Model of New York Central and Hudson River Railroad's 999
date: label: date made
content: ca. 1893
notes: label: Description
content: This is a model of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad’s No. 999, a high-speed passenger locomotive built in 1893. This model is part of the collection displayed in the museum’s Railroad Hall exhibit of 1964-2002 to illustrate the technological development of the locomotive.
label: Description
content: By the late nineteenth century, American railroads were engaged in fierce competition for the first class passenger trade. The No. 999 was built to generate publicity for the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad’s premier passenger train, the Empire State Express. Designed by William Buchanan, master mechanic of the New York Central, the engine was completed by the line’s West Albany Shops in April of 1893. Hauling the Empire State Express on May 10, 1893, the locomotive reportedly reached a speed of 112.5 miles per hour near Batavia, NY, making it the world’s fastest vehicle. Soon after, the 999 was displayed at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. When the exhibit ended, the 999 returned to service. In 1899 it was refitted with smaller driving wheels and assigned to slower trains, and in 1906 received a new boiler. It was set aside for preservation in 1923 and is on display today in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.
label: Description
content: Steam locomotives are often classified by wheel arrangement, in the order of leading, driving, and trailing wheels. This engine has four leading wheels, four driving wheels, and no trailing wheels. It is therefore classified as a 4-4-0 locomotive, which is also known as the American type. First introduced in the late 1830s, the 4-4-0 became the most popular type of locomotive in America; in 1870, eighty-five percent of the country’s operating steam locomotives were 4-4-0s. As rail traffic and train lengths grew, the American type increased in size and power. The 999, built in 1893, represents the final development of the American type engine. After 1900, larger and more powerful wheel arrangements superseded the 4-4-0 design.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: Subject
content: Railroads
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Transportation, Railroad
label: See more items in
content: Transportation
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TR.313161
label: catalog number
content: 313161
label: accession number
content: 177779
objectType: label: Object Name
content: model
label: Object Name
content: model, locomotive
label: Other Terms
content: Rail