Accucraft trains C.P. Royal Hudson Live Steam - Alcohol Fired Instruction manual - page 2
C.P. Royal Hudson Live Steam - Alcohol Fired
Designed by Henry Bowen and introduced in 1937, the semi-streamlined
Hudson was selected to haul the 1939 Royal Train that carried King George
VI and Queen Elizabeth on their journey across Canada. No 2850 was chosen
and was turned out in a spectacular Royal Blue and stainless steel livery to
match the 12-coach blue and silver train.
So impressive was 2850’s performance on the 3224 mile trip that Canadian
Pacific applied to Buckingham Palace for permission to officially designate
the class as Royal Hudson, a request that was granted. Subsequently all 45
members of the class carried a cast Royal crown on their front running board
skirts. The Royal blue livery on 2850 only lasted for the seven months of
the summer of 1939 and after exhibition at the New York World’s Fair it was
replaced by the standard passenger livery of maroon panels with grey boiler
cladding and cylinder covers, which it has to be said is still a spectacular
livery!
Although designed as express passenger engines and capable of over 90mph,
the Royal Hudsons were also used extensively on freight duties, but it was on
the prestigious, passenger trains such as the daily Dominion that they made
a name for themselves with 1250 mile runs between Calgary and Ft. William
(Thunder Bay). On the cross-country runs it was common to have several
express reefers at the head end between the engine and baggage car.
The Royal Hudsons ran in service right up to the withdraw of steam by Canadian
Pacific in the summer of 1960 when most of the class were scrapped. Happily
four have survived to this day in preservation, including 2860 currently in steam
in British Columbia.
Also a 2850 is preserved in its Tuscan and grey livery and has place of pride
at the Canadian Railway Museum at Delson just outside Montreal.
DMK
1
Copies of the origonal locomotive drawings for building this model were provided by;
The Canada Science and Technology Museum, Ottawa
C.P. Royal Hudson Live Steam - Alcohol Fired
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