The Photo of the Day for 6/28/2019 shows a B&M train with GP7 1559, an RPO-Baggage, two conventional coaches, and three RDC-1s.
In MBTA days, after the great snowstorm of 1978, B&M used RDCs in locomotive-hauled trains, with shopmen even developing a special cable to allow RDCs to MU with GPs, permitting push-pull (more or less) operation.
The POTD by Jim Shaughnessy is the only pre-1978 photo of RDCs in a B&M locomotive-hauled train that I have seen. I know why they are there - the three Canadian Pacific RDCs (note the letterboards and end zebra stripes) are headed to Montreal. The train will separate at Wells River VT, with the GP7 and cars heading for Berlin NH via Woodsville and Littleton, and the RDCs to Montreal via St. Johnsbury and Newport VT. In the not too distant future, B&M and CP RDCs will follow the same procedure.
Though the photo isn’t dated, I’m pretty sure it’s in 1954. Flood damage to B&M’s White Mountain Division had led to the cancellation of the joint B&M/CP Allouette via Concord and Plymouth NH, with CPR’s brand new RDCs the replacement, running via White River Jct. VT. It didn’t take long for B&M management to replace the Berlin train with an RDC-3 and an RDC-1. The trains ran combined south of Wells River until they were both discontinued. Both CP And B&M RDCs ran through to Montreal.
New York Central used RDCs mixed with both conventional and suburban equipment in various ways. Opening the floor for other examples.
I’m presuming this question refers only to ‘powered’ RDCs. It might be mentioned here that some of the NYC examples involved operation of RDCs on the end of electricMU trains, in part because of the ban on diesel engines into GCT; if I remember correctly this was to facilitate the service (e.g. to Poughkeepsie) that was famously run with locomotive-hauled electric MUs before.
Should there be a sub-category for RDCs AS the locomotive? This was strictly frowned upon by Budd, the nominal reason being perceived fragility of the converters and lockup clutches in the driveline while under warranty, but several railroads were gearing up to use RDCs with some combination of trailers. Keilty covered some of this in Doodlebugs, bus aside from B&O I don’t remember specific examples. Note that a typical gas-electric (or re-engined) car like those from EMC could typically handle at least one lightweight trailer; Brill even built special trailers to go with their gas cars. RDCs were designed different.
I recall reading the New Haven was very quietly “…taken to the woodshed…” by Budd when it was discovered they were running unpowered trailing cars behind RDC’s. It amounted to “Do that if you want to, but only if you don’t mind blowing the warranty!”
Needless to say the NH ceased the practice very quickly.
The other NYC operation I was thinking of was in the Detroit-Ann Arbor area. I know M&St.L. used boxcar trailers (painted silver!) with their RDC-4s before they were sold to C&O. C&O in turn used the RDC-4 pair with a heavyweight mail storage car. Maybe the weirdest trailer was Rock Island’s observation/baggage car with the baggage room in the round end. I haven’t found an online photo with CRI&P 70 with one of RI’s RDC-3s, but here’s a photo of the car, which was specifically rebuilt for use as an RDC trailer.
Rock Island’s RDC’s were often the passenger car in the locomotive-hauled “Twin Star Rocket”, which had a heavy mail & express business. Somewhere south of Kansas City, the RDC continued on its own after the mail and express reached its destination.
It was common to see an RDC behind a locomotive hauled consist on CN especially in winter when they anticipated snow drifts might be encountered or for some added capacity. Below is train #603 (usually a 2 car RDC) at Stellarton, NS…… w/b from Sydney to Truro NS in Jan 1974.
You’re going to cause trouble with that Canadian Pacific PA!
Can someone comment on the BTC-required ‘buffer’ cars used on the pictured runs of #629 (about halfway down) where it seems RDCs are being run preferentially in the middle of the train? Was some kind of ‘baggage’ car required in any train, not just those with lightweight cars?
I had not thought about this before, but one thing that would restrict RDCs to the ‘rear’ of trains would be steam heating lines. Were CP’s Dayliners equipped at some point not only with passthrough but with actual steam heat to be used when running essentially ‘dead in train’?
RDCs having only inner two axles for traction thru drive shaft drive, were very poor in deep snow, and, often they would be headed by a steam or S/G Diesel locomotive to make the time in bad weather, the RDCs having steam lines to this end to convey steam to rolling stock behind if so coupled.
There was some provision way back that thru passenger trains had to have an unoccupied coach or a baggage or express car behind the locomotive account an incident where patrons killed in car next to locomotive.
This provision did not apply to commuter trains and one could ride the lead car in the vestibule next to the locomotives.
On CN locomotive hauled electric trains one could ride there and watch the pantograph on the wire and thru the tunnel.
In those easy days the platform side doors and traps were open all the time.
The coaches in a psgr train would be marshalled for easy set off en route regarding uncoupling of steam lines and signal line for ease and train delay.
FWIW.
RDCs had ’ Louzy ’ brakes which would release to prevent skidded wheels on poor rail
There was a Head On East of there in 1960 where the Dayliner had a Train Order Meet on a East Drag, Dayliner, First Class Train directed by Train Order to take siding as single car rather than put tonnage train in hole.
Budd’s “Rolokron” brakes were an early antilock scheme. After several rear end and head-on crashes (B&M had one in Evertt MA) the design was reworked. Some variation of it was also part of the Budd disk brake used on lots of passenger equipment, including non-Budd-built equipment.
You have an interesting picture of it, as it still has its original New Haven number visible in the numberboard (unchanged when the number went to 97 under Penn Central) but the track-inspection windows have been installed. Pretty sure the funky yellow-and-green zebra stripes are already painted on the baggage/RPO end (yes, this was an RDC-3) The conversion project was relatively late (circa 1977) – it apparently started as one of three cars ‘done over’ by the German company Krautkramer Ultrasonics that made effective ultrasonic test equipment and wanted to compete with the contemporary Sperry Rail Services, and was picked up by C&NW when that effort for some reason didn’t pan out.
RI RDC’s never rode behind the TWIN STAR ROCKET. They ran combined with the IMPERIAL between KC-Herrington where it split to run to Fort Worth. In 1963 the train was cut back to KC-Wichita and in Jan 1964 it was discontinued.
M-K-T used their lone RDC between Wichita Falls and Denison in the late 1950s. It started the trip as part of a train from K.C to Wichita Falls. Like M&St.L’s and C&NW’s, M-K-T’s lone RDC was sold to the C&O (later CN/VIA)
In the 70’s I actually rode the RDC on the back of an MU-train (1000s and 1100’s, not M1s) to Harmon snd then continiuing alone to Poughkeepsie, although I got off at Peekskill. As I recall at least one of the two underfloor diesels was idling to provide light and air-condiitoning when I boarded at GCT. And this was when FL9s on diesel power were banned from GCT because of fumes into the Waldorf, and P-motors and T’s again showed up at North White Plains when there were not enough FL9s that could run straight electric successfully becauses of changeover shwitch and/or third-rail-shoe issues.
This was in the early Metro-North days when Brewster trains still used second-hand reseated long distance coaces, and third rail only went to Whihe Plains North Statiion and its yard.
David, maybe you’d remember this, but didn’t MTA try running FL9s with non-functional third-rail shoes into GCT on diesel power alone? And they got in a little trouble over it when discovered?
I recall reading that somewhere some time ago but don’t remember when or in what.
Wouldn’t this be likelier an MTA move, and toward the early 1970s? Good thing they were a Government entity; you can imagine what New York would do if Penn Central had tried that…
In 1969, I rode a NYC EMU-RDC combo out of GCT, using the loop track to turn the train and keep the RDC in the back. Ran up the Harlem Division. RDC continued alone pass the North White Plaines end of 3rd rail. Regarding FL-9s, I seem to remember they would idle them in GCT because they did not trust the old batteries to restart the diesel.
The under-maintenance of the third rail, the third-rail shoes, and the high-current change-over switch meant that many FL-9s could not run on straight electric. This was before Metro North took over operations, and was a Penn Central issue. The Waldorf management complained to PC because fumes were arriving at the Waldorf Ballroom. PC’s lawyers told the Waldorf that only electric power was used in GCT, but the Waldorf’s lawyer found out about the FL-9 diesel use, and threatened court action. So T and P motors showed up again at White Plains North Station, and all regularly assigned FL-9s to GCT trains had the dual-sprung shoes replaced by simpler underrunning-only shoes, easier to maintain and more forgiving of sloppy third rail installation, with only a few FL-9s retaining the double-sprung shoes for use when enough EP-5s (GE "Jets) were not available for Penn Station trains. (McGinnis and Alpert had scrapped all the older electrics; the Jets and ex-Virginians were around, but the latter were relocated to PRR lines.) And a new manufacturer for the change-over switches was found with a good supply on arranged for Harmon.
When Ps or Ts took a train to North White, the power beyond was often an RS-3 and not an FL-9.
I think the problem was solved by the time Metro North took over, or it was solved during their immediate overhaul and rebuilding program.
