Freedom Festival Arsenal
Michigan club returns to Owosso for another memorable weekend at the Arsenal of Freedom Festival.
For the second year, the Military Vehicle Collectors Club of Michigan, (MVCCMI) joined forces with the Steam Railroading Institute, (SRI) at their location in Owosso, Mich., to produce the Arsenal of Freedom Festival. The show mixed military vehicles with the iconic Pere Marquette locomotive 1225, now back in service after a lengthy rebuild. For those not familiar, 1225 was built in December 1941, and is the last to remain of the 39 2-8-4 “Berkshire” type steam locomotives produced.
Attendees were welcomed by sunny skies and very pleasant conditions for the event, which saw a nice influx of new vehicles. Bucking recent trends, Jeeps were very popular with a handful of Ford GPWs on display. And while last year’s show featured three 1/2-ton Dodges, this year saw three post-war, 3/4-ton Dodge trucks make the trip. Another vehicle of note was the Willys M38 owned by Jim Reuter, which made its debut show appearance, following a restoration that involved a number of club members.
The most striking vehicles at the show, however, were tracked. Phil Hagen delighted the public, and other vehicle owners with his well-kitted, WWII M2 half-track, while the most unusual vehicle on hand certainly had to be the 1960 M548A1 owned by Roy Bissen, who traveled all the way from Elroy, Wis., to attend the show.
On the train side of things, the big news, of course, was the return to service of the legendary Pere Marquette 1225. The SRI rolled out its crown jewel Saturday morning, capturing the attention of everyone in attendance. Within a short time, a crowd of railroad enthusiasts had gathered by the train, queuing up to board for a planned excursion. The whistle screamed and clouds of smoke billowed as the mighty locomotive crept into motion, gaining momentum as it lumbered down the tracks. Besides the train itself, the SRI’s workshop and authentic steam-era turntable, originally built in 1919 for the Pere Marquette Railway, were also on display, and lunch was available in a vintage railroad dinning car.
The nicer weather also enabled the club to hold a lot more road tours around the Owosso area. These were extremely popular with the vehicle owners, and a few lucky show attendees who were able to snag a ride. There is no doubt that the road runs were certainly a highlight of this year’s show. Curious town’s folk stopped to watch, as they tried to apprehend just what they were looking at. Many smiled and waved, while others just looked and scratched their head, as a column of green army trucks snaked its way through town, with the theme from Kelly’s Heroes blaring from a period-looking megaphone speaker mounted on Phil Hagen’s half-track.
On the show grounds, the very impressive camp layout featuring sharply erected tenting infusing the air with that special canvas fragrance was highlighted by the living history display of the 45 Infantry Division Thunderbirds, I & R Platoon. The public came through the camp in a slow but steady flow, which lasted basically all day long. They seemed to enjoy seeing the trucks, and the owners liked talking to them and answering questions.
It turned out to be a very pleasant weekend, which gave the owners a lot more opportunities to run their trucks, which really made them happy! For next year, the future is uncertain, as planned municipal road construction threatens to close the entire area surrounding the Steam Railroading Institute facility. For further information, see www.mvccmi.org or michigansteamtrain.com.
