Pere Marquette 1223

Preserved PM N-1 class 2-8-4 locomotive

Pere Marquette Railway
→ Chesapeake and Ohio Railway

Class

PM N-1
C&O N-1

Number in class8 of 12Numbers

PM 1223
C&O 2657 (never renumbered)
Norfolk & Western 1223

Nicknames"The Forgotten N-1"LocaleMichiganRetired1951Preserved1981Restored1989 (cosmetically)Current ownerThe City of Grand HavenDispositionOn static display

Pere Marquette Railway Locomotive #1223

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

43°4′4″N 86°13′48″W / 43.06778°N 86.23000°W / 43.06778; -86.23000Arealess than one acreBuilt byLima Locomotive WorksArchitectural stylesteam locomotiveNRHP reference No.00001490^[1]Added to NRHPDecember 7, 2000

The Pere Marquette 1223 is a steam locomotive on permanent display in Grand Haven, Michigan. It is one of two surviving Pere Marquette 2-8-4 "Berkshire" type locomotives, along with sibling engine No. 1225, the inspiration for the locomotive in the book and movie versions of The Polar Express, which is in operating condition.^[2]

History

Built in 1941 by the Lima Locomotive Works for $90,000 ($1.86 million in 2023 dollars), 1223 hauled freight between Toledo and Chicago in the years immediately before and after World War II. When Pere Marquette was absorbed by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, the engine assigned number 2657 but never had the new number applied. The locomotive was not paid off at the time and the merger agreement stated that equipment still under trust was to remain in Pere Marquette livery. It was retired from service in 1951.^[3]

After retirement, the engine was moved to New Buffalo, Michigan, to be scrapped. However, it was repainted and moved in 1960 for display at the state fairgrounds in Detroit. The money for that was provided by the donations collected by school children around the Detroit Area. In 1980, Michigan state fair officials wanted to expand the grandstands but the locomotive stood in the way. The city of Grand Haven won the bidding process. With the help of the Michigan National Guard as well as Grand Trunk Western and Chessie System railroads, it was moved to Grand Haven in 1981.^[3]

In 1982, the West Michigan Railroad Historical Society acquired the PM steel boxcar #72222 and cosmetically restored it and joined the engine on static display.^[3] Considering the number of years that it has stood out in the elements, it would be an expensive and time-consuming project to restore it to operation. However, It received a full cosmetic restoration in 1989.^[4] That same year, the PM caboose #986 was also purchased and would join the engine on static display.^[4]

The locomotive was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 7, 2000.^[3]

On February 28, 2020, the engine and the rest of the display was vandalized, with the locomotive being spray-painted several times and a caboose door kicked in.^[5]^[6]

References

^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
^ "Train Engine #1223". SteamLocomotive.com. Retrieved August 7, 2006.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Pere Marquette Berkshire #1223". Pere Marquette Historical Society. Retrieved August 7, 2006.
^ ^a ^b "Pere Marquette #1223 Facebook". Facebook.
^ "Historic train in Grand Haven targeted by vandals". February 27, 2020.
^ "Locomotive on display in western Michigan target of vandals".