Pere Marquette 1225

Pere Marquette 1225

Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Lima Locomotive Works Serial number 7839 Build date December 6, 1941
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-8-4  • UIC 1′D2′ h2 Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 69 in (1,753 mm) Length 101 ft 8 in (30.99 m) Adhesive weight 277,600 lb (125,900 kg) Loco weight 442,500 lb (200,700 kg) Total weight 805,900 lb (365,600 kg) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 44,000 lb (20,000 kg) Water cap 22,000 US gal (83,000 l; 18,000 imp gal) Fuel consumption 1 short ton (0.89 long tons) of coal per 12 miles traveled (1 metric ton per 21 km) Firebox:  • Firegrate area 90.3 sq ft (8.4 m2) Boiler pressure 245 psi (1.69 MPa) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 26 in × 34 in (660 mm × 864 mm)
Performance figures Power output At cylinders: 2,979 hp (2.22 MW) Tractive effort 69,368 lbf (308.6 kN) Factor of adh. 4.00
Career Operators Pere Marquette Railway → Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Class PM: N-1 C&O: N-1 Number in class 10 of 12 Numbers PM 1225 C&O 2659 Locale Michigan Retired 1951 Restored 1985 Current owner Michigan State Trust for Railway Preservation Steam Railroading Institute Disposition Operational, based on Owosso, Michigan, Steam Railroading Institute
Pere Marquette Railway Steam Locomotive No. 1225
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
NRHP Reference #	94000744
Added to NRHP	July 31, 1994

Pere Marquette 1225 is a 2-8-4 (Berkshire) steam locomotive built for Pere Marquette Railway (PM) by Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio. 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 ex-GTW coaling tower, in Grand Haven, MI. Nickel Plate 765 (operated by the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, Inc) is also a Lima built Berkshire very similar in appearance and specifications to the Pere Marquette engines.

The Pere Marquette Railroad used 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. Slated for scrapping, 1225 was acquired by Michigan State University in 1957 and placed on static display.

In 1971, work began to restore 1225 to operational status, an effort that culminated in its first excursion run in 1988. The locomotive, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is now used on excursion trains over the former Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway, now Great Lakes Central Railroad.

1225 was built in 1941 by Lima Locomotive Works for Pere Marquette Railway (PM). PM ordered this type of locomotive in three batches from Lima: class N in 1937 (PM road numbers 1201–1215), class N-1 in 1941 (numbers 1216–1227) and class N-2 in 1944 (numbers 1228–1239). 1225 cost $200,000 to build in 1941 ($3,256,561 in current dollars). The build was complete on December 6, 1941, and delivered to the Pere Marquette

The locomotives remained on the roster through the PM's merger into Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) in 1947; class N locomotives 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 standard C&O livery and renumbered. The majority of the class N locomotives were scrapped between 1954 and 1957, but class N-1s 1223 and 1225 were both preserved.