LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — If LEGO fans have their way, a piece of Michigan railroad history could soon be snapping together on living room floors.

Two fan-backed proposals are circulating on LEGO’s Ideas platform, both aiming to turn the Pere Marquette 1225 steam locomotive—the real-life inspiration behind The Polar Express—into an official LEGO set.

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The LEGO Ideas program allows users to pitch designs for potential retail sets. If an idea gathers enough public support, it earns a formal review from the company. For train enthusiasts, the PM 1225 is a natural candidate.

One proposal, submitted in 2024 under the username “Nouva,” highlights the train’s upcoming 85th anniversary in 2026 and its restoration by Michigan State University students in the 1980s. The project bills the engine as “the real Polar Express,” hoping to introduce its history to a new generation. That submission has drawn more than 2,600 supporters so far and must reach 5,000 to advance.

A second entry leans more heavily into holiday nostalgia, pitching a LEGO version of The Polar Express itself. That design has attracted just over 3,100 supporters, with more than a year left to gain momentum.

Built in 1941, the Pere Marquette 1225 once hauled passengers across Michigan before being retired and later restored. Today, it’s best known for pulling the annual North Pole Express excursions out of Owosso, and for lending its look and sound to a modern Christmas classic.

Whether LEGO takes the bait remains to be seen.