Brief History Summary
Fall 1969: MSU Railroad Club is formed after student Steve Reeves uses an open letter in the State News to rally other rail history buffs
Spring 1970: At a meeting of the East Lansing club, a bold idea flourishes: restore former PM 1225 to operating condition
April 1971: Members begin dismantling 1225, donated to MSU in 1957 and displayed next to Spartan Stadium as a monument to the age of steam
November 1972: 1225’s boiler is filled and checked for leaks under pressure in first hydrostatic test
January 1975: Repairs bring first successful hydrostatic test of locomotive’s boiler
October 1975: 1225 is fired up in stationary test
February 1976: Search begins for larger permanent display site
July 1979: Michigan State Trust for Railway Preservation, Inc. is set up as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational corporation
May 1981: 1225 is donated to MSTRP by MSU and moved just off campus
February 1983: 1225 is moved to former Ann Arbor Railroad steam locomotive shop in Owosso, MI and leased as corporate headquarters
November 1985: 1225 chugs down the track under its own power for the first time in 34 years
September 1988: 1225 makes 12-mile (19 km) trial runs between Owosso and Chesaning
October 1988: MSTRP operates first excursion trains
August 1991: 1225 goes to Huntington, WV for the National Railway Historical Society’s annual convention.
August 1992: Canadian National (CN) railroad donates machine tools for further restoration work
August 1993: Extensive repairs are finished on the boiler syphons and 90-square-foot (8.4 m2) firebox
September 1993: “Engineer for an Hour” program starts as a visitor attraction and way to raise money and fulfill the mission statement: To educate the public of steam era railroad technology…
March 1995: 1225 is listed on National Register of Historic Structures
December 1996: MSTRP acquires a Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad combine and a CN Burro crane
January 2000: Michigan State Trust for Railway Preservation, Inc. founds the Steam Railroading Institute (SRI)
June 2000: SRI acquires Pere Marquette 90-foot-diameter (27 m) (later lengthened to 100-foot) turntable (built 1919 by the American Bridge Co.) from New Buffalo, MI
December 2000: Two display rail cars are unveiled at grand opening of SRI
July 2002: Warner Brothers arranges to use 1225’s image in “The Polar Express,” an animated feature based on the children’s Christmas story book of the same name, premiering in theaters in November 2004.
July 2002: Restored Flagg Coal Company 0-4-0T #75 steam locomotive comes to SRI
February 2003: SRI buys Tuscola & Saginaw Bay Railway Co. site in the Owosso yard for its permanent home and visitor center
June 12–13, 2004: Grand opening weekend for SRI visitor center
April 2005: Steam Railroading Institute purchases 2-8-0 #76 from the Ohio Central Railroad.
October 2005: #1225 and the Steam Railroading Institute partner with Bluewater Michigan Chapter NRHS for the longest excursion that the engine has hauled since 1991. To do so, #1225 traverses RailAmerica's former Grand Trunk Western Bay City Subdivision, then spends two days hauling excursions from Kawkawlin to Grayling, Michigan over the former New York Central Mackinaw Division, now Lake States. nearly 1400 passengers are hauled over the two days.
May 27, 2006: SRI begins regular weekend passenger excursions to West Owosso behind Flagg Coal Company #75.
December 2006: PM 1225’s overhaul was completed just in time for the North Pole Express, returning to service in the best shape it has seen in a long time. SRI volunteers finished re-plumbing the locomotive in September, and the final phase of the project, installing the superheater units, was completed in November.
April 2007: Pere Marquette #1225 hauls first ever "Photo Freight."
July 23-26, 2009: Pere Marquette 1225, Nickel Plate 765, Southern Pacific 4449, Flagg Coal Company 75, Little River Railroad 110 & 1, Leviathan, Viscose 6, and a few diesel locomotives come together for Train Festival 2009.
July 24, 2009: Pere Marquette 1225 suffers a flue failure which puts her out of service the rest of Train Festival. Nickel Plate 765 substitutes for PM 1225.
December 2009: Pere Marquette 1225 suffers a second flue failure within the same year. This is the last time 1225 is under steam.
January 2010: The FRA mandatory 15 year rebuild for Pere Marquette 1225 is started with a hopeful finish by 2013.
Read more about this topic: Steam Railroading Institute
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