As the demand for rail travel increased in the 1920s, the need for faster, more powerful locomotives to pull the 20th Century Limited and other express services along the New York Central’s Water Level Route become clear. The solution was delivered by the American Locomotive Company in 1927, as the 4-6-4 Hudson entered service alongside its namesake Hudson River. The type quickly became a symbol of both the New York Central and fast, luxury rail travel. Factory-set for maximum realism and equipped with a TCS WOWSound® CD-quality 16-bit 44,100Hz decoder with Audio Assist®, the Hudson arrives factory-programmed for maximum realism with a steam locomotive sound package that features user-definable whistle options, bell, blowdown, cylinder cocks, water fill, coupler close and release, brake application and release, momentum, grade crossing quill, station announcements, and more.

Features include:

• Authentic New York Central tooling.
  
• DCC sound-equipped for sound, speed, direction, and lighting control.
  
• TCS WOWSound® true CD-quality audio in 16-bit 44,100Hz sound.
  
• Keep-Alive® device that keeps your engine running during power interruptions due to dirty track or loss of electrical contact.
  
• Voice-guided Audio Assist® programming tool for easy set-up of almost all decoder functionality.
  
• Load-based chuff intensity with Chuffinity™ technology.
  
• Dual-mode NMRA-compliant decoder.
  
• Precision motor.
  
• Die-cast metal boiler.
  
• Separately applied metal handrails and uncoupling levers on locomotive and tender.
  
• Separately applied plastic piping and ladder details.
  
• Detailed cab interior backhead and clear windows.
  
• All-metal chassis with die-cast lead and trailing trucks.
  
• Highly detailed painted bodies with precision graphics.
  
• Blackened metal side rods.
  
• Operating headlight and reverse light with Rule 17 operation or automatic direction control.
  
• Operating drive wheels with die-cast finescale spokes.
  
• Blackened metal wheels with RP25 contours.
  
• Magnetically operated E-Z Mate® Mark II couplers on the front and rear.
  
• Extra front dummy coupler in down position included.
  
• Performs best on 22” radius curves or better.
  
• Product Measurements: L 19.5 in., W 2.3 in., H 3.5 in.