Western Maryland 7471 leads SRI's North Pole Express 12-18-22

This year, the Steam Railroading Institute's North Pole Express excursions looked a little different. Steam locomotive Pere Marquette 1225 is currently getting its wheels and running gear worked on, and was unable to lead the train. Since chasing the NPE has been an annual tradition of mine for the last 8 years, I decided to chase it anyway. Though steam was not present, the replacement power wasn't disappointing. Leading northbound was a classic Western Maryland painted SD40-2, and a GP40WH-2 southbound, both leased from Precision Locomotive Leasing. On the last day of the NPE season, I met Duncan from Michigan Rail Productions in Owosso, and we caught the train 4 times between there and Ashley. We encountered only a handful of other foamers, and the snow flurries added some spice to the scenes. Overall, even without 1225, it was a fun morning. Thanks for watching, and Merry Christmas folks!
-Casey