Hudson Soft Ltd. was founded in Sapporo, Japan on May 18, 1973 by brothers Yuji and Hiroshi Kudo. The founders grew up admiring trains, and named the business after their favorite, the Hudson locomotives (especially Japanese C62). Hudson began as a shop selling telecommunications devices and art photographs.
About the mysterious train in question:
C62 is a type of 4-6-4 steam locomotive built by the Japanese National Railways, built from 1948 to 1949 and used till 1973. It was one of the most famous as well fastest steam engine ever built. It held a record of 127km/h.
Hudson itself (as for the american trains) is referring to the arrangement of the wheel/axis, which is called 2-C-2 in Japan, and which the C62 is using -> Therefore Hudson C62!
In 1988 there was built a new model of the C62 train called NISEKO-GO by the Hokkaido Locomotive Culture Association, which was in use from 29th April 1988 until 3rd November 1995 (-> notice almost the same lifetime as of the PC Engine).
The NISEKO-GO was used by JR Hokkaido between Otaru and Niseko (both in Hokkaido).
The same Association was looking for sponsors and contacted Hudson Softs president Hiroshi Kudo (because they were well known of the otaku like fondness for the C62 loc), which became unhesitatingly a big and very active sponsor of that project. As well their famous Momotaro Dentetsu serie, released on almost any imaginable japanese platforms (1988 onwards) with several sequels following, was born. The PC engine got two of 'em:
Super Momotarou Dentetsu / スーパー桃太郎電鉄 1989 HuCard of
Super Momotarou Dentetsu II / スーパー桃太郎電鉄II 1991 HuCard
Here's a souvenir photo of Hudson CQ Takahashi Meijin with wifey and kids, being in Hokkaido:
Hudson made a history book, which explains everything about the C62 Loc:
So the origin of the companys name as well their developed chipset and heart of every PC Engine model (as well PC-FX) is comming everything from that particular train model. The chipsets serie HuC62xx is built-up by the Name Hudson (Hu) and the train model number C62. The manufacturer of the chipset was Seiko Epson Corporation.
The HuC6280A
The origin of the last two digits for their respective chipsets 60/70/80 are so far unknown, respectively I couldn't find it out yet (If some one knows more about, please let us know
) Could also be just some random model numbers as well.
So far known, the three chipsets also have different nicknames:
HuC6280 -> Dr．Pepper / DRP: Because the modelnumber "8", which is pronounced as "PA" from hachi -> PAchi -> P -> Dr. P(epper) (lol).
HuC6270 -> 7UP: named after the sprite soda 7Up because the model number 7 (lol).
HuC6260 -> Tetsukannon / TETSU: Is related to a type of Olong tea. It's supposed, because the upper two are drinks as well (lol)
