Doodlebug operations

[nickhall]

I have just acquired the Aristo Doodlebug railcar in Santa Fe livery on Ebay and have a question about how the prototype operated... The railcar is single-ended, with no apparent cab, rear-view window, driving position at the non-cab end. Did this railcar always get turned for its return journey, did it always run with a driving trailor, did someone stand at the non-cab end and direct the engineer, or what??? Thanks for any help! Nick.

[wjstix]

Generally, railcars would be turned at the end of the line so they were facing forwards both ways. During the steam era, branchlines would have had to have a turntable to turn the steam engines anyway, so they could turn the doodlebug. Later, when the RDC came along, it normally had controls on both ends and didn't need to be turned - an advantage particularly because many railroads had dieselized their branchlines and removed the turntables, since diesels were better suited to running either direction without turning than steam engines.

Pulling a coach or other car wasn't unusal for a doodlebug. The M-StL used a doodlebug with a stainless steel Budd coach on trains in the fifties. Chicago Great Western ran some trains as far back as the 1920s-30s that were a doodlebug and a couple of passenger cars.

[g. gage]

Howdy Nick and welcome aboard;

The California Western Railroad (the well known “Skunk Train”) had a Mack doodlebug motorcar. CWR was owned by the Union Lumber Co., Ft Bragg, CA and ran it as a single unit between Ft. Bragg and Willits California where the CWR interchanged lumber loads and passengers with the North Western Pacific. The motor car was turned on a wye at each end and at the logging camp about mid way.

 

The Union Lumber Co. and mill are gone but the State of California now operates the Skunk Trains. Mendocino County is a beautiful area and the Union Lumber Co & CWR is a great prototype.

 

Have fun, Rob

 

[pimanjc]

Nick,

The definitive book on doodlebug operations is, "The Doodlebug" by John McCall.  It is filled with pictures, documents, and narrative operational history.  Do a search on Google and you will find several sources at various prices.  I built a model of doodlebug M-190 largely from info in the book. 

Hope this helps,

JimC.

[nickhall]

Thanks for the information - I'm off to build a turntable! Nick.

[rpc7271]

I have 2. I hook them together back-to-back so I don't have to turn them around. Not exactly prototypical but it sure looks neat.