As the demand for rail travel increased in the 1920s, there was an apparent need for faster, more powerful locomotives to pull the 20th Century Limited and other express services along the New York Central Water Level Route. The solution was delivered by the American Locomotive Company in 1927, as the 4-6-4 Hudson entered service hauling priority trains alongside its namesake river. The type quickly became a symbol of speed and reliability for the New York Central, lasting in service to the end of steam in the 1950s. Equipped with a TCS WOWSound® CD-quality 16-bit 44,100Hz decoder with Audio Assist®, the J3a 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, grade crossing quill, station announcements, and Chuffinity™ technology for prototypical load-based chuff intensity.
