Pere Marquette Berkshires

Any historical questions can be posted here. Answers would certainly help as well :)
User avatar
SD80MAC
Ingersoll's Mr. Michigan
Posts: 10431
Joined: Thu Mar 10, 2005 4:59 pm
Location: Grand Rapids

Pere Marquette Berkshires

Unread post by SD80MAC »

The following is a post I did for my "Steam Sundays" series that I've been doing in my Michigan Railfans group on Facebook. Re-posted here in the hope that someone might find it interesting!

For this edition of Steam Sunday, we're going to take a look at my personal favorites, the Pere Marquette 2-8-4 Berkshires. I am far from a steam locomotive expert, so if any of the following is wrong, feel free to correct me!

The Pere Marquette, by the late 1930s, was gaining a reputation for fast, reliable service. While the existing fleets of 2-8-2s and 2-10-2s could move freight, they were slow. The PM needed new fast freight power, and turned to the AMC for designs. The AMC, or Advisory Mechanical Committee, was a group of engineers and designers from each of the railroads that were owned by the Van Sweringen Brothers: the Pere Marquette, Erie, Nickel Plate, Wheeling & Lake Erie, and Chesapeake & Ohio. The AMC had previously designed fast, powerful 2-8-4s for the Erie, and had stretched the design into the famous T1 2-10-4s for the C&O. In 1934, they had also designed the first 2-8-4s for the Nickel Plate. The PM chose the NKP design for their 2-8-4s, with some modifications. The first group of PM 2-8-4s were built by Lima Locomotive Works and were delivered in 1937. Designated class N, they were PM 1201-1215 (PM always started engine number blocks with "01", never "00") and were the epitome of Lima's "Superpower" design. They had slightly larger cylinders and weighed more than their NKP cousins, and had conventional boiler tube pilots. Boiler pressure was 245 psi, and they developed 69,350 lbs of tractive effort. The last 5, 1210-1215, had a booster engine mounted on the trailing truck, which added around an additional 8,000 lbs of tractive force at low-speeds (useful when starting heavy trains). Their tenders could hold 22,000 gallons of water and 22 tons of coal. They also had 69" driving wheels, which enabled them to run fast! The new Berkshires were an instant success, hauling heavier trains faster than the older engines. It was because of the Berkshires (though PM people called them "1200s") that the PM was able to initiate the famed "Overnighter" Fast Freight between Detroit and Chicago.

In 1941, more locomotives were needed due to the increased traffic from the war in Europe which the US was not yet involved with, but was certainly providing a lot of goods for. PM again turned to Lima for 12 more 2-8-4s, which became class N1 PM 1216-1227. The locomotives were constructed and delivered in October and November of 1941, the last one arriving barely a month before the US entered the war. These 12 engines were basically copies of the N class engines from 4 years prior, with the only major change being the addition of a 5th sanding line running to the driving wheels. No N1s had booster engines.

Wartime traffic levels were still setting records when the PM ordered what would be their last steam locomotives, 12 more 2-8-4s. These were to become class N2 and numbered PM 1228-1239. These engines, while still very similar to the first 2 groups, were very different in some ways compared to the earlier 1200s. The biggest visual difference was the reversal of the steam and sand domes, with the sand dome now in front (like the C&O's 2-8-4s). They also featured cast, rather than bolted, engine frames. Tractive effort remained the same, and the last 5 N2s were equipped with boosters like the last 5 Ns.

Throughout their careers, the PM 2-8-4s did not change much. At some point, all 39 of them got 70" driving wheels in place of their original 69" ones, which was accomplished by adding a thicker tire to the driving wheels. Tractive effort dropped by about 1,000 lbs as a result. Another apparatus found on all of the PM 1200s was the GRS induction shoe, located on the engineer's side front tender truck. This was needed to actuate the Automatic Train Stop system that PM used between Grand Rapids and Detroit. None of the PM 1200s were ever fitted with roller bearings, with PM opting for older-style plain bearings instead. Also somewhat unique was that the 1200s did not have a traditional pull cord for their whistles, but a steam-powered actuator instead. This was basically a "button" that the engineer pushed which sent steam to the whistle, much like a modern diesel locomotive air horn. While effective, it negated any chance for the engineers to "quill" the whistles like other steam locomotives. The whistles were standard Lima 6 chime models. All PM 2-8-4s also had air powered bell ringers as well. Another fact that might surprise some people today is that these locomotives were not equipped with speedometers (most steam locomotives were not). It was up to the engineer to time his mileposts to get a gauge for just how fast he was going. Interestingly, if you look at the pictures below, you will see that all of the 1200s appear to have had headlight visors when they were new at Lima, however most in-service photos show them without them. Why they were removed, I do not know.

The Ns and N1s were delivered in PM locomotive black, with graphite painted smokebox fronts and PM Venetian yellow letters and numbers. Sometime around 1942-1943, PM changed their lettering and number to a larger size, and older power was repainted into the new style. The N2s were delivered with this larger lettering. It is also hard to tell, but the N2s may have also been delivered with black smokebox fronts instead of graphite. The 1200s wore the same white-trimmed running boards and cabs as other PM steam power. Though they were delivered with white trimmed wheels, these were quickly repainted as the engines entered service.

The Pere Marquette 1200s were bought for one purpose: moving freight fast. And they fulfilled that purpose extremely well. There are stories of PM engineers getting them up to 80 mph on the New York Central west of Porter, running off the final miles to Chicago. Though it is hard to directly compare a steam locomotive to a diesel, a PM 2-8-4 would be roughly the equivalent of an EMD SD40-2 in terms of pulling power. Though they never hauled revenue passenger trains on the PM, they likely could've kept to the schedules as well as their 4-6-2 Pacific cousins. In their later years, they began to be bumped off of higher priority freight trains as new EMD GP7s rolled in to replace them. Some of their last assignments included local freights, pusher duty on Saugatuck Hill, and working coal trains on the Lacrosse branch.

In 1947, the Pere Marquette was merged into sister Van Sweringen railroad C&O. Around that same time, PM/C&O started equipping their steam locomotives with smokebox-mounted "flying" number boards. Weather these boards added to or detracted from the looks of the 1200s divides Berkshire fans to this day. The locomotive lettering, which was a very pale "Venetian" yellow in the PM days, was redone in the darker C&O yellow. The PM practice of graphite smokebox fronts and white trim was also discontinued. All of the Berkshires were to be relettered and renumbered into the C&O system, becoming C&O 2600s, slotted just ahead of C&O's 2700 series 2-8-4s. Only the original 15 class N engines were ever renumbered though, becoming C&O class N3 (C&O did not use single letters to designate locomotive classes) 2685-2699. The N1s and N2s were never relettered or renumbered because of the rules regarding their original equipment trusts required them to be lettered for their original owner (Pere Marquette) through the duration of the trust, usually 15 years. The 2-8-4s continued to work on the former PM lines until 1951, when the C&O dieselized the Pere Marquette entirely. A handful of of the 1200s (along with a few PM 2-8-2s and 4-6-2s) thought to be in the best mechanical shape were sent south to the old C&O, working in West Virginia and Kentucky. These engines were retired by the end of 1952. The rest remained in Michigan, rotting away in the deadlines at places like Grand Rapids, Holland and New Buffalo, waiting for their equipment trusts to run out so they could be cut up for scrap. Compared to other 2-8-4s, notably their NKP cousins, the PM 1200s did not have very long careers. The N2s were barely 7 years old when they were retired! The economics of diesel locomotives were so much more cost-effective than that of steam, that many nearly-new locomotives were simply just written-off.

Fortunately, 2 of the 39 PM 2-8-4s were saved for preservation, 1223 and 1225, both N1s. 1223 was donated to and displayed at the Michigan State Fairgrounds in Detroit until 1981, when it was relocated to Grand Haven, where it remains on display to this day under the care of the 1223 Preservation Committee. 1225 was donated to Michigan State University and was displayed on campus until the early 1980s when restoration efforts moved it to the former Ann Arbor shops in Owosso. It would run under its own power again in 1988, and remains operational today in Owosso under the care of the Steam Railroading Institute, and is currently 1 of 2 operating Berkshires in North America. 1225 has also received some upgrades in its second life. Recently SRI finished converting the lead, trailing and tender axles to roller bearings. It usually wears the visor over its headlight, as I'm told it does a better job of focusing the beam down the track in the dark. 1225 also had a more conventional whistle lever installed a number of years ago, allowing the whistle to be quilled. Piping was added for a second whistle at some point, just behind the smoke stack, and 1225 has worn many "guest" whistles in recent years as a result.

Image
Lima builders photo of PM N1 1222, October 1941

Image
PM 1225 having just been delivered in Grand Rapids, November 1941. Photographer unknown.

Image
Lima Builder's photo of N2 1237. Note the reversed positions of the sand and steam domes compared to the Ns and N1s. The large pipe running down the side of the engine that runs into the trailing truck was the steam delivery pipe for the booster engine.

Image
PM 1225 at night back in 2015, my photo.

Image
PM 1223 on display in Grand Haven in 2014, my photo.

Image
N class 1206 at Wyoming yard in the early 1940s. The power house and locomotive Back Shop are in the background. The engine is sitting on the cinder pit lead. Photographer unknown.

Image
Another Lima builder’s photo of N1 1222, from the Richard Leonard collection

Image
N class 1211 on display in Saginaw at the depot in 1937. Photographer unknown.

Image
Lima builder’s photo of N2 1237.

Image
N1 1220 at the Belt Railway of Chicago’s Clearing yard in the late 1940s. Photo from the Gary Everhart collection.

Image
1225 pulling the North Pole Express north of Owosso in 2019. My photo.

Image
1225 on the NPE passing Robbins Furniture in Owosso in 2017. My photo.

Image
1225 on the turntable at SRI in Owosso in 2008. This is the former Pere Marquette turntable that was originally at PM’s yard in New Buffalo. Originally 90 ft long, SRI lengthened it to 100 ft in order to be able to fit 1225 and their trackmobile on either end of it.

Image
N1 1223 sits on the inbound lead at Wyoming yard, viewed from the top of switching job working the old even. An 0-8-0 works on the even lead at right while a train rolls into 3 track with a pair of BL2s. I’m not sure who took this photo, but it was recently shared by Tom Carter.

Image
A close of up 1223 from the last shot. In service photos of 1223 (now displayed in Grand Haven) are comparatively rare. This view offers a good look at how the N1s looked later in their careers.

Image
C&O N3 #2695 (ex PM N #1211) in Fulton, VA 1952, very close to retirement. Photo by Don Ross.

Image
1223 on display at the Michigan State Fairgrounds, sometime in the 1970s. Photographer unknown.

Image
N2 1231 and N1 1219, in storage at Wavery yard in Holland in the late 1950s, waiting for their equipment trusts to run out so they can be scrapped. Photographer unknown.

Image
N2 #1230 at Boat Yard in Detroit in a classic "rods-down" stance. Photographer unknown.

Image
N2 1229 is westbound in 1945 at Plymouth with a long freight for Grand Rapids. The 1229 was only about a year old. Photo by Robert Hadley.

Image
N1 1226 rolls off the PM and onto the New York Central in Porter, IN, circa 1949. Photographer unknown.

Image
End of the line for N1 1224 and 3 N2 sisters as they await scrapping. No location is given, but it might be the old support yard in Grand Rapids. Interestingly enough, 1224 (the middle child between preserved 1223 and 1225) was apparently problematic for most of its career. It was finally pulled out of service in 1947 and never ran again, becoming a parts source for the other 1200s. No photographer info listed.
Last edited by SD80MAC on Wed Dec 30, 2020 10:18 am, edited 2 times in total.
"Remember, 4 mph is a couple, 5's a collision!"
http://flickriver.com/photos/conrail680 ... teresting/
Image

User avatar
AARR
Ann Arbor RR Nerd
Posts: 37904
Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 7:39 pm
Location: Washington, MI

Re: Pere Marquette Berkshires

Unread post by AARR »

Excellent report and pictures SD80. Thank you for taking the time to post.
PatC created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Don Simon no more they want AARR I'm chopped liver, well if you want AARR this is what I'll give ya, bad humor mixed with irrelevant info that'll make you roll your eyes quicker than a ~Z~ banhammer...

User avatar
DaveO
Read more, think more, post less
Posts: 1453
Joined: Thu Dec 14, 2017 12:57 pm
Location: Between here and there

Re: Pere Marquette Berkshires

Unread post by DaveO »

The PM Berkshires were/are good looking engines.

hoborich
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 2992
Joined: Thu Nov 13, 2008 1:05 am
Location: Northern Michigan

Re: Pere Marquette Berkshires

Unread post by hoborich »

Great photos. Thanks!
"Ask your doctor if medical advice from a TV commercial is right for you".

DLM
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 234
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 4:33 pm
Location: Grand Rapids, MI

Re: Pere Marquette Berkshires

Unread post by DLM »

Somewhere in my basement, I have the original AFE on the purchase of these locomotives. I obtained it with many other boxes of AFE's and accident files before the Wyoming Storehouse was torn down. Long ago, I gave him a copy of the file to Bill Berkompas to take back to Owosso. Bill was shocked by the content of the file. I am assuming he shared it with others at the 1225.

I also have purchase files for the PM 70 tonners and BL1's. I think I gave copies of these to Art Million.

GP30M4216
Saver of all History
Posts: 4801
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2004 10:35 pm
Location: Feel the Zeel, MI
Contact:

Re: Pere Marquette Berkshires

Unread post by GP30M4216 »

This is awesome information SD80AC! And the additional photos are great supplemental materials. Where were those standpipes in the Plymouth photo?

I recall reading an article once, possible in a PMHS or C&OHS publication, that 1227 was also slated for preservation. John Ball Zoo was apparently to be the recipient, but in the end they declined or in some other way arrangements couldn’t be worked out, and it went to the scrapper with other sisters.

Also, 1225 has parts from several other Berkshires, even beyond 1223. I forget which specific parts those are the seeing something with the numerals 1222 stamped on it rings a bell. 🔔 An air powered bell ringer, as I’ve recently learned! These would have been swapped in during their service life before retirement as is typical back shop practice.

fmilhaupt
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 337
Joined: Wed May 14, 2008 1:23 pm
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Contact:

Re: Pere Marquette Berkshires

Unread post by fmilhaupt »

This has to be the nicest, most succinct short-form piece I've seen on the PM Berkshires.

Bravo, SD80MAC!
-Fritz Milhaupt

User avatar
SD80MAC
Ingersoll's Mr. Michigan
Posts: 10431
Joined: Thu Mar 10, 2005 4:59 pm
Location: Grand Rapids

Re: Pere Marquette Berkshires

Unread post by SD80MAC »

Fritz, coming from you, that means a lot. Thank you!

Nathan, you are right about 1227. It was offered to Grand Rapids, but the city declined, and it was cut up. So goes the legend, anyway. And yes, 1225 does have parts from other 1200s on it. I seem to recall during my time volunteering at SRI years ago that at least one of the eccentric crank rods is stamped “1227” or “1229”.
"Remember, 4 mph is a couple, 5's a collision!"
http://flickriver.com/photos/conrail680 ... teresting/
Image

Steve B
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 1255
Joined: Thu Jul 12, 2007 8:03 pm
Location: East Lansing

Re: Pere Marquette Berkshires

Unread post by Steve B »

DLM wrote:
Tue Dec 29, 2020 3:19 pm
Somewhere in my basement, I have the original AFE on the purchase of these locomotives. I obtained it with many other boxes of AFE's and accident files before the Wyoming Storehouse was torn down. Long ago, I gave him a copy of the file to Bill Berkompas to take back to Owosso. Bill was shocked by the content of the file. I am assuming he shared it with others at the 1225.

I also have purchase files for the PM 70 tonners and BL1's. I think I gave copies of these to Art Million.
Maybe you'd consider giving at least copies of the 1225 AFE file to SRI, so everyone can have a chance to look at it.

User avatar
Hogger1225
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 438
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2005 9:02 am
Location: St. Johns, MI.
Contact:

Re: Pere Marquette Berkshires

Unread post by Hogger1225 »

The whistle "actuator" was a short (5-6 inch) long handle that was depressed. It was air actuated. (At least on 1225 it was.)
I used to get paid for doing what all of you like to watch!

Post Reply