Milwaukee Road O Scale Premier 4-6-4 Hiawatha Steam Engine w/Proto-Sound 3.0

With the bold slogan "Nothing Faster on Rails," the Milwaukee Road inaugurated its Chicago-Twin Cities Hiawatha passenger service on May 29, 1935. Pressured by intense competition on the route between Chicago and Minneapolis/St. Paul - including the Burlington's pioneering diesel Twin Zephyrs - the Milwaukee Road had turned to the American Locomotive Works to design the fastest steam locomotives of the day. The results did not disappoint.

The Hiawathas were initially headed by oil burning Alco 4-4-2 Atlantics created specifically for intense 100 mile per hour daily operations. The engines and their entire trains were renowned for their colorful, aerodynamic styling by industrial designer Otto Kuhler - who lamented, however, that "I did get disgusted every time an uninitiated person asked me, 'Is that a diesel?'" The Hiawathas seduced passengers with luxurious surroundings that included the Tip Top Tap Room, the first standup cocktail bar on American rails.

The popularity of the service soon mandated longer trains and larger locomotives. Enter the Kuhler-styled coal-burning F7 4-6-4 Hudsons turned out by Alco in 1938. Among the heaviest Hudsons ever built, the massive F7s outclassed the more-famous New York Central J-series Hudsons in almost every way: larger firebox, higher boiler pressure, taller drivers (84"), and more power at speed. Unlike the NYC Hudsons, however, the F7s were born just as their technology was dying. Within a decade, the F7s and their trains were replaced by diesel-powered Hiawathas magnificently styled by designer Brooks Stevens. Sadly, none of the steam-powered Hiawathas were preserved.

Fortunately, your O gauge railroad can recreate the sights and sounds of this legendary train. The Hiawatha Hudson features die-cast locomotive and tender construction and the latest M.T.H. features, including synchronized puffing Proto-Smoke and the incredible sounds and performance of Proto-Soundr 3.0.

• Die-Cast Boiler and Tender Body
• 1:48 Scale Proportions
• Die-Cast Metal Chassis
• Real Coal Load
• Metal Wheels and Axles
• Constant Voltage Headlight
• Die-Cast Truck Sides
• Remote Controlled Proto-Coupler
• Engineer and Fireman Figures
• Metal Handrails and Decorative Bell
• Decorative Metal Whistle
• Locomotive Speed Control In Scale MPH Increments
• Synchronized Puffing ProtoSmoke System
• Precision Flywheel Equipped Motor
• Proto-Scale 3-2 3-Rail/2-Rail Conversion Capable
• Wireless Drawbar
• Illuminated Number Boards
• Illuminated Classification Lights
• Lighted Cab Interior
• Built-In DCC Receiver

  Proto-Sound 3.0 equipped locomotives can be controlled in command mode with any DCC compliant command control system. While the user won't have access to all of the incredible features of Proto-Sound 3.0, independent control over the locomotive is possible. This means you can continue to use your existing DCC controller to independently control your other DCC equipped locomotives in addition to your Proto-Sound 3.0 locomotive on the same track at the same time.

  When using a DCC controller, the following Proto-Sound 3.0 locomotive features are accessible:

  • (F0) Headlight on/off
  • (F1) Bell on/off
  • (F2) Whistle/Horn on/off
  • (F3) Start-up/Shut-down
  • (F4) PFA initiate and advance
  • (F5) Cab Light on/off
  • (F6) Engine Sounds on/off
  • (F7) Volume low, med, high, off
  • (F8) Smoke on/off
  • (F9) Forward Signal Sound
  • (F10) Reverse Signal Sound
  • (F11) Coupler Slack Sound
  • (F12) Grade Crossing
  • (F13) One-Shot Doppler on/off
  • (F14) Extended Start Up
  • (F15) Extended Shut Down
  • (F16) Labor Chuff
  • (F17) Drift Chuff
  • (F18) Smoke Volume low, med, high
  • (F19) Single short whistle toot
  • (F20) Coupler Close
  • (F21) Feature Reset
  • (F22) Idle Sequence 1
  • (F23) Idle Sequence 2
  • (F24) Idle Sequence 3
  • (F25) Idle Sequence 4
  • (F26) Brakes auto/off
  • (F27) Cab Chatter auto/off
  • (F28) Clickety-Clack auto/off
  • Proto-Sound 3.0 With The Digital Command System Featuring: Quillable Whistle With Passenger Station Proto-Effects
  • Unit Measures:26 1/8 x 2 9/16 x 4
  • Operates On O-42 Curves