Santa Fe and Rock Island used doodlebugs in branchline service to haul freight, during WWII the all electric Vasalia Electric, which had ceased passenger operations many years before, leased a SP doodlebug to move freight this was perferable to leasing steam power as there were no servicing facalities available.
Dave
I believe I read somewhere that doodlebugs could be used to move a few freight cars in mixed train service but I've never seen pictures of this. The pictures I've seen either show the doodlebug as a single railcar or pulling a trailing coach or combine. Would they ever be used to move a few freight cars?
I have a doodlebug for the branchline that is currently under construction. At the terminus of the branchline will be a creamery that needs to have two milk tank cars moved each morning to the mainline interchange where they will be picked up by the mainline milk train. The doodlebug provides passenger service on the branchline and I would like to know if it would be prototypical for it to move those two milk tank cars as part of a mixed train. If so, how common would such a practice be?
I know the rule is it is my railroad and I can do whatever I want but what I want is to follow prototypical practices.