| New York Central Hudson |
|---|
A promotional image of New York Central streamlined Dreyfuss Hudson No. 5453 in the late 1930s |
|
| Specifications |
|---|
Configuration:
| |
|---|
| • Whyte | 4-6-4 |
|---|
| • UIC | 2’C2’h2S |
|---|
| Gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
|---|
| Leading dia. | 36 in (914 mm) |
|---|
| Driver dia. | 79 in (2,007 mm) |
|---|
| Trailing dia. | 36 in (914 mm) (front)
51 in (1,295 mm) (rear) |
|---|
| Wheelbase | 83 ft 7+1⁄2 in (25.489 m) |
|---|
| Length | 97 ft 2+3⁄8 in (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, outside |
|---|
| Cylinder size | 22.5 in × 29 in (572 mm × 737 mm) |
|---|
| Valve gear | Baker |
|---|
| Valve type | Piston valves |
|---|
|
|
| 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 | 1940 (1) 1953-1957 |
|---|
| Disposition | All scrapped by the late 1950s (steam heat car converted from the tender of J-1d 5313 preserved at Steamtown National Historic Site) |
|---|
|
The New York Central Hudson was a popular 4-6-4 "Hudson" type steam locomotive built for the New York Central Railroad (NYC). 275 of them were built in three different classes between 1927 and 1938 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) and the Lima Locomotive Works (LLW). Named after the Hudson River, the 4-6-4 wheel arrangement came to be known as the "Hudson" type in the United States, as these locomotives were the first examples built and used in North America. Built for high-speed passenger train work, the Hudson locomotives were famously known for hauling the New York Central's crack passenger trains, such as the 20th Century Limited and the Empire State Express.
With the onset of diesel locomotives by the mid-20th Century, all Hudson locomotives were retired and subsequently scrapped by 1957, except for the tender from J-1d 5313, which is preserved at the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania.