I’m interested in adding pasenger service to my railroad, sincec it’s a fictional short line set in the steam era, i’m not too sure about what kind of equipment to buy. Since it is going to be a rather small layout, I think putting a doodlebug into service vice a full blown passenger train would be a more viable solution. Does anyone know of any good web sites or books that focus on doodlebugs and their day to day operations. Thanks for the help.
Interurbans Without Wires by Edmund Keilty c1979 Interurbans Special 66
ISBN 0-916374-38-6
Doodlebug County by Edmund Keilty c 1982 Interurbans Special 77
ISBN 0-916374-50-5
You might want to get Railroads You Can Model and read the article “GM&O Doodlebug Line”, which describes GM&O operations over its Kansas City line from Bloomington, IL to Kansas City, MO. The article was adapted from an article that appeared in Model Railroader in the late 1950s, “MR Rides a Doodlebug”.
An alternative to running a doodlebug might be to run a mixed train. Instead of a caboose, use a wood combine or a modified caboose.
The Bachmann 'bug has been a good model. It would be good to bring a few passengers & mail to your branchline. It could have many stops, delivering the mail & newspapers on your pike. Once a day, it could also meet the crack varnish on some larger line.
On some days, the 'bug may not run, to be replaced by a steamer pulled old combine.
With regard to doodlebug operations and equipment, the Bachmann doodlebug is an example of a large, single end control cab model. While such units did run bi-directional it was often awkward, especially when operating with a trailer car and was a rather unsafe practice. Bi-directional cab units (control cab at each end), like the doodlebug offered by Walthers, would be far more suitable to such operation on most layouts as we typically model other than Class I railroads, run through more convoluted terrain, and handle passenger service in smaller rural communities.
CNJ831
True, but single ended doodlebugs were MUCH more common, by a huge margin. Remember, most railroads had turning locations all over the place (either turntables or wyes), which we modelers don’t model nearly enough.
FYI - both the Walthers HO gas electric and the Spectrum HO gas electrics are available at greatly reduced prices at Trainworld. www.Trainworld.com I recently purchased the Walthers item for $21.95 and they have been offering the Spectrum item for approx. the same price. (I paid only $15.00 last year for that one, also from Trainworld)
there is also another way to run doodlebugs - not sure if any prototypes did it with doodlebugs though - and that is do run two units DMU-style (i.e. end to end with the cabs outwards) and if you want a shorter train, one unit could be converted into a full mail version and the other to a full passenger version, you could also shorten both cars.
I have a Spectrum doodlebug pair, one of which is undergoing the full mail conversion using the mail section of the second car which is becoming the passenger-only car.
If its your road you can run the cars how you want to and not worry about prototye methods (within reason!!!)
Orsonroy is correct that single-cab doodlebugs outnumbered dual cab but (as he also points out) this was because they were meant to be turned at the end of the outbound/inbound trip to run control cab forward. This is a critical point and I expect very few operators of the long Bachmann single-cab doodlebugs do turn them. Not doing so detracts greatly from operating reality and simple logic. Its-my-railroad-I- do-as-I-please is a very poor excuse for doing something not seen on the prototype for a very good reason.
Neither would a railroad be expected to run pairs of doodlebugs back-to-back, as jguess733 suggests, since this would considerably reduce the financial savings the railroads were attempting to gain by the very use of these machines!
CNJ831
Hi jguess733
My sugestion would be the doodlebug note it can tow a milk car or other car of this type or a coach the hauling power of the prototype would not have been high but this feature is usefull on a model railway…
In addition to the doodlebug I would round out services with a coach and a drovers caboose so that increased passangers on market day can be handled and you can also carry passangers on your freight trains.
regards John
I took off all the “engine” gear ( roof stacks & radiators) from my passenger-only car and turned it into a cab equipped trailer, the theory being that the road did this on the real thing so as to keep costs down by not having to build a turn-around facility at the end of the line when ther wasnt one there already.
I’m planning to use a Doodlebug and an old, shorty coach to bring workers to my coal mine at the end of the branchline.