RDC Mixed trains?

[Anonymous]

I have seen photographs of RDC's being hauled in a local passenger train's consist, but I have never heard of one toting freight cars as well. An RDC would seem a likely candidate for hauling mixed trains, but I've never really seen one on a mixed. Can somebody tell me if this ever occurs?
Thank You.

[Anonymous]

Those old RDC's had a "torque converter" type drivetrain, I suppose it would be possible to haul one or two freight cars with one, it would be very hard on the RDC. They were pretty much designed to operate by themselves or in multiple.
Hauling 5 or 6 boxcars with one would be like trying to pull a semi-trailer with your Chevy half ton pickup. Possible, but not a good idea.

Todd C.

[dmoore74]

If I recall correctly, Budd threatened to cancel the warranty on any RDC that was used to pull or move any other car.

[Anonymous]

When the C&O ran the Budd cars between Richmond and Newport News, they had a contraption known as a trailer that was towed along. This was not a regular baggage car, but could haul a small amount of mail, express, etc. I also remember seeing a photograph of the C&EI Meadowlark with a RDC hauling a regular coach. This wasn't done much, though. Most operators used them as Budd designers intended. gdc

[BR60103]

An article in latest issue of Railfan says that one of the iron ore RRs in Quebec sometimes adds a dome car on the end of their string of RDCs.

[Anonymous]

As a teenager, I rode along on a Reading and Northern employee special, which as I recall was operated with 2 RDC's. Only 1 was under power, for what reason I do not remember, but we were not able to pull the grade up to Locust Summit. It reminded me of driving a vehicle with an automatic transmission, where we were trying to move forward but only rolled in reverse. I would only guess that hauling freight behind an RDC would result in similar "stalls" on grades.

Along with that example, I believe the visibility for the operator would be an issue. It may be hard to see a man on the ground. Just a thought.

[RudyRockvilleMD]

As I recall the RDC was never designed to pull an unpowered trailer although I remember a test was made on a 5 car set of RDC's climbing B&o'S 17 mILE Grade where one engine in one of the 5 cars was shut off for a few minutes. But this was not standard operation. So I doubt if an RDC was ever the motive power for a mixed train, even two or three cars.

[Anonymous]

As I said in my earlier post, they weren't designed for it.
Todd C.

[dknelson]

Contrast with the old gas electric doodlebugs which could (and did) haul a few additional cars, some of them especially built or converted for the purpose
At one time the CB&Q was so power short they used an old doodlebug on the freight local between Galesburg and Peoria. Pictures appeard some years ago in Railroad/Railfan.
A BN engineer told me that once in the early 1960s they were so power short at Galesburg that they steamed up 4960, the excursion train 2-8-2 now at the Grand Canyon RR, and used it for the local to Peoria -- totally unremarked by fans!
Dave

[Anonymous]

J. Boyd, is that you???

[Anonymous]

I've seen 5 RDCs together as one train. With that many going I'm sure adding one passenger or freight car to that wouldn't strain them, but I've never seen that happen. But i may have heard that the QNS&L sometimes added a dome car to the end of RDCs!!

[dknelson]

Heh heh no I am not Jim Boyd but it is Jim Boyd's photo of the doodlebug doing local switching on the line to Peoria that I refer to.
Good catch whoever you are!

The info on 4960 came from a BN engineer who saw my friend and I railfanning his train and invited us up for a cab ride in Yates City: we heard 40 minutes of great stories and would have ridden down to Canton were it not for the fact that he was going to go dead there and could not guarantee that the next crew would bring us back to our car in Yates City -- he fired the 4960 on that unremarked trip so we were hearing it right from the horse's mouth. This is the line that saw steam two years ago via the Frisco 1522, may it rest in peace in St Louis.

That by the way was my only experience getting on and off a moving train -- nerve wracking!
Dave Nelson

[Anonymous]

QNS&L also towed a roadrailer behindtheir RDCs. I do not know if they still do.

[mccannt]

Chuck Crouse's 1990 book, "Budd Car -- The RDC Story", includes a section he calls "RDC plus" that shows RDC's pulling other rolling stock, or being pulled themselves by locomotives or electric MU cars.

In addition to these photos (pages 218-222) there is also a photo on page 71 showing two C&O, ex-M&StL RDC-4's with a heavyweight baggage car.