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).
