You Could Soon Own Michigan’s Most Iconic Train In LEGO Form

When the holidays come around, most families have Christmas movies they watch every year. For many, that could be Home Alone or A Christmas Story, but in my household, the movie of choice was The Polar Express, which shows audiences that "the magic of Christmas lies in your heart." It also shows you should really check your pockets for holes.

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But what many don't know about that story is that the iconic Polar Express train is based on a real train from here in Michigan, one that is still operational today. Even though a picture says a thousand words, some train enthusiasts would prefer to own their own version of the iconic locomotive.

That's why one fan is petitioning to create a replica of the train...in LEGO form. But to accomplish this, they need your help.

Pere Marquette 1225 Inspires The Polar Express

For many years, the Pere Marquette 1225 sat dormant near Spartan Stadium at Michigan State University. It was during these many years that a young Chris Van Allsburg, the author of The Polar Express, grew to admire the train while visiting the campus, according to MSUToday. The train directly inspired his fictional train, down to the writing on the side.

READ MORE: 60K Vintage Michigan Postcards Digitized by University of Michigan

The locomotive quietly sat for more than 34 years before MSU students brought it back to life, restoring it to pristine condition. It now goes on an annual holiday trip, with volunteers manually throwing coal in the engine to keep things chugging.

A Hungarian's Dream LEGO

It was this movie and their discovery of the Pere Marquette 1225 that led one Reddit user to take matters into their own hands to create a LEGO version of the train for its upcoming 85th anniversary in October. As it stands, the model is approximately 3200 pieces. Below are renders of the train, created in LEGO by Nouva, the IDEAS uploader.

"I’m an industrial design student from Hungary, a lifelong train fan, and a huge Polar Express nerd ever since the movie came out. When I discovered that the real locomotive behind the Polar Express is Michigan’s PM 1225, I knew I had to recreate it in LEGO."

If you want to see this get made, the idea needs to reach 10,000 supporters on the LEGO Ideas website to enter a review period, during which LEGO will determine whether to enter production. It currently has just over 3,000 supporters, with 5,000 as the next important milestone.

Click here to show support for this idea.