The New York Central introduced the 4-6-4 or Hudson type in 1927, products of the American Locomotive Company's Schenectady Works. The J-1 class quickly became the railroad's "trademark" locomotive, heading the best and fastest trains throughout the system. The Central's Hudsons were the prototype for countless model trains that delighted boys — and men — across the continent. In this shot from an anonymous photographer, class J-1b Hudson No. 5243 prepares to leave the station at Harmon, New York, having taken over its train from the electric power that had brought it from Grand Central Station. For the dimensions of the J-1 class see the commentaries for Nos. 5367 and 5379. No. 5243 rolled off the ALCo erecting floor in the second group of 1927, and was scrapped in 1954. This image was furnished from the collection of Wayne Koch.