New York Central Hudson

New York Central Hudson
Promotional image of a "Dreyfuss" streamlined New York Central Hudson locomotive
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Alco-Schenectady(ALCO) (265); Lima Locomotive Works(10) Build date 1927–1931 (J-1); 1928–1931 (J-2); 1937–1938 (J-3) Total produced 275
Specifications Configuration: ​ •Whyte 4-6-4 •UIC 2’C2’h2s Gauge 4 ft8+1⁄2in(1,435 mm)standard gauge Leading dia. 36 in (914 mm) Driverdia. 79 in (2,007 mm) Trailing dia. 36 in (914 mm) (front) 51 in (1,295 mm) (rear) Wheelbase 83 ft7+1⁄2in (25.489 m) Length 97 ft2+3⁄8in (29.626 m) Width 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) Height 15 ft 1 in (4.60 m) Axle load 67,267 lb (30,511.8 kg; 30.5 t) Adhesive weight 201,800 lb (91,534.9 kg; 91.5 t) Loco weight 365,500 lb (165,788.0 kg; 165.8 t) Tender weight 316,400 lb (143,500 kg; 143.5 t) Total weight 681,900 lb (309,300 kg; 309.3 t) Tender type 8-wheel; 12-wheel; 14-wheel Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 56,000 lb (25,400 kg; 25.40 t) Water cap. 13,600 US gal (51,000 L; 11,300 imp gal) Firebox: ​ • Grate area 82 sq ft (7.6 m2) Boiler 91.5 in (2,324 mm) Boiler pressure 265 lbf/in2(1.83 MPa) Feedwater heater Elesco bundle; Worthington SA; Coffin Heating surface: ​ • Firebox 360 sq ft (33.4 m2) • Tubes 657 sq ft (61.0 m2) • Flues 3,170 sq ft (295 m2) • Tubes and flues 3,827 sq ft (355.5 m2) • Total surface 5,572 sq ft (517.7 m2) Superheater: ​ • Heating area 1,745 sq ft (162.1 m2) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 22.5 in × 29 in (572 mm × 737 mm) Valve gear Baker Valve type Piston valves
Performance figures Maximum speed 123 mph (197.95 km/h) (at least) Tractive effort 41,860 lbf (186.20 kN) Factor of adh. 4.82
Career Operators New York Central Railroad,Boston and Albany Railroad,Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway,Michigan Central Railroad,Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway Class J-1, J-2 and J-3 Number in class 205 (J-1), 20 (J-2), 50 (J-3) Retired 1953 - 1957 Disposition All scrapped by the late 1950s (steam heat car converted from the tender of J-1d 5313 preserved atSteamtown National Historic Site), none preserved

TheNew York Central Hudsonwas a popular4-6-4"Hudson"typesteam locomotivebuilt by theAmerican Locomotive Company(ALCO),Baldwin Locomotive Worksand theLima Locomotive Worksin three series from 1927 to 1938 for theNew York Central Railroad.Named after theHudson River,the 4-6-4 wheel arrangement came to be known as the "Hudson" type in theUnited States,as these locomotives were the first examples built and used inNorth America.Built for high-speedpassenger trainwork, the Hudson locomotives were famously known for hauling the New York Central's crack passenger trains, such as the20th Century Limitedand theEmpire State Express.

With the onset ofdiesel locomotivesby the mid-20th Century, all Hudson locomotives were retired and subsequently scrapped by 1957, except for thetenderfrom J-1d 5313, which is preserved at theSteamtown National Historic SiteinScranton, Pennsylvania.

History

TheChicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad(Milwaukee Road) was the first to design a4-6-4locomotive (naming themBaltics); however, they were not built until after theNew York Central'sHudsons.NYC President Patrick E. Crowley named the unitsHudsonsafter theHudson River,which divides New York State'sHudson Valleyand streams broadly past New York City.

Builder's photographof J-1b class Hudson #5249

The Hudson came into being because the existing4-6-2Pacificpower was not able to keep up with the demands of longer, heavier trains and higher speeds. Given NYC'saxle loadlimits,Pacificscould not be made any larger; a new locomotive type would be required to carry the larger boilers.Lima Locomotive Works' conception of superpower steam as realized in the2-8-4Berkshiretype was the predecessor to theHudson.The 2-8-4's 4-wheeltrailing truckpermitted a hugefireboxto be located after the boiler. The resulting greater steaming rate ensured that such a locomotive would never run out of power at speed, a common failing of older locomotives. Applying the ideas of the freight-minded Berkshire type to thePacificresulted in a 4-6-4 locomotive.

Streamlined J-3aHudsonat the1939 New York World's Fair

NYC ordered prototype No. 5200 fromAlco,and subjected it to intensive testing. A fleet of 205 J-1 classHudsonswere eventually built, including 30 each for theMichigan Central Railroad(MC road numbers 8200-8229) and theCleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway( "Big Four" - road numbers 6600-6629). In addition, NYC subsidiaryBoston & Albany Railroadordered 20 J-2 class (B&A road numbers 600-619), the latter 10 from Lima Locomotive Works (all other NYC Hudsons were built by Alco's Schenectady works).A later development were 50 J-3a classSuper Hudsons in 1937–1938, with many modern appliances and innovations. After the MC, Big 4, and B&A locomotives were incorporated into the NYC numbering, the NYC Hudson locomotives had road numbers ranging from 5200 to 5474. The NYC J-1 road numbers were 5200-5344, the MC J-1s became NYC 5345-5374, the Big 4 J-1s became NYC 5375-5404, the J-2s (all from B&A) became NYC road numbers 5455-5474, and the J-3 road numbers were 5405-5454. The J-2 numbers are last because they were transferred to the NYC after the J-3 deliveries.

J-3aSuper Hudsonon display at the1939 World's Fair

Streamlining

TheHudsonswere of excellent quality. In response to the styling sensation of the new diesel-poweredZephyrstreamliner,Locomotive No. 5344 (the last J-1e) was fitted with an Art Deco streamlined shroud designed by Carl F. Kantola and was namedCommodore Vanderbilton December 27, 1934.The streamlining was later replaced to match the last ten J-3aSuper Hudsonlocomotives (5445-5454) that had been built with streamlining designed byHenry Dreyfuss.J-1e Hudson #5344 stuck out from the rest of the roster, as it was the only J-1 to be streamlined, and was one of two locomotives ever to be streamlined twice (the other being aBaltimore and Ohio P-7,number 5304). Two more J-3a locomotives (5426 & 5429) had a 3rd streamlining style fitted in 1941 forEmpire State Expressservice.The streamlined locomotives featured prominently in NYC advertising.

The forte of allHudsonswas power at top speed. They were poor performers at low speed and the presence of abooster engineon the trailing truck was an absolute necessity for starting. For this reason, they were generally favored by railroads with flat terrain and straight routes. After the NYC, the Milwaukee Road was also fond of theHudsons,acquiring 22class F6and six streamlinedclass F7s.TheAtchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railwayalso had 16, while theNew York, New Haven & Hartford Railroadhad 10 (#1400-1409) streamlinedI-54-6-4s built by Baldwin in 1937 (nicknamed "Shoreliners" ). Few railroads with hilly terrain acquired any.

A booster was prone to troubles, however, and gradually fell out of favor. Instead of a complicated booster, it was deemed preferential to have an extra pair of driving wheels, and thus better traction.

On September 7, 1943, No. 5450 suffered a boiler explosion inCanastota, New York,killing three enginemen and putting her out of service until the end ofWorld War IIdue to a steel shortage.

Trials of later, dual-purpose4-8-2Mohawkssealed theHudson's fate. The L-3 and L-4Mohawkswere excellent, but they were still more suited to lower-speed hauling than high-speed power. In 1944, NYC received permission from theWar Production Boardto build a new, high-speed locomotive of the4-8-4type, combining all the advantages of theHudsonwith those of theMohawk.Many other railroads had taken to the 4-8-4 in the 1930s, generally calling themNorthernsafter theNorthern Pacific Railway,which had first adopted them. By being a late adopter, the NYC had the chance to build on everyone else's experience. That locomotive proved to be exceptional, and the type on the NYC was named theNiagara.Since only 27 were built, however, they only took over the heaviest and most-prestigious trains, and the last Niagara (No. 6015) was retired in July, 1956. ManyHudsonssoldiered-on until the end of steam on NYC in 1957.

Fate

When the railroaddieselized,all of theHudsonswere scrapped; none were preserved. This was caused by the direct order of then-NYC presidentAlfred E. Perlman,who was completely opposed to historic preservation.Two J-1d class Hudsons, numbers 5311 and 5313, were sold to theToronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railwayin 1948 and were renumbered 501 and 502 respectively. Both locomotives were retired and scrapped in 1954 when the TH&Bdieselized.The tender from the 502 (formerly the 5313) was retained by the TH&B and converted to a steam generator car for use on passenger trains. The generator car still survives today and is part of theSteamtown National Historic Sitecollection.

Popular culture

#5344Commodore Vanderbilt(the last J-1e) featured Art Deco streamlining designed by Carl F. Kantola when introduced in 1934 (here in 1935,Chicago Board of Trade Buildingin background). By no later than 1939, it had been re-shrouded with the Art Deco streamlining designed byHenry Dreyfussfor the J-3Super Hudsons.

• The characterConnorfrom theThomas & Friendstelevision series is stylized after a streamlined NYCHudson.
• NYCHudsonsare featured on the covers ofVan Halen's 2012 albumA Different Kind of Truth,theCommodores1975 albumMovin' On,Three Dog Night's 1975 albumComing Down Your Way,and the 2020Dennis DeYoungalbum ‘’26 East: Volume 1’’.
• InPocket Trains,there is a steam locomotive called the Century Limited. It resembles a streamlined Dreyfuss J-34-6-4locomotive but is a2-6-4locomotive in the game. It is also the onlysteam locomotivein the game withside rods.
• In theCourage the Cowardly Dogepisode "The Mask",a steam locomotive loosely based on a streamlined NYC J-3aHudsonwas seen pulling anAmtrakpassenger train which destroyed Mad Dog's car near the end of the episode.
• In the movieThe Iron Giant,a steam locomotive resembling a NYC J-3aHudsonwas pulling a coal train that crashed into the Giant while he was trying to fix the train tracks he ate at the railroad crossing.
• Inseason 5episode 6 ofThe Big Bang Theory,"The Rhinitis Revelation",a" New Empire State Express "poster can be briefly seen on the back ofSheldon Cooper'sdoor at the very end of the episode whenLeonardinterruptsMary CoopersingingSoft Kitty.
• InThe Grand Tour,the J-3 Hudson can be seen in the opening part of the show. Its valve gear is incorrectly animated.
• InHow I Met Your Mothera poster of the New York Central Hudson can be seen in Ted Mosby's apartment, above the fireplace.
• The icon for the appTransport Tycoon,a version ofChris Sawyer's Locomotionfor mobile devices, depicts a locomotive that closely resembles the New York Central Hudson.
• InTransformers: Revenge of the Fallen,a J-3a Dreyfuss appears in a vintage photo that was kept by Seymour Simmons in which the Hudson is confirmed as a Seeker by Autobot Wheelie.
• In theRugratsepisode "Murmur on the Ornery Express", there is a steam locomotive called "Biendeltown Express", which resembles a NYC streamlined NYC J-3a Hudson.
• In the movieEveryone's Hero,there is a steam locomotive that resembles a NYC J-1e Hudson. A streamlined J-3a DreyfussSuper Hudsoncan be seen on a poster in a train station.
• The exact same above photo of the Streamlined Hudson at the 1939 New York World's Fair appears, framed, on the wall of Sam Lowry's apartment inTerry Gilliam'sBrazil (1985 film)in the scene where Archibald Tuttle (played byRobert De Niro) is fixing Sam Lowry's faulty air conditioning system. Sam Lowry is played byJonathan Pryce.
• In theSpongeBob SquarePantsepisode "The Great Patty Caper'', there is a steam locomotive called the "Oceanic Express", which loosely resembles a NYC J-1a Hudson.
• In the short filmLorenzo,there is a silhouette that resembles a NYC J-1e Hudson.
• The Hudsons have been featured in train games like Trainz and Train Simulator Classic(third-party only for the latter).
• The Red Ball Raceway logo in NASCAR 2005: Chase For The Cup and NASCAR 07 feature a NYC Hudson.

See also

• Delaware, Lackawanna and Western 1151 class

Bibliography

• Drury, George H. (1993).Guide to North American Steam Locomotives.Waukesha, Wisconsin:Kalmbach Publishing Company.ISBN0-89024-206-2.

Further reading

• Staufer, Alvin F.; May, Edward L. (1974).Thoroughbreds: New York Central's 4-6-4 Hudson, the most Famous Class of Steam Locomotive in the World.Medina, Ohio:A. F. Staufer.ISBN978-0944513033.