I just recently bought an HO scale doodlebug and have a question regarding the prototype
I have seen pictures of them pulling cars, both freight & passenger…my question is…what was their pulling cababilities as far as number of cars…1 passenger? 3-4 40 foot box cars?
As built many were lucky to pull one light coach - but many roads remotored them with more power and in some cases two coaches, or 3-6 freight cars was not out of the question.
Sheldon
Many early ‘Doodlebugs’ had a gasoline engine in them. After several fire related accidents, most production change to a distillate engine(sort of an early diesel with spark plugs) to remove the fire hazard as gasoline ;‘flashed’ at such a low temp. Eventually pure diesel power plants were used, and many of the early units were ‘re-powered’ with EMC Winton 201-A power plants.
A typical doodlebug could have anywhere from 300-600 hp and have either one or two powered trucks. That Walthers model is a very typical EMC unit with a 300 hp power plant and only the front truck powered. The CB&Q used 300-400 hp doodlebugs to operate on Iowa branches and they pulled 2-3 cars, plus a caboose. What the Walthers model is capable of, I do not know…
Jim
The book America’s Shortest Interstate Railroad by Richard Schmeling (South Platte Press, 2011) concerns a cement plant industrial line that was served by the Burlington. When the schedule for the local dropped to three days a week, several cement loads could be hauled by the passenger train (page 74):
“The fact that motor cars were then normally used on Nos. 15-16 did not deter this idea. Movements began in February, 1955 with one or two boxcars of sacked cment or loaded cement hoppers per trip on No. 15, which the otherwise consisted of diesel-powered motor 9767 pulling a combination car. Such moves were then occasionally taken to the extreme as the 9767 (with 400 hp) was seen battling the westbound trip with five or six loaded cement hoppers - which did not help the aging motor’s mechanical condition! This arrangement continued through July, 1956, when motor 9841 was permanetly assigned to Nos. 15-16. The 9841, with a 275 hp motor, was incapable of handling more than two loads of cement. This unique option for moving cement out of Superior finally ended when Nos. 15-16 were discontinued effective March 2, 1958.”
Hope this helps.
Bill