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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 7, Issue 1 (May 1, 1932.)

Success in United States

Success in United States.

The first railway locomotive building company outside those of Europe to utilise these machines was the American Locomotive Company of Schnectady, New York. The locomotive referred to was completed and put into service by the New York Central Lines on 14th February, 1927. It was designated the “Hudson” type, the idea of its introduction being that of maintaining with ease the exacting schedules as demanded by the operation of the New York Central's world famous New York-Chicago, 20th Century Limited.

The “Hudson” type represented at the time the greatest advance in high speed locomotive design in the United States, and so definite was its success in actual operation that some hundreds of these locomotives are now in service throughout the New York Central System.

The development of such a locomotive was called for by present-day demands for higher speeds with increased train loads on long sustained runs. It was found, in practice, that the horse-power capacity of a locomotive of the 4-6-2 wheel arrangement was insufficient to meet the conditions of modern traffic, and that a more powerful locomotive was required. As the 4-6-4 type permitted the application of a larger boiler and firebox without any material increase in axle loading and also a lessened percentage of total weight on the drivers, its popularity throughout the United States was assured.

However, with all its efficiency, the ultimate capacity of the 4-6-4 machine proved to be inadequate to meet the special conditions experienced on many lines in the United States. The “Mountain” type, 4-8-2 (similar wheel arrangement to our Class X units) had, up to a point, given satisfactory results, but with the need for further increased boiler capacity an advance was made over the page 44 page 45 “Mountain” type by converting the 4-8-2 into a 4-8-4 type wheel arrangement locomotive. It will be thus appreciated that the 4-8-4 wheel arrangement bears the same relation to the 4-8-2 as the 4-6-4 does to the 4-6-2.

With the exception of certain ten coupled and Mallet Articulated locomotives which are handling traffic over exceptionally difficult territory, it is recognised that the locomotive of the 4-8-4 wheel arrangement represents the highest capacity thus far attained in a steam locomotive.