During its glory years, the Hudson 4-6-4 was the symbol of the New York Central Railroad. In the late 1930s the type reached its zenith with the introduction of the J3a, the so-called super Hudson. They hauled the most prestigious passenger trains on the system, such as the Twentieth Century Limited. Rolling out of the Norfolk & Westerns Roanoke Shops in 1936, the Class A 2-6-6-4 articulated steam locomotives moved mainline freight and even some passenger consists for over 20 years. The Class A could haul a 7000 ton train at 70 m.p.h producing 6300 horsepower in the process. The TMCC-equipped locomotive includes features such as the RailSounds sound system, the Odyssey System for speed control and a Wireless Tether connection between the locomotive and tender. Both locomotives are designed for maximum performance on curves as tight as O-31. |