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Hello Gus
Are you the "Steamhead" that steered me to this site from Zealot..
If so, thanks a lot, there is more train info on here than the other.
Are there any NYC historians out there, I am rebuildinfg a NYC 4-6-4 Tenshodo about 50 yrs old, that I bought as a wreck years ago. It's running quite nicely fwd but noisy in reverse, so I suppose it's a canditate for a can motor and gear box.
My query is:
It was lettered for NP when I got it, and it has a an Elesco FWH added tothe smoke box front like an NYC 4-8-2.
All the piping is there so it seems to have been factory applied. But the original authntic FWH is also there sunk into the smokebox, as you would expect. I've relettered the tender for NYC as it is clearly a NYC Hudson, judging by wheel diameter a Boston & Albany J1, but now with a 6 wheel truck larger tender. It should be renumbered 5455 up.
I wonder if anybody knows whether the added FWH is authentic on the prototype, and if so a road number.
I don't want o take the added FWH off as the loco actually looks good that way, and as I'm not a NYC modeler (C&O pref)
I would leave it alone . I have a BLI J1d with sound for authentic.
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Hi...
Yes I am...!!! Glad to see you made it over to the "bright" side...There's LOTS of guys who know so much more railroad history than myself...So, I suggest you open a new thread and introduce yourself, and post whatever questions you have.
Again ...Welcome... 
Gus (LC&P).
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Hi SABLENIP and to Big Blue.
I'm not modelling the NYC either, but the B&A Hudsons were the J-2s and, as far as I know, the only major change made was to replace the sand box with a larger square one. I don't have time at the moment, but I'll look through a couple of NYC books to see about the feedwater system.
Wayne
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Thanks for your reply Wayne.
I can imagine three scenarios, (1) that the FWH on a loco failed internally and the elesco was cobbled on as a quick fix
(2) Tenshodo applied some "modelers licence" to their construction (most likely)
(3) A previous owner like the look and added the parts (but seems factory added)
When you get the time I would appreciate your looking at your NYC literature.
In the meantime, don't forget that electric cars are powered by COAL
Kind regards, Sablenip
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The NYC Hudsons, had the embedded FWH. an externally mounted one could have been, as per ( (1) that the FWH on a loco failed internally and the elesco was cobbled on as a quick fix ), and that photo was used by the manufacturer of the loco.
The NYC hudsons were J3a.
Search: NYC Hudsons for photos, there may have been one that had that modification while still operating as a NYC loco, for the reasons you guessed. If it is a "prototype feature", keep it.
P.S. I remember seeing a NYC 4-6-4, on the Harlem division at Croton Falls, N.Y.
P.P.S. Life is better here !! 
We always learn far more from our own mistakes, than we will ever learn from another's advice.
The greatest place to live life, is on the sharp leading edge of a learning curve.
Lead me not into temptation.....I can find it myself!
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Please add my to those of the group !...and a question...have you stripped the paint from the questionable parts yet ? An 'add-on' part might be more obvious, and as you sound likely to repaint it anyway... A check of the available NP online steam roster shows NO 4-6-4 locos at all, so the previous owner/detailer was not overly prototype concerned - maybe added what he/she liked and never worried at the time. It'd be nice to find photo or other provenance for what satisfies you, but that may not be possible. It seems to have no NP prototype, and IF it is representative of a rare (or singular) NYC Hudson, it will likely need modification & paint for that role...so the decision is strictly yours, I guess. Here's a link: http://www.steamlocomotive.com/hudson/, (though you've likely done more searching than I can)...and the NP Historical Soc.: http://research.nprha.org/Lists/Equipmen...Items.aspx Best of luck with the questions and please tell us about and show off your results ! Bob C.
James Thurber - "It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers."
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I've looked through the books which I had in mind, and the B&A Hudsons all appear to be equipped with Coffin feedwater heaters, hidden in the smokebox. I have a couple of pictures from the first order (five locos in total) and a couple from the third order (ten locos, all built by Lima and supposedly the only Hudsons which they ever built) and all have Coffins. I'm assuming that they were happy with the performance and also ordered them on the second order (five locos) of which I have no photos. They were originally numbered 600-619, then re-numbered 5455-5474. The NYC-style sandboxes on the first five were replaced with large, square B&A-style ones, and the two subsequent orders were delivered with the square version. All 20 locos had 75" drivers, while the Central's other 255 Hudsons rode on 79" ones.
There are some photos of B&A locos at the bottom of the page HERE.
My guess is that your model is of a NYC J-1, and somebody added the second Elesco fwh in order to make it more closely resemble either an NP loco of a different wheel arrangement or they simply preferred the look of a more prominent fwh. There's also the chance that they didn't recognise the imbedded heater bundle as such, and added the second one in order to justify the Elesco pump mounted on the loco's side.  
On the prototype, a failed fwh would be repaired as soon as possible, or replaced with one in-kind. It would be very unlikely to add a temporary replacement as you describe, as the loco could be operated by using the injector on the engineer's side of the boiler - not as efficient, but certainly adequate.
Wayne
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