The real Polar Express lives here

Owosso is home to a genuine movie star. It’s the Pere Marquette 1225, one of the great American steam locomotives. And it’s the engine behind The Polar Express. The 1225 was built in 1941 in Lima, Ohio. It hauled freight across Michigan until it was retired in 1951. Then it sat on display at Michigan State University. As a boy, author Chris Van Allsburg used to walk past it on his way to MSU football games. Years later it inspired his 1985 children’s book The Polar Express. Then Warner Bros. made the 2004 movie. They modeled the film’s locomotive on the 1225’s own blueprints. They even recorded its real sounds for the soundtrack. (By a nice coincidence, the engine’s number — 1225 — reads like December 25.)

A group of MSU students rescued and restored the 1225. Since the 1980s it has lived in Owosso. There it’s owned and run by the Steam Railroading Institute. It still pulls excursion trains. The most famous is the North Pole Express. That’s a holiday run from Owosso out to the village of Ashley’s Country Christmas. It sells out within hours each year. (In some years the engine is down for maintenance. Then diesels pull the train instead. So it’s worth checking before you count on riding behind the 1225 itself.)

The Steam Railroading Institute is in Owosso (michigansteamtrain.com).