What are the externally observable differences between a lightweight trailer used behind a doodlebug, and a heavyweight passenger car of the same period? So far, the only differences I can see are the absence of a clerestory roof, and four-wheel passenger trucks.
I understand that any unpowered passenger car (heavyweight or whatever) pulled by a doodlebug could be called a “trailer.” If there was one, it would typically be a coach, or perhaps an RPO/baggage or baggage/express car if the doodlebug only accommodated passengers.
Mark
Unless a railroad specifically built a car to go behind a doodlebug (like converted an old Pullman 50’ troop sleeper) the cars the doodlebug would pull would be just regular passenger cars. The streamlined car the MStL doodlebug pulled was just a typical (I think Budd??) coach c.1950.
Brill and several other Doodlebu manufactures produced trailers specifically for use behind their Doodlebugs. The early Doodlebugs were quite underpowered and these lighterweight all steel trailers were about all they could manage.
As the size and horspower of the Doodlebugs increased the need for these lighterweight trailers disappeared and conventional heavyweight cars of the period became the norm behind the Doodlebugs. The CB&Q, M&StL and AT&SF all assigned streamlined cars behind some of their Doodlebugs in later years.
Several of the larger Doodlebugs were capable of pulling several cars behind if necessary.
Hope this helps.
Al
The trailer has a lighter frame, was made with lighter construction (like the doodlebug itself) and didn’t have all the underbody equipment (airconditioning, electrical, etc.) It was built more like a trolly car than a Pullman car.
Dave H.
Keep in mind that “regular” passenger cars were expected to be able to be run in “regular” train service. That means at the beginning, end, or in the middle of a 20 or more car passenger train (or worse). That necessitates a much stronger and heavier construction than a gas-electric trailer which is rarely, if ever, in a train at all–it’s pulled. Thus it can be a much lighter construction and can be more easily pulled by possibly underpowered “locomotives”.
Ed
As you;re an Alton fan, I suspect your interest is primarily in the gas electric train that ran well into the G&MO era. It’s a good choice as both cars were painted in the classic red./maroon. The power unit consisted of an engine compartment, baggag/express section and 15’ RPO. All psgr seating was in the similarly constructed trailer which had AN OBSERVATION PLATFORM on the end, complete w/ brass railing, a perfect “Pike Size” psgr train!
One of my get-off-your-duff-n-gitterdone projects is using the baggage doors from Model Power’s combines to convert my two N Scale Bachmann Gas Electrics - doodlebugs - to straight RPO/Baggage units; it was/is my intention to have one of these converted units lug one of Model Power’s ‘shorty’ heavyweight coaches around but I don’t believe that four wheel steam-era passenger trucks are commercially available so I have about resigned myself to going with an 80’coach of somebody’s persuasion. It is my intention that the second unit will haul around a flute-sided lightweight coach also of somebody’s persuasion.
As long as we are on this subject of doodlebug operations I would like to throw in a closely-related question. I have seen numerous photographs of doodlebugs hauling around coaches, both heavy- and lightweight; if I were to convert one of my forementioned Bachmann units to a straight coach configuration would I be on firm prototypical grounds to lug around a heavy- or lightweight straight RPO/Baggage? how about keeping the RPO/Baggage/Coach configuration intact and lugging around an express reefer or an express box or both?