Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Today's Train of Thought- The 'Real-life' Polar Express? A Berkshire Christmas Dec 23rd 2009


Today's yuletide train of thought looks for all the world like a blast from the past and features a movie star of sorts. Here, Pere Marquette 2-8-4 'Berkshire' leads a string of freight cars south over Ann Arbor trackage at Carland, MI. This image is courtesey of railpictures.net contributor Mitch Goldman, and was actually taken on a wintry midwestern Febuary day....in 2008. Here, she is seen ferrying some vnitage freight cars

The 1225 calls the Owosso, MI-based Steam Railroading Institute home and belive it or not, the real-life 1225 was featured in the animated Polar Express movie. Technicians from Warner Brothers flew out to Michigan to record digital auido of the 1225 under steam for use in the film as well as get detailed measurements for a CGI-rendering of the locomotive.

Even with the Christmas-themed road number, the 1225 sees service the rest of the year hauling visitors on shot excusrions for the Steam Railroading institute.

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