotive built in October 1941 for the Pere Marquette Railway (PM) by Lima Locomotive Works (LLW) in Lima, Ohio. No. 1225 is one of two surviving Pere Marquette 2-8-4 locomotives, the other being 1223, which is on display at the Tri-Cities Historical Society near the ex-Grand Trunk Western (GTW) coaling tower in Grand Haven, Michigan. It is perhaps most famous for serving as the basis for the locomotive in the 2004 film, The Polar Express. The Pere Marquette Railway used No. 1225 in regular service from the locomotive's construction in 1941 until the railroad merged into Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) in 1947; It remained in use on C&O's Michigan lines until 1951. Escaping from the scrapyard, No. 1225 was acquired by the Michigan State University in 1957 and put on static display. In 1969, a group of students took an interest in No. 1225, and in 1971, the Michigan State University Railroad Club was formed and began work to restore No. 1225 to operational status, an effort that culminated with its first excursion run in 1988. The locomotive, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is now used for the "North Pole Express," an excursion train that runs from Owosso, Michigan, to Ashley, Michigan over the former Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway, now Great Lakes Central Railroad operated by the Steam Railroading Institute. As of 2023, No. 1225 is out of service for mechanical repair work to its running gear. History Revenue service (1941–1951) No. 1225 is a 2-8-4 steam locomotive built in October 1941 by Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio (LLW) at a cost of $200,000 for the Pere Marquette Railway (PM). PM ordered this wheel arrangement type in three different locomotive classes from Lima: class N in 1937 (Nos. 1201–1215), class N-1 in 1941 (Nos. 1216–1227), and class N-2 in 1944 (Nos. 1228–1239). The 1200s remained on the roster through the PM's merger into Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) in 1947; class N were renumbered to 2685–2699, class N-1 to 2650–2661, and class N-2 to 2670–2681. Part of the merger agreement, however, included the stipulation that locomotives that were acquired and fully paid for by PM would remain painted for PM after the merger. Although all the Berkshires received new numbers, only class N engines were repainted into the standard C&O livery and renumbered.