Would anyone please forward to me some sources (manufacturers and where to purchase) for RDC units (rail diesel cars). I know Proto 1000 has one but was looking for better quality and looks. Especially for the late steam/early diesel era.
Thanks.
Barry
Try a Google search for rdc rail diesel car ho scale
I did see some. A nice one for $549.00.
There are some on ebay.
Rich
Outside of brass, the Proto 1000 RDC is the best one out there. If you don’t mind trimming the molded on grab irons off, adding your own, and then giving it the Alclad II metalizer treatment, it can easily look as good as the brass models. It’s also got an excellent mechanism, so that can be left alone. Mine is a great runner.[:D]
I’ve seen some nice brass models show up occasionally. If you don’t mind paying a lot more than you would for a P1K, then that would be your best option.
Actually I believe Proto makes the RDC-1, 2 and 3?? I wonder if you aren’t confusing the full-length Proto RDC’s with the old Athearn “shorties”?? As noted, outside of brass, the Proto ones are as good as you’re going to find, especially given the price difference. I’ve seen RDC-3’s go for as little as $15-20.
The Protos are very fine runners. What sort of quality issues do you have with them? You might find brass ones with better details but they won’t run nearly as well or as quietly. The Protos are proper length, unlike the Athearsn and ATT ones - you find the ATT ones frequently on eBay - liek the Athearn they are shorties and they are rather poor runners.
–Randy
When did they phase out the Doodlebugs? I took a quick look but couldn’t find that info. I think they’re more interesting models than RDCs, but they might have lasted into your era.
Hi Barry,
MTS Imports made a brass RDC-1 sometime back. No interior and the can motor is quite visible through the windows.
However, the Proto 1000 RDC, imho, is a beauty with the interior and the underbody details. Very easy to spruce up if additional details are desired. The chassis is heavy and the drive is a smooth runner. To me, it’s a better deal than shelling out $200+ for a used brass unit.
If you want to go “All out Ga-Ga!” on the P1K unit, the paint can be easily stripped off with an alcohol soak and the body metalized with Alclad for a stainless steel look.
Although no longer in production, plenty of P1K RDCs show up on ebay regularly. Some have gone for as little as $35 while others fetch $70+. I plan on getting another one and since I’m going to metalize it, I won’t care about the roadname, just the condition and the price.
The doodlebugs were generally replaced by the RDCs, if the assignment was even still needed. So for a time in the 1950s you might occasionally find them co-existing. A few survived later than that in remote corners and short lines. Of course Sperry has continued to use them as rail testing vehicles, but probably only after major updating of the prime mover and electrics from the original 1920/1930 technology.
For the Proto RDCs, for some reason the initial run for Canadian roads were painted with a reasonably good simulation of stainless steel, while the US road names had a much poorer version. I think the RDC-1, the last to be produced, may have corrected that problem. I just wish the RDC-1 had also been done as a dummy, with clear windows to match the RDC-2 or RDC-3. If you are running two or three RDCs together there is no need to have them all powered, and it would be preferable to have the appearance consistent. The RDC-1 has smoked windows to hide the motor, since there was no baggage compartment to hold it.
Proto RDCs have the original end, and are full length. Athearn did the modern end, with a headlight casing at the roof line and smaller cab windows, but they are shortened cars.
John
As a modeler of the RDC era, who’s freelance road has a small fleet of RDC’s, I will offer a few thoughts.
One, except for exterior finish “variations” noted by others, the Proto models are very nice and run well. I would not know what more one would expect for this type of item.
The Athearn models, while they are “selectively compressed”, are also well detailed and lend themselves to a few added details very easily. The original rubber band drive is poor, but they can be rebuit with gear drive kits from Ernst.
Because I prefer shorter passenger cars, and because I began modeling these before the Proto models came out, I have a number of Athearn RDC’s that I have installed the Ernst gear kits, as well as can motors and extra weight in. They run very nice now! And I have added a number of extra details as well.
I would not be likely to replace them as I have a fair amount of time and money in them.
If you have sharp curves, you may still want to consider the Athearn models which are still out there on Ebay and at train shows.
Sheldon
I suspect, that just like dummy diesel units, they figured out there in almost no demand for them anymore.
I never had any use for anything “dummy” and I run my RDC’s in sets of two and three. In 40 years in this hobby I stopped running dummy units when I retired my fathers Varney F3’s in 1969!
Sheldon
I hear what you are saying, and the market for the dummy may well be fairly limited. For diesel locomotives “dummies” are certainly not particularly desirable. But have you ever tested how long a freight train your 2 or 3 RDCs can haul - it may be quite comparable to some of your locomotive fleet and way more than the prototype. Hauling a “coach” that has the appearance of an RDC-1 would not have been an issue.
For the Canadian production at least, they darkened the windows of the RDC-1 to conceal the motor. If you run it paired with an RDC-2 or -3 they don’t match visually. This was a common combination in my era, since there was still a need for baggage and express capacity on many routes.
A safer alternative might have been to make available a clear window set for the RDC-1 so the purchaser could have the option to switch. Anyway, it’s all over and done with, so it is just my own lament. I might add that I did not buy any RDC-1s so they lost at least two sales, one each for CNR and CPR.
John
An alternative would be to tint the windows on the RDC-2 and RDC-3 to match the window color on the RDC-1 (or at least get closer to it). What I do with my streamlined passenger cars to tint the windows is to buy translucent colored plastic report cover sheets, cut them into strips, then glue them to the inside of the clear windows with something non-reactive, such as clear silicone RTV. Since the C&O passenger cars I’ve built had a blue tint to the windows, this works well as there are blue-tinted report covers readily available at many office supply stores.
While I haven’t looked for them myself, “smoke”-tinted covers might be an option, if they are available.