What prototype is the Bachmann Spectrum doodlebug based on (if any)?? Thanks!
smitty i think all doodlebugs were the same with no prototype, as these were builtby the same company.
i could be wrong though
tom
no particular prototype
Thanks. I sort of figured that there was no specific prototype for this model, but it never hurts to ask.[:)]
“Doodlebugs” (a generic name) were built by several different companies, the most prolific I think was Brill, but Pullman built a bunch as well. A lot of them were home-built by railroads as well. The RDC built by Budd was really also a “doolebug”. The name basically refers to a self-propelled passenger car or combine. They could often also pull one or at the most 2 trailer cars.
The Santa Fe used doodlebugs built by several manufacturers: McKeen (4), Brill gas-mechanical (3), Hall-Scott (1), GE (2), Brill gas-electrics (4), Electro-Motive Corporation (later EMD) (38), and Budd RDC (2). The Bachman model looks much like the EMC units (painted quite nicely like M.131. So my guess would be an EMC prototype. See Iron Horses of the santa Fe Trail p 384f “the Doodlebugs” for more information.
Fr. Stephen
According to the review in MR June 1997, it’s not based on a specific prototype, but has the appearance of a late 1920’s Electro Motive Corporation car with its boxy construction and flat nose. Not only did EMC not have a standard body style it didn’t actually build the bodies. It contracted with outside companies, most commonly Pullman or St. Louis Car Co.
Tom is correct. In appearance the Spectrum Doodlebug most nearly represents an EMC single-end control station car. Doodlebugs came in all manner of looks and were offered by a number of smaller companies. Walthers recently offered a smaller, double-ended, Doodlebug (the type with an operator’s control station at both ends), which I feel is much better representative of the animal for model railroad operations than the single-ended Spectrum unit. Although only offered in brass, the “Wind-Splitter” cars by McKeen were very unusual looking and it’s a shame no one has ever offered them in plastic, even as a kit. Walthers originally offer some rather unique Doodlebugs waaaay back, such as the SantaFe M-160. The latter was intended, claimed Walthers, for operation on the small, spaghetti bowl layouts of the 1940’s and 50’s to run as your complete train, pulling a shorty trailer car (one of their “Pug” cars) or perhaps a box car or two!
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