On the final weekend of October 2024, the mournful wail of a steam whistle filled the crisp, late autumn air in the deep woods of Northern Michigan. For the first time in 5 years, the Steam Railroading Institute brought back to life one of their most popular excursions, “The Cadillac Limited". Running over the rails of the Great Lakes Central Railroad, the all-day trip travels from the small city of Mt. Pleasant, MI due north to the picturesque lakeside town of Cadillac, with of one of the country's most popular and well-renowned steam locomotives in command, Pere Marquette N-1 Berkshire #1225. The excursion gives passengers a chance to enjoy all the wonderful scenery that this part of Michigan has to offer in the gorgeous fall foliage, as #1225 hustles along the old main line of the Ann Arbor Railroad. Hearing the news of the Cadillac Limited's long-awaited return, we made the trek to the Wolverine State for a full weekend of chasing #1225 over a 100+ mile portion of the GLC system!
Our coverage begins at dawn, as we chase #1225 on her ferry move north from SRI's home base in Owosso, MI to Mt. Pleasant, and are treated to some stunning scenes as the sun begins to rise. We then follow the main excursion itself, as #1225 journeys north to Cadillac, passing through a wide array of varied landscapes, from vast plains, to thick forests, to rolling hills and pristine lakes. A few bursts of fall colors greeted the train at several locations along the way, and the backwoods nature of the line's winding route, as well as a few stiff grades, made for a thrilling chase indeed.
So come along for the ride with us as we follow #1225 across the state of Michigan, as the Big Banana Railfan Proudly Presents "The Charge to Cadillac!"
#1225 was built by Lima in 1941 for the Pere Marquette Railway, and in her early service career, was used to haul steel and wartime freight from the Michigan cities of Detroit, Saginaw and Flint, to the steel mills in northern Indiana. In 1947, the Pere Marquette was merged into the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, and #1225 served under the C&O banner until she was retired from service in 1951. After being sent for scrapping in New Buffalo, MI, Michigan State University expressed interest in acquiring a steam locomotive for their campus in East Lansing, MI to serve as a studying tool for engineering students. C&O agreed, and #1225 was given a cosmetic restoration in the Wyoming Shops before being delivered to MSU in 1957. In 1969, a group of students at MSU formed the Michigan State University Railroad Club, and began looking into restoring #1225 to operating condition, with work on the locomotive beginning a year later. The effort became known as "Project 1225" and the club along with its supporters formed the Michigan State Trust for Railway Preservation. She was moved to the former Ann Arbor Railroad shops in Owosso in 1983. The restoration was completed two years later and #1225 hauled her first excursions in 1988. Her most famous outing was in 1991, when she doubleheaded with Nickel Plate Road #765 to the NRHS Convention in Huntington West Virginia, where both locomotives were star performers on the legendary New River Gorge route to Hinton, WV. Author Chris Van Allsburg used #1225 as the inspiration for his 1985 Christmas classic, "The Polar Express” due to his memories of climbing on the locomotive during football events at MSU, along with its number, which coincidentally is also the date of Christmas. In 2004, the sounds of #1225 were recorded for the animated film adaption of "The Polar Express" by Warner Brothers, bringing her notoriety to new heights. In 2022, #1225 was given a major running gear overhaul by FMW Soloutions of Chattanooga, TN, and upon the installation of several other mechanical upgrades, she returned to action in time for 2023's North Pole Express trains, looking and sounding like a brand new and factory fresh locomotive!
Enjoy!