New York, Chicago & St. Louis Hudsons

The New York, Chicago & St. Louis (Nickel Plate Road) took delivery of four Hudsons from the American Locomotive Company in 1927, just one month after the New York Central received number 5200. It designated them Class L-1a and gave them road numbers 170 through 173. In 1929. the NKP obtained four more Hudsons (designated Class L-1b with road numbers 174 through 177), this time from the Lima Locomotive Works.

These eight locomotives were the pride of the NKP's passenger service and saw 16 years of handling main line passenger trains between Buffalo, NY and Chicago, IL until displaced by diesels in the 1950s.

There is one surviving locomotive, number 170, on display at the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, Mo.

Class	Road Numbers	Year Built	Builder
L-1a	170-173	1927	ALCO
L-1b	174-177	1929	Lima

Specifications
	Class L-1a	Class L-1b
Wheel Arrangement:	4-6-4	4-6-4
Length:	85' - 7"	85' - 7"
Drivers:	73" dia.	73" dia.
Weight on Drivers:	175,000 lbs	176,000 lbs
Locomotive Weight:	316,500 lbs	314,000 lbs
Locomotive & Tender Weight:	524,600 lbs	520,200 lbs
Grate Area:	66.7 sq ft	66.7 sq ft
Cylinders (dia x stroke):	(2) 25" x 26"	(2) 25" x 26"
Boiler Pressure:	215 psi	215 psi
Tractive Effort:	40,680 lbs	40,680 lbs
Tender Capacity:
water:	11,000 gals	11,000 gals
coal:	16 tons	16 tons

New York, Chicago & St. Louis Hudsons

Photos

References