Owosso MI Railfan Guide

About 12 miles from Durand is Owosso. Owosso was home to Train Festival 2009, a steam spectacular not to be missed!

Unfortunately, the local favorite, 1225, was not operating, but I understand 4449 filled in. so for those from the Mid-West or East who have never been to the west coast to see 4449 run in the Willamette Valley, they got a special treat!

Former Pere & Marquette steamer #1225 is housed in Owosso, here is an excerpt from Wikipedia (edited for grammar and content):

Pere Marquette 1225 is a 2-8-4 (Berkshire) steam locomotive built for Pere Marquette Railway (PM) by Lima Locomotive Works. 1225 is one of two surviving Pere Marquette 2-8-4 locomotives and the only one operable. PM used 1225 in regular service from the locomotive's construction in 1941 until the railroad merged into the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) in 1947; it remained in use on C&O's Michigan lines until 1951. Slated for scrapping, 1225 was acquired by Michigan State University in 1957 and placed on static display.

Work began to restore 1225 to operation in 1971, an effort that culminated in its first excursion run in 1988. The locomotive, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is now used on excursion trains over the former Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway, now the Great Lakes Central Railroad.

Also included on this page is my map for the area between Durand and Owosso, but it can also be found by itself from the menu pages. The PDF versions are available from the Michigan index page.

A couple of aerial shots of the TSBY yard, which is the home of Pere Marquette 1225. Turntables these days are as rare as semaphores!