Were RDC’s used by smaller railroads or just Calss 1 railroads?
Gary
Rapido covers that, pretty much, in this:
https://rapidotrains.com/budd-rdc-master-class/
Depends on how you define "smaller railroads". Turns out C&EI was a Class 1. Long Island may well have been too, especially if you consider the source of the money to buy the RDC's.
RDC's cost big money. Smaller railroads didn't have big money. They probably bought the gas-electrics that the RDC's retired. I don't mean that as one-for-one, but I suspect there were a lot of gas-electrics available for sale back then.
So, a short-line wouldn't have bought one new.
Used is maybe different. It looks like a bunch of government transit systems bought some. I can't think of any "real" short-line buying one to handle what I'll call non-transit passenger service, but it sounds like a fun near-reality.
Ed
An RDC, until five years ago when the tracks and some bridges were embargoed, ran daily on the E&N Ry (Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway) on Vancouver Island. At only 209 miles long, including a spur 30 miles long, it counts as a short line.
The Dominian Atlantic Ry ran RDC's in Nova Scotia.
We should perhaps consider the Pacific Great Eastern. When they purchased the initial RDCs it was before a lot of the expansion north of Prince George. They were a much smaller system than the ultimate British Columbia Railway that disappeared into CN.
The Dominon Atlantic of course was an integral part of the CPR system, as was the E&N at the time the RDCs were introduced there. The only difference was the branch lines were not physically connected by rail, instead connected by ferry.
This book lists every carrier that operated RDC's
https://www.amazon.com/Rdc-Budd-Rail-Diesel-Car/dp/0870951033/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1512250299&sr=1-4&keywords=Keilty
I own the book, but unfortunately it is in storage where I can't get to it.
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
WOW Thanks for the great replies!!
In terms of miles of trackage (not tonnage) perhaps the smallest railroad to buy and RDC new was the Duluth Missabe & Iron Range, who bought one RDC-3 in the early 1950's. In the Missabe's case, they were required by state regulators to continue passenger service to some isolated towns, and wanted to continue the income generated by a US Mail contract.
Important to remember a railroad couldn't just stop running a passenger train, it had to get permission from the states the train served (and in at least some cases the federal government I believe). Some railroads like the DMIR decided the relatively high cost of the RDC was less than the cost over time of continuing to run a steam engine or diesel (SD-9) with heavyweight passenger cars on the trains they had to run.
When the RDCs were first introduced, all passenger service was operated by private sector railroads. Even the Long Island, was privately owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad. When the last ones were built, around 1962,(for the Reading), government agencies were starting to get involved in passenger rail.
The Pennsylvania - Reading Seashore Lines in Southern New Jersey, could be considered a short line, if they were not owned and by Class 1 carriers, The PRR and the Reading. The PRSL operated locomotive hauled passenger trains, as well as 10 RDCs, and at one point,in the 1950s, also operated Diesel Motor trains (Gas electrics converted to diesel operation, simultaneously.
This does not include the RDC successor, the Budd SVP2000, which utilized an Amfleet carbody, and was built in the late 70s by the State of Connecticut for lease to Amtrak and Metro North.
RDC's were intended to be used in areas with little or no commuter traffic and were generally less expensive than a traditional locomotive-pulled train.
I don't know if DWP was at any time considered Class 1 but it did have a single RDC-3 with a reduced passenger capacity (4 passenger windows) over 170 route miles... that car became part of CN and I believe VIA's fleet in the end rebuilt as a more conventional RDC-3.
Regards from Australia
Trevor
ATSFGuy RDC's were intended to be used in areas with little or no commuter traffic...
RDC's were intended to be used in areas with little or no commuter traffic...
There's intent and reality. This looks SO much like commuter traffic to me:
The number of Class 1 railroads were relatively high during the production period for the RDCs.
The Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic might be a class 2 with a RDC1. When I read about the DSS&A, it seemed like a branch line.
Many of the class 1s used them on branchlines.
kingcoalThe number of Class 1 railroads were relatively high during the production period for the RDCs.
The defination of each Class was changed over the years lowering the class of many railroads. Many railroads were Class 1 one day and Class 2 the next.
Also mergers and fallen flags took their toll.
There is a thread about it somewhere on the Forums.
A friend forwarded this link to a Budd film about their RDC:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfANNpAPI5k
Since commuter service with RDC's was shown in the film, it appears that Budd definitely DID intend the RDC to be used in areas with lots of commuter traffic.
But, yes, it is interesting that Budd saw these cars as serving two very different uses: one being pretty much a replacement for gas-electrics (see GN and NP, for example), the other commuter service (NH, B&M, NYC, PRSL). And then there's the Zephyrette--a strange little long distance single car train.
It is a neat item. I'm looking forward to getting a couple. And regret that I"m not flush enough to pick up a string of commuter RDC's. THAT would look very nice on "my layout".