Steam Trains and Engines

The New York Central System serves a major part of the thickly populated eastern states, its main line connecting New York City with Chicago by way of Buffalo and Cleveland. It has in addition a vast network of tracks reaching many other important cities, but the glamour of this great railroad is centred on its main line-the ' Water Level Route,' so called because of the almost complete absence of gradients throughout the 961 miles to Chicago.

Over the years Central System trains became almost household names; ' Commodore Vanderbilt,' ' Empire State Express ' and, most famous of all, the ' Twentieth Century Limited,' all epitomised the romance of American railroading, and the motive power employed in their haulage became equally famous. Best known of all,the 4-6-4 type was introduced by the N.Y.C. in 1927 and christened after the river which the main line follows for many miles. First of their wheel arrangement in the U.S.A., the Hud- J sons were developed and multiplied I until 275 were in use. Culminating * in the ' J3 ' class with 23 in. x 29 in. cylinders and a tractive effort of 43,400 lb., the Hudsons were unequalled for heavy express work until the introduction of the Niagara 4-8-4s in 1945.

A number of them were specially t styled by Henry Dreyfuss for working the streamlined ' Twentieth Century Limited,' but the one shown here i picking up water on Schenectady I troughs represents the New York Central Hudson in its original and best-known form.