Two-year-old Oliver Crofoot is facinated by the steam produced by the Pere Marquette 1225 steam engine as it idles in the Village of Ashley Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015.

An onlooker photographing the Pere Marquette 1225 steam locomotive passing through Carland, Michigan had a close call when he got too close to the tracks, Shiawassee County deputies said.

With an average speed of 25 mph, the train carries about 700 passengers per trip. The Pere Marquette 1225 was built in 1941 by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio, for the Pere Marquette Railway.

LANSING – The famed Pere Marquette 1225 steam train that leads the North Pole Express excursions from Owosso to Ashley’s Country Christmas will not run again this year.

Gannett Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press December 1, 2023 at 7:02 AM North Pole Express pulled by steam engine Pere Marquette 1225 travels towards Ashely from Owosso on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023 ...

The Pere Marquette 1225 locomotive, based at the Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso, typically pulls the train and was featured in the 2004 animated Tom Hanks movie, "The Polar Express." ...

Pere Marquette 1225 won't lead North Pole Express this year The famed Pere Marquette 1225 steam locomotive, adapted to animation for the "Polar Express" movie, rolls into Ashley from Owosso in 2019.

Unfortunately, the Pere Marquette 1225 was not leading our trains to the Village of Ashley. The steam locomotive is currently side-lined as a precautionary measure for a concern with the ...

Tickets for the 2025 North Pole Express train rides in Owosso, Michigan, went sale at noon June 24, 2025. Ticket prices range from $85 for coach to $6,500 for a private car. The Pere Marquette ...