Name the Polar ExpressTrain Cars

Can you name the Polar Express train cars? We know that the Polar Express engine is the Berkshire #1225 steam locomotive. But what exactly are the cars that trail behind the magical engine?

Can you name them? How about this....

• Tender Car, where the coal (and lots of it) is stored.
• Coach Car, where passengers can relax on their trip to the North Pole.
• Diner Car, where the food is served. Anyone hungry?
  
• Hot Chocolate Car, where hot, hot, hot chocolate is served!
• Baggage Car, where the old toys await recycling.
• Observation Car, to see where you've been.
• Elf Handcar, for when you're at the North Pole.
• Disappearing Hobo Car....which doesn't appear for sale very often!
  

So, do you imagine what that nighttime journey to the North Pole would be like?

If you have the Lionel Polar Express model train, the extra cars aren't necessary, but they are fun to have.

So there they are, the Polar Express train cars. Enjoy your magical set!

The Story Behind the Polar Express Train

The Polar Express train set is a combination of the original "Polar Express" (Berkshire Pere Marquette #1225) and the movie by the same name.

The original train was built in the year 1941. It was created for freight service, and during WW2, it spent most of time hauling freight (mainly steel) between Michigan and Indiana.

The train was still in service after the war years, but then in 1951 it was retired from the freight runs.

And so it sat.

Years go by, and it's now 1957. A C&O yardmaster came across the train and appreciated the locomotive's unique "Christmas Day" road number (12/25).

More years roll by and the book The Polar Express is published, becoming a Christmas classic. Disney then decided to produce an animated movie. In 2004, The Polar Express burst on the movie scene, and it, too, has become a Christmas must-see movie -- for kids young and old alike!

While the original Berkshire Pere Marquette #1225 didn't have a Hot Chocolate car, the movie's version appeals to anyone who loves hot chocolate, dancing waiters or the magic of Christmas.

Naturally, Lionel, model train manufacturer extraordinaire, had to create a miniature Polar Express train set (in both O gauge and G gauge).