Although the locomotive was well tuned, its performance, judged by today’s standards, is so-so. And while my 2056 is clean and unmarred, in appearance it still looks like a 50-year-old toy. As with prototype railroads, the arrival of newer power on my layout sent my Hudson to the storage track.
But, as is often the case in the toy train world, what’s old is new again. Enter the Williams no. HD27-5 Southern Railway Hudson. The folks at Williams Electric Trains have re-created a postwar no. 2056 Lionel steamer that looks and runs better than an original.
At a glance, the 4-6-4 locomotive looks just like Lionel’s die-cast metal postwar no. 2056 with the New York Central-style boiler. The model measures 20 inches in length – 20½ inches if you count the O gauge magnetic coupler on the rear of the tender.
The locomotive looks new and clean, and the folks at Williams have improved its details.
The pilot has add-on flag stanchions and handrails running up and along the boiler. The smokebox face looks suitably business-like, with plenty of cast-in rivet and bolt detail. Green jewel markers ride high on the upper corners of the boiler front.
The headlight is centered on the smokebox in a realistic looking housing, and it has number boards on three sides. Williams even packs a replacement headlight in the box, already wired and ready to plug in!
The boiler itself features crisply defined cast-in steps, pipes, and other details. On the original 2056, the reverse shaft was a flat, cast-metal piece that simulated the mechanism; the Williams model uses a “see-through” piece with moving parts.
Add-on details include long piping along the engineer’s side and a shorter section of pipe on the fireman’s side. There also are the expected whistle and bell adorning the boiler.
The locomotive drivers are solid, with cast-in spokes, and they are crafted in subdued black with steel rims. The metal running gear is all “toy train shiny” and really stands out when the locomotive is rolling along a layout.
The rear drivers have traction tires; spare tires are packed in the box.
Depending on your view of retro-styled toy trains, the cab interior may be the only esthetic drawback to this model. My postwar 2056 has a large empty cab without a firebox backhead. You can see straight through to the motor and the interior of the shell.
The cab interior of the Williams model houses the head of its single, can-style motor. The motor is a bit recessed, so it doesn’t jump out at you. This didn’t bother me – especially considering the price and quality of the Williams model – but it may not appeal to operators who desire a sealed cab interior. If you think this might be an issue for you, check out the video of this locomotive at classictoytrains.com.
The fantasy Southern Railway paint scheme was well done, though it struck me as a surprisingly subdued rendering. The smokebox and the firebox are painted dark gray, paired with Southern Railway green on the boiler, cab, and tender. The model has gold trim, replicating the Southern’s style of pin strips on locomotives and tenders, but it looked to be a smidge too dark a gold, and it tends to blend into the green instead of standing out in contrast.
The only thing lacking are the famed Crescent moon outlines to complete the look of this classy vintage passenger paint scheme.
In addition to the Southern paint scheme, the Williams Hudson is available in Baltimore & Ohio, Chesapeake & Ohio, Chessie System, Jersey Central, and Pennsylvania road names.
The metal-shelled tender is a deluxe model, replicating Lionel’s no. 2426 six-axle version. Unlike the chintzy, black plastic tender that came with my postwar Hudson, this model has a superb cast-plastic coal load. The tender also features four grab irons on the front of the car, two on the rear, and two running along the top of the water tank.
On the test track
As with virtually every Williams model I’ve tested, performance was smooth at all speeds. Our speed range varied from 9.6 scale mph to 109 scale mph. I suspect that if I weren’t a Nervous Nellie, worried about the locomotive flying off the track, I could have raised the top speed a tad higher. Drawbar pull was a tidy 1 pound 4 ounces.
The flywheel-equipped motor was very quiet and responsive, and the drive mechanism sped up and slowed down smoothly.
Williams doesn’t pack an array of sophisticated electronics onboard for you to cuss at when something goofs up. Williams does, however, include the True-Blast II digital whistle. Press the control on your power supply and you get a pre-programmed, digital recording of a series of whistle blasts – long, long, short, and long – that copy a grade-crossing signal. This is just right for those of us not obsessed with the glitz of super-tech trains.
In short, the Williams Hudson is nice and simple. It looks good, runs well, and, of course, is priced very right!
This is the first Williams I bought – it will be my last – after making about 8 runs around a 4×8 track the train slows down and then stops.
Love the sound of the train, it is also very beautiful
I bought the train based on this review and was not disappointed! I really enjoy running it.