MTH ELECTRIC TRAINS

The New York & Hudson River Railroad was owned by Commodore Vanderbilt after purchasing it in 1867. In 1871, Vanderbilt refused connections on his lines to the New York Central during a huge winter blizzard. His actions crippled the NYC during the aftermath of the storm and Vanderbilt was able to capitalize on their weakness by swooping down and purchasing the Central. Vanderbilt leveraged his power throughout 1871 after the stock market crash to purchase controlling intrest in many railroads. In fact, by the end of that year he controlled all the railroads between New York and Chicago. He also connected the Harlem and Hudson River Railroads. Commodore Vanderbilt also did not care for multi-colored locomotives and issued a proclamation that all locomotives were to be black with no decorations of any kind. Naturally the locomotive builders hated these orders and went so far as painting brass bells black on engines and nicknamed these engines Black Crooks. In the end these orders were some what modifided ,but the age of colorful locomotives was over as far as the New York Central was concerned.