Aster Live Steam Engine Kit J1c 5265 NIB Rare Mint Cond

Rare Aster N.Y.C. Hudson J1c 5265 Live Steam Engine kit. It has never been assembled and only removed from the box for these photographs. It was purchased over 30 years ago by our consignor, an avid collector of trains. There were only 320 of these kits made and this is number 61.

These superb locomotives, used to haul the "Great Steel Fleet" on the Water Level Route, got their name from the Hudson River, and proved their capabilities as passenger traffic burgeoned on the Central Lines.  Their day-to-day reliability enhanced the Central's enviable reputation as the nation's foremost passenger carrier.  Their splendid performance, coupled with their handsome external appearance, made these locomotives an unqualified success - unequaled by any other locomotive on the American continent.

The failure to preserve a single prototype of the New York Central Hudson locomotive is a tragic loss for railroading history.  Aster's NYC Hudson offered an opportunity for the model railroading enthusiast to own a precise 1:32 scale locomotive which is reminiscent of a period in American history when railroad service was at its peak. Aster's live-steam model replicates locomotive number 5265, one of twenty-five J1c locomotives built in the short period of 1928-1929.  Locomotive number 5265 was completed in December 1928, and it was retired from service in April 1953 and scrapped.

Here are some specifics:

Incredible Aster gauge 1 live steam New York Central Hudson J1c 5265,
Factory built in original box with associated paperwork,
Unfired C9-10. Aster Hobby Co., Inc. Tokyo Japan.
This loco is serial number 61, which is 61 of 320.
Specifications Weight: Engine 6.2kg, Tender 2.8 kg Total 9.0 kg
Dimensions: Length: 934 mm Height: 142 mm Width: 102 mm Driving Wheels: 61 mm,
Made of stainless steel, equalized spring action.
Trailer Wheels: Front: diameter 27 mm made of stainless steel Rear: diameter 39 mm, made of stainless steel Tender and Pilot Wheels: Disc type, diameter 27 mm, made of stainless steel.
Cylinders & Pistons: 2 x Cylinders, Bore 16 mm x stroke 20 mm, rulon piston rings.
Valve Gear: Walschaert's valve gear with reverser lever (for ease of R/C operation) Valve Travel 1.2 mm, Cut-off 80% Boiler Type: Center Flue with 3 fire tubes for Butane gas burning.
Working Pressure: 3 to 4 kg/cm (42-56 psi) at normal working pressure Water Capacity: 350 cc at 80% full Fittings: 2 x Safety valves, Pressure Gauge, Water Gauge Glass, Regulator (Throttle) Valve, Water Check Valves, Blow down valve, Whistle Valve, By-Pass Valve, Whistle, and Super Heater.
Feed Water System: (1) Axle Driven Automatic Feed Water Pump mounted on the middle drivers' axle (Cylinder bore 5 mm x stroke 8 mm) (2) Hand Operation Feed Water Pump mounted in tender water tank (Cylinder bore 10 mm x stroke 16 mm) Lubricator: Roscoe displacement type Tender Gas Reservoir: Capacity 139 cc (approximately 4 1/2 ounces)
Water Tank: Capacity 600 cc (approximately 21 ounces) Fuel: Butane Gas Insulation Method: Both sides insulated Minimum Radius: 3 meters (10 feet)