Lionel's 28072 J3a Hudson - Upgrades and Modifications

They did not have class lights.....

Count me in as one who likes the "Class Light Look".

Add me to the "like-class light" list! 

I am not sure about the pilot trucks, but I do recall that the action of the side rods on the 28072 was not as detailed and complete as on the original 700E, 18005 or the 18056 Hudsons.

Richard 

TM did a close look at that. The radius rod was made static on the Asian made Hudsons, and (except for the Century Club Empire State Express) lacked a lubrication lever. Lionel, fortunately, used the original American design when doing the Vision Line Hudson.

Looks great Nick!  If I may ask, what was the product number of the second J3 that you mention, and what year was it made?  Thanks!

wonderful job--could i ask the part number for the scale pilot truck you swapped out--thank you!

Got to chime in on my favorite modern Lionel steamer, warts and all - and not many warts. Lionel's Niagara almost equals it.

Cab number styles can be changed, if you want a PT tender.

When I got my 5444, the inappropriate class lights were removed within one hour, the

holes filled with putty (automotive Bondo), sanded later and painted the next day (brush; weathered "black" acrylic; invisible except for the missing tiny bolt detail where the lights were).

The LED's themselves were simply pushed inside the smokebox after

the brackets were unscrewed/removed; I guess that they still burn in there, but, so?

The NYC Hudsons look better without class lights, in general. The J1's and J2's 

lost them eventually, too - though I'm not sure how universal that was.

I put the shorter 2-8-8-2 drawbar in both of mine; not short enough, for certain,

but a definite improvement. Funny that both the Lionel Dreyfuss ESE and Century

streamlined Hudsons have nice tender/loco spacing. 

I have both the 5444 and 5433; count me in as one of those that prefer the Scullin

drivers to the Boxspok, but either way that's a silly preference, at best. The J3a's were drop-dead gorgeous either way. I prefer the unpainted, raw sintered-iron look of Lionel's Scullins; they look more realistic, serious and heavy to me in unpainted form. The painted shine lasted only briefly on the real thing. I wish that the Boxspok had the same look (maybe I'll paint my Boxspoks a flat, iron-y gray...).

The Big Four subsidiary of the NYC called for class lights or flags after the rest of the System dropped them. I'm not sure that the J3a's ever had them after they went west;

they did have small flag holders, I guess.

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I'm waiting for the J3a to come from Lionel with the later Worthington FWH, modified

running board (different power reverse) and the PT tender. Not that I prefer that version, necessarily, but I imagine that I would/will weaken.