Pere marquette 12258/22/2023 Which is probably how it would be in real life, the conductor wanting an orderly and on time train, but we've already established that this movie is well into fantasy. Throughout the movie, or at the very least during the first few scenes with him, I thought the conductor was a little edgy for the kids. And since miraculously no one was hurt, the ride continues to the North Pole, with hot chocolate for the kids. I guess it's a fun ride to say the least. Then we meet some of the other kids, including this train nerd:Įxcept he's wrong when he says the PM 1225 was built by Baldwin, indeed it was actually built by the Lima Locomotive Works. He isn't alone though, as many other kids are North Pole bound on this train. He is beckoned inside by a conductor (because kids should always get in vehicles alone without any parental supervision at night but whatever), and in his coat pocket appears a Golden Ticket for a round-trip ride on the Polar Express to the North Pole. As soon as he appears to fall asleep, he is awoken by the sound of a train running outside his front window. The movie begins when a nameless child is trying hard to sleep the night before Christmas, eagerly waiting the possibility of Santa showing up. It also has a very nice soundtrack that kids are sure to love. Some have complained about the art style of the movie, and while some of the characters do look a little off, I thought overall the computer animation was pretty good. With that said, I know this movie is for kids, and in many ways it seems like a children's Christmas story, but at the same time, there are many really dark moments in this movie that would freak me out as a kid. The book was before my time, and the film was after my time growing up when I would've been interested in it, so other than bits and pieces, I had never actually seen the movie in it's entirety until this week, when my girlfriend decided we should watch it for Christmas. That being said, in both the novel and the film, that is pretty much the only thing in reality that the locomotive has to do with the story, which is entirely a Christmas fantasy. Van Allsburg was so stricken by the locomotive, and specifically it's 1225 numbering as symbolic for December 25th, that he wrote the novel based almost entirely on the locomotive. It was saved from scrap in 1957 after it was purchased by Michigan State University, where it remained on static display until 1971, when it was rebuilt to begin service once again at the Steam Railroad Institute. It was in service until 1951, after which time the Pere Marquette Railway had been purchased by the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad. The locomotive was put into service in 1941, making it among the last steam engines constructed before diesel would become the norm for railroads. That said, the locomotive really is gorgeous, and it doesn't take much imagination to see how glorious it would be as a Christmas steam engine. As someone who's interests in railroading are more in the routes themselves and not so much the engines, I really don't know what that means. The author, Chris Van Allsburg, grew up in Grand Rapids, MI, and visited the Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso, MI, where the locomotive was in service and on display, which it remains to this day.Īccording to it's fan-page, Pere Marquette 1225 is "is a class N-1 2-8-4 Berkshire-type steam locomotive". The movie is based off of a 1985 book of the same name, which itself is based off of a locomotive, specifically Pere Marquette 1225. It's the Holiday Season once again, and as a result, I figured I'd mix things up a bit and discuss a Christmas Movie, The Polar Express, and it's significance to the railroad industry as a whole.
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