MTH Electric Trains HO scale Empire State Express set

An elegant streamlined train whose much-hyped relaunch was eclipsed by infamy lives again in an accurately modeled, meticulously detailed HO scale set from MTH Electric Trains. The five cars feature gleaming silver paint, flexible rubber diaphragms, and interior lighting circuits that work under direct current or Digital Command Control.

A train of note. Long before the Budd Co. delivered the stainless-steel streamliners modeled in MTH’s set, the Empire State Express was one of the New York Central’s most notable passenger trains. It was the world’s first high-speed passenger train, covering the distance from New York City to Buffalo in just over 7 hours, counting stops. Two years after its 1891 debut, behind 4-4-0 no. 999, it set the land speed record of 112.5 mph. It also set the record for the longest nonstop run by a passenger train, 142 miles.

But the NYC’s attempt to recapture those glory days with a gleaming new streamlined consist behind a streamlined class J-3a Hudson ran up against history. The new train was rolled out with great fanfare on Dec. 7, 1941, to surprisingly small and unenthusiastic crowds along its route. Only afterward did the railroad officials, dignitaries, and other passengers on board learn that the train’s unveiling had been overshadowed by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The train was a success, though, for a while. Like most passenger trains, the Empire State Express suffered a steep loss of traffic due to the automotive boom after World War II. In the mid-1950s, the streamlined cars were reassigned to commuter and branchline duties. The train’s identity disappeared altogether when the NYC was merged into the Penn Central in 1968.

The models. The cars of the Empire State Express were named for former governors of the state of New York. Five come in the MTH set: baggage/RPO Alonzo B. Cornell, parlor car Samuel J. Tilden, diner John Jay, coach Hamilton Fish, and round-end observation Franklin D. Roosevelt. All match photos and diagrams printed in W. David Randall’s reference work The Passenger Car Library, Vol. 2: New York Central and North Eastern Railroads.

The exteriors are painted in a satiny silver finish. The lettering is straight and opaque. The truck sideframes are molded in a matching silver plastic and bear an impressive amount of molded details that match prototype photos.  

The interior. I removed the cars’ body shells by first moving aside the flexible plastic uncoupling levers. I could then easily pull the body skirts apart to disengage the retainer tabs and pull the floor out of the shell.

The interior floors, walls, and some fixtures are molded in brown plastic, with some furniture and details added as separate parts. The arrangement of the interiors match diagrams in Randall’s Passenger Car Library, Vol. 2 perfectly, right down to which chairs in the parlor car were tilted in which direction.

The interior lighting works on direct current, Digital Command Control, and MTH’s Digital Command System layouts. The circuit includes a large capacitor which takes some time to charge, so the lights don’t come on immediately when track voltage is applied. The benefit of that large capacitor, though, is that once the lights are on, they’ll stay on for a long time after current is removed, meaning performance on even the least reliable track will be flicker-free.

The lighting is quite bright, visibly illuminating the interiors even under bright room lighting. The roof-mounted lighting circuit picks up current via copper tabs on one end of the body shell, which means there are no wires to disconnect and reconnect if you want to remove the carbody.

The observation car Franklin D. Roosevelt has exterior lighting, as well. Solid red marker lights flank the sides of the car, and a blinking white taillight marks the end. The lighted Empire State Express tailsign looked impressive.

On the track. Despite having track wipers on each wheel, the cars are very free-rolling. They weigh 7 ounces each, which matches National Model Railroad Association Recommended Practice 20.1.

As delivered, the cars couple with their diaphragms 18 scale inches apart. MTH says that the cars will traverse 22″ radius curves. However, if you desire a more realistic appearance, the cars have an additional set of draft gear mounting holes. Unscrewing the draft gear boxes and moving the couplers back to these holes allow the cars to be coupled with their diaphragms touching. You should do so only if your railroad has very broad curves, though. Close-coupled, a pair of cars failed to traverse a 26″ radius curve on our Milwaukee, Racine & Troy club layout and had trouble negotiating the S-curve of a no. 5 crossover. They ran fine through a 32″ curve and looked great doing so.

Ready for service. The HO scale Empire State Express set from MTH is a piece of railroad history in a box. MTH also offers a shrouded HO scale Hudson that matches the set for $449.95.
 
Fans of the NYC’s steam era will be impressed with the car’s smooth finish, accurate detailing, and reliable lighting. This train deserves a place alongside the 20th Century Limited in the pages of railroading history, and now it can run alongside that train on your layout, too.

Price: $469.95

Manufacturer
MTH Electric Trains
7020 Columbia Gateway Dr.
Columbia, MD 21046
www.mthhotrains.com

Era: 1941 to 1968

Features

• Body-mounted metal knuckle couplers, at correct height
• Detailed underbody
• Etched-metal and flexible rubber sprung diaphragms
• Flush-fitting window glazing
• Metal wheelsets, in gauge, with all-wheel electrical pickup
• Weight: 7 ounces each (matches National Model Railroad Association RP-20.1)
• Wire grab irons