New York Central and Hudson River Railroad No. 999

New York Central and Hudson River Railroad No. 999 was a 4-4-0 "American" type steam locomotive built for the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad in 1893 to haul the road's Empire State Express passenger service. It came out of the railroad's West Albany Shops as a modification of the existing Class I design by chief motive power superintendent William Buchanan, and was meant to publicize the train at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. It carried larger 86.5 inch driving wheels than its classmates, and an early feature was brakes mounted on the pilot truck. The engine is alleged to have been the first steam locomotive in the world to exceed 100 miles per hour, though the claim is disputed and one questionable source puts its peak at 112.5 miles per hour. It hauled the Empire State Express between Buffalo and Syracuse until 1899, was later rebuilt with the smaller 70 inch drivers, and after demotion to yard switching was retired in May 1952. The railroad donated it to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry in 1962, where it was restored in 1993 and now stands indoors.