Revolutionary Hudson Locomotive Arrives At Chatham Depot

by Alan Pollock

            CHATHAM - In 1927, the New York Central Railroad ushered in a new era of power, style and elegance with a brand new type of locomotive: the 4-6-4 Hudson.  Far too large, and let’s face it, too cosmopolitan to make the trip to Cape Cod, it was operated between new York and Chicago as part of the ultra-luxurious 20^th Century Limited service.  The Hudson was a revolutionary locomotive.

            That’s probably what prompted Jacob Almon Keeth, an engineer from Leawood, Kan., to build a scale model of the train in his home workshop.  Built entirely from scratch using parts he machined himself, the model Hudson consumed the majority of Mr. Keeth’s spare time over the course of about 20 years, concluding it in the mid ‘50s.   The model, which has done about as much traveling as a real Hudson, is now on loan to the Chatham Railroad Museum.

            Mr. Keeth had the model on display in a built-in bookshelf of his home for several years, but when he moved into a retirement community, he began to search around for a museum that might preserve the model and put it on display. 

            “I’ve wanted that model since I was a kid, and I was heartbroken when my grandfather didn’t give it to me,” grandson Don Keeth said with a chuckle.

            In 1975, his grandfather decided to place the model in the care of the Newcomen Museum in Exton, Penn., where it was put on display for some time.  In 2000, Don Keeth was traveling in Pennsylvania when he decided to visit the museum to see his grandfather’s handiwork.  He called to check the museum’s hours of operation, and learned that the museum had permanently closed, and that all exhibits had been consigned to the international auction house Christies.

            Don Keeth and his father, Allan, resolved to try and get the model back.  It was to be an expensive proposition: the two had to fly to London to attend the auction, carefully researching the other items on the auction block and the other bidders likely to attend.  When the auction began, there was a brief bidding war with another buyer, but the Keeths prevailed and bought back the Hudson.  They were taken aback to learn how much it would cost to ship the model back to the U.S., and even considered having the locomotive crated up and brought home as “carry on” baggage, but ended up hiring a firm to crate, insure, handle, ship and deliver the precious package.

            Though they were glad to have the model back in the states, the Keeths wanted to honor their grandfather’s desire to have his model placed on display for the public.  Don Keeth lives in Belmont, and began researching suitable museums nearby.  From trips to the Cape, he remembered the small railroad museum in Chatham, and called museum director Larry Larned, who was very excited.

            “It just seemed like a nice place,” Don said.  Probably because museum founder Frank Love and William Main, the second museum director, had careers in the New York Central, the museum has many artifacts from that railroad.  So the Hudson fits in nicely, even though the real locomotive never would’ve visited here.

            The model is on loan to the Chatham Railroad Museum and will remain on display at least through the summer.  The museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

7/2/09