Rapido just announced a run of N scale rail diesel cars. https://rapidotrains.com/n-scale/diesel-locomotive-47/budd-rdc.html. I remember when Kato did a run and thinking that they were the closest commercially available thing to a Silverliner V and that I could use them for passenger service on my layout. Fast forward to now and I have a few passenger trains that I can run. And the RDC is a older that what I normally run. So while I probably won't pre-order, it did bring back a bit of nostalgia
Do I see it right, they only appear to have RDC-1, no 2, 3 or 4? I have a Kato RDC that I repainted in VIA colours, even if the wrong phase, and added loksound as well. Last spring I also bought a pair of CN Kato RDCs, they should have announced them earlier! so for me no need of the Rapidos.
The RDC--1s are nice. Baltimore and Ohio is in "as delivered". If these sell, perhaps Rpido will do the RDC-2s, -3s and 4-s. If not,I might hve to letter C-C dummy RDC-2 for B&O. Katos did not sell well,as I understand it. They did ATSF and NYCS, which are "first tier" roads. They did not do Boston and Maine, which had the largest fleet at 125 or B&O, which had seventeen and later added three bought used from ATSF. The C-C B&O paint scheme was based on those acquired from ATSF. The story goes that the B&O could not get the red paint off the car, so they painted blue over it, instead. Those initially worked in Pittsburgh. B&O also had some peculiar RDC-2s for the Daylight Speedliner service. There was a snack bar in the baggage section The Northwestern had some peculiar RDC-3s. Minneapolis and St. Louis had some peculiar RDC-4s. They cut two windows between one of the end doors and the baggage compartment for passengers. They had no air conditioning. M&St.L kept towing baggage and express cars with them, which violated the warranty s it overheated the automatic transmissions. As I understand it, Budd, as a courtesy, fixed them a few times then finally told the Louie "no more". M&St.L then sold them to the C&O. I hope that these do sell so that we can see more.
At first they are only doing an RDC1 but could possibly do the others if these turn out to be popular enough. I guess the popularity will be more of a cost issue rather than a desire issue. From what I gather many people like and want RDCs so…. If the price is good I will get a couple Santa Fe or Undec.
I'm glad to hear about this announcement and hope they do CNJ in a future run. I kick myself for not getting the Kato ones when they were being dumped and more recently when a few popped up on ebay.
The ATSF only bought two. And later rebuilt one into an RDC-2 (or a reasonable facimile of one) after a bad wreck in '56. That third one must have come from somewhere else.
I'm not used to reading Rapido's website. Is ATSF the only line that is getting multiple road numbers? I'm looking forward to Reading RDC's but would like at least 2. Best wishes for the New Year to all.
Me too. Many years ago I painted a Con Cor RDC in NYS&W and still run it, though it'd be nice to have something newer in either NYS&W or CNJ. At least Rapido has made RDG available. I'd hoped to acquire a Kato F-40PH in Amtrak for a short passenger train on my layout, but just like Kato's RDCs, they too are nearly impossible to find.
The Undec would get painted in the Cascade Southern scheme whenever I come up with something. Or just get the Cascade Southern name on it as most RDCs were never really painted.
I didn't get any RDC's but I did have a Bachmann Doodlebug from the initial offering. I could be mistaken but I think there were two offerings of these. Anyway, with only one truck powered, it saw very limited run time from me. So, if you say the Doodlebug ran better than The Kato RDC's that really blows my mind.
The Bachmann Doodlebug really only had 1 design, but they did do a release of them (with trailer car) with DCC installed. I have a couple from each release, and oddly, the DCC units run smoother, but are noisier.
I decided to try my luck getting my Kato RDCs running tonight and now I have 4 perfectly good and strong running RDCs. 2 were just dirty wheels and the other two which were DOA when I got them had issues with the motor tabs not being held down tight enough by the little clip thingy. I moved the motor tabs under the interior for a more secure connection and then cleaned those wheels too. 4 happy RDCs and one happy owner.
There were complaints about a plastic part in the drive train that split. I did have one that showed this problem. I ended up selling it and was surprised at what it fetched on FeePay. I listed it for like ten bananas and it fetched just under fifty. I have something like seven or eight of these things. The others run well. Reading Company had only RDC-1s, correct? You might be able to change the number on one of them. They had inconsistent pulling power.Some of mine would pull six RR HWs, on MT trucks, up one per-cent grade. Some of mine would slip with one RR HW baggage car. The decoders fry quickly on DC. Still, those with the decoders do run more smoothly. Further, B-mann changed the swivelling coupler design to one with a flexible springload. Unless you model M&St.L or CRI&P. M&St.L did void the warranty. As I understand it, CRI&P did not start to do it until after its were out of warranty. There is a rather well-known photograph of an RDC's towing a corrugated observation that CRI&P had turned into a combine. The baggage end was the boat tailed end. It has been the subject of much ridicule but consider that the only passenger access was the non boat-tailed end. Thus, the only end that you could put a baggage door was the boat-tailed end. At one point, Train #15 had an RDC in-consist. As the train progressed from origin to terminal, cars dropped off it until finally the locomotive and last coach and baggage car dropped and the RDC-3 continued solo to wherever it was in Texas that the train terminated.
Reading Company had only RDC-1s, correct? The Reading purchased RDC-2's & 3's from B&M. Changing numbers is beyond my abilities anymore.
If I'm reading this right (it's a little vague, also sorry about the pun) they had one each. They bought a dozen -1s new and two used. They didn't need the baggage space, so the -2 and -3 became chair-lounge cars for Crusader service. I wonder if any others ever carried lounges? https://www.readingmodeler.info/ind...road-locomotives/174-budd-rail-diesel-car-rdc
