ASTER, CA. 1990'S

In 1934, New York Central Hudson #5344 was fitted with a sheet metal shroud and became the first streamlined locomotive in America, dubbed the Commodore Vanderbilt. The "bathtub" shroud was designed by the Case School of Science at Cleveland, OH. In 1935 it was assigned to the 20th Century Limited between Toledo and Chicago and remained in this service for some time. During July, 1939, this locomotive was re-shrouded to look like the 20th Century J3s. After an October 1945 grade crossing accident with a sand truck in East Chicago, all the streamlining was removed. Almost immediately the locomotive's futuristic design made it a popular prototype for toy train and model makers and was the prototype for the Lionel O-gauge model.