When I worked for C&O in 1965, we had an RDC that ran between Newpor News and Richmond every day; to Richmond in the AM, back to Newport News in the PM. It was a RDC-1 with reclining seats; on the rear, there was an old baggage car with about a hundred sacks of mail. That was the only reason the train ran. There were never more than 10 passengers on board (along with an engineer, fireman, conductor, and a postal inspector guarding the "registered" pouch). One day after I had been there a while, we had ONE passenger on one of my day-off trips to Richmond: I got to run it for a few miles between Williamsburg-Richmond!! What a trip for an 18-year old. We nudged it up to 81 MPH at one point. The RDC had its problems, however: The transmission would go out about once a month and we substituted an old GP-9 and a heavyweight coach and baggage car for the train.
Budd voided the warranty if trailers were pulled by RDCs. C&O fixed the problem on the Big Sandy Division by using TWO RDCs to pull the storage mail car.
The Minneapolis & St.Louis bought an RDC and a Budd fluted-side stainless steel coach to replace one of their engine-hauled passenger trains. GM told them several times it wouldn't work, the RDC couldn't haul even one passenger car. GM was right, the RDC failed. So the M-St.L ended up running their shiny new Budd coach behind an ancient Pullman green non-air-conditioned "doodlebug".
who made the Pullman doodlebug? I bet it had a bigger EMD engine I. E. DIESEL designed to pull a trailer. the seaboard airline railroad order one from I believe it was EMD with car body by st. Louis car company. it replaced a steam engine and this was a train reguired by thteir charter in the state of florida. Budd built later models specifically to be MUED with both baggage and room for mail.
floridad who made the Pullman doodlebug? I bet it had a bigger EMD engine I. E. DIESEL designed to pull a trailer. the seaboard airline railroad order one from I believe it was EMD with car body by st. Louis car company. it replaced a steam engine and this was a train reguired by thteir charter in the state of florida. Budd built later models specifically to be MUED with both baggage and room for mail.
Originally, these were used on other SAL lines, and were not always reliable. I am not sure, but they may have been power on the Hamlet-Savannah train that went via Charleston in 1941. My oldest brother rode from Hamlet to Charleston in August of 1941, and told me that the engine had problems, and had to be rescued by a steam locomotive.
Johnny
M&St. L's Pullman green gas-electrics were built by EMC, with carbodies from St. Louis Car. Some or all were later repowered with Caterpiller D-400 diesel engine.
SAL's model AA power cars were later repowered with EMC 6-567A engines.
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