> Here's an all-too-quick summary, only opff
> the top of my head with no reference books
> handy:

> If I recall right, eight of the twelve
> former Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines
> RDCs have been saved by the Cape May
> Seashore Lines, in various states of
> disrepair or operability. I think some were
> saved for the New Jersey transportation
> museum, and are only leased or stored at
> CMSL with potential operation not ruled out.

Four of these are ex MARC, part of the NYC 48 trade mentioed above. One was operable at the trade.

> One of the two Santa Fe cars is preserved, I
> believe at the Age of Steam Musem in Dallas.

The last ATSF RDC, and survivor of the infamous LA Jct. wreck, was part of the big MARC trade. Being held by Kasten for trade to a Californial museum. The ATSF RDC-2 was scrapped in Indianapolis in the 70's or 80's.

> Three de-engined, de-motored, de-humped
> ex-MARC RDCs are in the hands of the
> Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum in Maryland,
> stored in a yard along with two Alco MRS-1's
> and a multitude of other rolling stock.

Yes, donated a couple of years ago. Was beginning of ill fated and incompleted conversion to cab cars.

> A society called Flying Cloud Enterprises
> (or something to that effect) has the former
> New Haven "Roger Williams" cars,
> two cab cars and a middle car (with no
> cabs), somewhere up there in New England.

The middle car was donated by Maryland DOT to the Danbury Railroad Museum, and is leased(?) to Jim Gagliardi and/or his subsidiary company.

> Lehigh Valley 40, its only RDC, at the RR
> Museum of Pa.

> I think the Reading Co. T&HS has custody
> of at least one car, possibly both of the
> cars acquired by the Blue Mountain &
> Reading in the 1980s.

> Let's not forget the Bellefonte Historical
> RR in central Pa. with two RDCs (if I recall
> correctly).

> Central NY Chapter NRHS had one of the P-RSL
> cars, but I think it went to CMSL.

> There are a couple other scattered single
> cars, I believe in New England and Canada;
> and if you look hard enough I think Kasten
> Railcar has a couple still available for
> sale or trade.

> Haven't checked Cuba or Saudi Arabia
> lately.......


SZuiderveen@mdot.state.md.us

> TVRM has two Budd RDC's. We've used them by
> themselves and as coaches. I do not know the
> lineage of them.

These were part of the big MARC trade for NYC 48. They were New Haven, then Amtrak, then MARC, and were one of only three that had full MARC paint jobs. Sold by Kasten to TVRM.

SZuiderveen@mdot.state.md.us

> The Danbury Railway Museum in Connecticut
> has been restoring ex-New Haven RDC-1 #32.

. . .and owns former MARC 9800, the only remaining Roger Williams mid train car.

SZuiderveen@mdot.state.md.us

> What are the economics of running an RDC? Is
> there any sort of parts source still out
> there? Is it a viable entity to get a
> tourist line "moving"?

At MARC in 1990, it was determined that at the third RDC car, it was more economically viable to operate a three car push pull consist. Also at that point, all of MARC's RDC cars needed heavy overhaul for safety and reliability reasons. Soon after, Dallas DART has thirteen RDC cars overhauled from the ground up. They cost almost two million a piece to do. At that time, MARC could purchase brand new Nippon Sharyo coaches for 1.2 million each, and in 1994 purchased nineteen remanufactured GP-40's with HEP for 1.19 million each.
So the economic analysis is easy, considering the heavy capital investment in a fifty year old carbody, which, despite being stainless steel, was beginning to show signs of stress cracking in certain areas; and brand new carbodies being pulled by something that is still fully supported by its manufacture.

Original RDC material is getting impossible to find. The GM 6-110, chile some parts are available, is extremely expensive to support. All of the air conditioners need to be upgraded from the R-12, and the DC systems that operate it are not supported. The new remanufactured RDC cars get Cummins diesels, Twin Disc transmissions, and use auxiliary Cummins diesels to operate the heat, air conditioning, and lights. Also, RDC wheels are now a custom build, you have to purchase a mill lot to get them made.

Steve Zuiderveen

SZuiderveen@mdot.state.md.us

I recall watching the old MARC RDCs going through Gaithersburg, MD, everyday. You could tell if they had been by within the last 15 minutes by the haze of black exhaust lingering over the tracks. (I'm not exaggerating too much, am I Steve?)

AMaples@aol.com

I'm pretty sure there are 2 RDC's up in Duluth on the tourist line there. Possibly of CNW heritage also.

Chris

ablemanscurve@hotmail.com

There is a yahoo groups budd rdc spv 2000 site that keeps good track of the rdc's . Join the group and check the back postings.
joe

.and owns former MARC 9800, the only
> remaining Roger Williams mid train car.


buddrdc@hotmail.com

> I'm pretty sure there are 2 RDC's up in
> Duluth on the tourist line there. Possibly
> of CNW heritage also.

> Chris

They're on the North Shore Scenic which is part of the Lake Superior Tran. Museum. The Budd's no. is 9169 in case anyone is interested.
Chris


http://www.lsrm.org/
ablemanscurve@hotmail.com

AOS has M-160. CSRM has M-190. A Southern California group has M-177.
I last saw the ex-Katy RDC in a deadline of VIA RDC's at the Ottawa, Ont. depot in 1993. Which Canadian shortline has it and what's being done with it?
***
> The often-referenced car at Age of Steam is
> actually a much-rebuilt doodlebug, M-190,
> which in its final transmogrification
> recieved an EMD 567 prime-mover (or was it a
> Winton 201?), making it a
> "near-locomotive."

> Illnois Transit Assembly has the remaining
> ATSF RDC in St. Louis. A shortline in Canada
> has a former Missouri-Kansas-Texas RDC.


denmeg_hogan@msn.com

Any RDC's still running in Brazil or Jamaica?
How about the Australian versions ('Blue Birds')?
***

> Budd self propelled railcars have been in
> decline for some time now and with the
> imminent demise of BC Rail's fleet,I got to
> wondering just how many,if any of these cars
> are preserveb. I seem to recall a photo of a
> Suzie-Q car operating in the east in an old
> back issue of RMC. It would be interesting
> to know what is out there.


denmeg_hogan@msn.com

Central New York Chapter, NRHS still owns their ex PRSL RDC. however, they have no definite plans for it at this time.

jjbx@twcny.rr.com

> They're on the North Shore Scenic which is
> part of the Lake Superior Tran. Museum. The
> Budd's no. is 9169 in case anyone is
> interested.

9169 is a former SEPTA number, making the car very likely ex-Reading.


lner4472@bcpl.net

> I recall watching the old MARC RDCs going
> through Gaithersburg, MD, everyday. You
> could tell if they had been by within the
> last 15 minutes by the haze of black exhaust
> lingering over the tracks. (I'm not
> exaggerating too much, am I Steve?)

No, you are not.

And at least once a month in the last couple of months of service, that black haze (snd the sound of fire department sirens) was one of the Detroits burning up.

Steve


SZuiderveen@mdot.state.md.us

I clearly recall seeing several RDC's outside the Duluth depot around 1991 still lettered Boston & Maine, and I've seen them since then being used as unpowered coaches. The 9169, which still runs under its own power, was already re-lettered North Shore Scenic Railroad when I first saw it. According to the NSSR web site, this car was one of the first 10 RDC's built in 1950, and is the oldest in operation. Unfortunately that's about all the historical information they give about this particular car.

> 9169 is a former SEPTA number, making the
> car very likely ex-Reading.


North Shore Scenic Railroad equipment roster
rjenkins@railfan.net

> 9169 is a former SEPTA number, making the
> car very likely ex-Reading.

9169 would be a car bought by SEPTA for RDG service, not a Reading Company-owned car.

The Electric City Trolley Museum Association