I have seen several doodlebugs on the market in the last few years and I believe you can now get them with factory decoders. I’m not sure about sound and also don’t know what they might have sounded like. About 20 years ago, I did see a doodlebug heading north out of the Conrail (formerly Pennsy) yard on the west side of Columbus, OH, crossing Trabue Ave. I’m guessing it was either a business car or track inspection car. I don’t recall it having any noticeable sound at all. Is that the way doodlebugs were? Were they fairly quiet?
Don’t know what they sound like, but your talking about my old stomping grounds there.[:)]
A doodlebug was a self-powered passenger car, usually diesel-electric, but sometimes gas-electric. These were built by various manufacturers beginning around 1910 maybe and continuing for maybe twenty years. Some doodlebugs continued in service until the mid-fifties, but I highly doubt any of these “traditional” doodlebugs operated past 1965. The Budd Company manufactured a line of self-powered cars with fluted stainless-steel bodies starting in the mid-fifties. They called these cars RDC’s. Most of these went away after AMTRAK, but there are still a few in service on tourist lines today.
As for sound, it would be difficult, at best, to determine what they actually sounded like. Unless someone found some early sound movies or recordings of a particular car, it would be difficult to guess at the right sound. Electro-Motive Corporation (later became EMD) build some doodlebugs, so you could probably come close with a recording of an early EMD switcher, especially one still powered with a Winton diesel engine, which is what many EMC doodlebugs also carried. Obviously, sound for an RDC can still be recorded from the real thing, if anyone wants to go to the trouble of recording one.
My guess would be that they sounded rather “rickety” and made a lot of noise. I’d say your best bet might be to record an Athearn blue-box engine from the late seventies and use that sound with your doodlebug.[;)]
Tom
Most of the articles I have read on doodlebugs refer to them as gas-electrics so I am guessing that was their more common configuration. The doodlebug I spotted was buff colored and running by itself. I was so surprised to see it at the grade crossing that I didn’t think to take in the details such as markings or sound, but my impression is that it was running fairly silently.
I’d be curious if anyone might have any information as to wha
Bachman has a sound doodlebug. I’m not sure who makes the decoder, but on the maker’s site might be a demo on their website to give you an idea.
If you saw it in 1988 it would not be a doodlebug. Probably a Sperry rail inspection car which uses magnetics to check for cracks and flaws in the rail.
Brrrmmm-putt-putt-putt-putt-brrmmmm–brummmm–hoooonnnkk—brrummmmm–hhonnnkkkk—brummmmmmm
How was that again? 
Would the “gas-electric” Doodlebug’s sound more like a Gallopin’ Goose than an early EMD ? Or would that be a case of overkill, as far as the sound goes…
Bob
Are you sure about that? The one I heard only putted three times and never honked at all. Then again, as a young person I watched a pair of GG-1’s rumble through the forest(don’t ask exactly where) and I thought they were loud. I suppose two large engines and fifty freight cars rumbling over jointed tracks won’t sound like a doodlebug, but everything I’ve heard since is sounding the same as whats riding the rails currently.
I love being of no help what-so-ever!
The last one I heard–many years ago–sounded sort of like an old Yamaha motorcycle on Life Support.
Tom [:)]
Thanks, Tom… that sounds more like a Gallopin’ Goose to me !!!
Bob
And, if it looked like a doodlebug, doodlebug propulsion technology.
Many moons ago, there was a plan for a Sperry car in Model Railroader. Except for window spacing and the rail-checking gear attached to the trucks it was a dead ringer for a standard Brill-built gas-electric.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Hi!
With faulty memory [:P]— in the early 1950’s, SP ran a Doodlebug with at least one passenger car, sometimes two, from Waco, Texas to Youkum, Texas. South in the morning and north in the late afternoon. In the summer time, I saw it daily. About the only noise it made was the clicking of the wheels on the track joints and the horn at the crossings. Really it made no more noise than a new pickup of the day, with an occassional whine from the electric motors when it pulled the grade out of the river bottom (appearently more of a load on those days). They must have had good mufflers on the engine.[:-^]
The SP dropped the service in late '53 or early '54. Hope that helps.
John T. in the cow pasture over looking the river bottom
The Missouri Pacific used to run one twice daily through my home town between Chester and Mount Vernon, Illinois, in the 1940’s and 50’s that was made by St. Louis Car Company. It had what sounded like a 4 cylinder diesel engine and seemed to have a direct drive through a fluid transmission. The last time I ever saw it, it was rusting away at the Dupo, Illinois, yard.
There were many variants of Doodlebugs over the years, so trying to detemine what one sounded like is like asking what a car or truck sounded like without knowing which brand or type of engine it had.
I think Chip’s definition of what one sounded like is about as close as you’re going to get.
While growing up in Little Silver, N.J. a PRR doodlebug would pass by our house every evening around 7:00 pm . I don’t recall the engine sound, but it had a horn that sounded unlike anything else, more like a “chirping” than a honk. Always got the dog howling, too.
Most Sperry cars were made from Lehigh Valley gas-electrics built around 1927. I understand they are to be retired soon (if not already) in favor of Hi-Rail vehicles.
I rode on a doodble-bug in central Germany several years ago. I can only recall minimal diesel-engine engine sounds. About 20 years ago I did same, but on the California Western between Willits and Fort Bragg, California: same impression of minimal diesel sounds.
Mzrk
For what it’s worth, the RDC’s have twin Detroit diesel power and make quite a racket. One of the programable sound decoder people should have a recording. I know Dallee electronics has a sound decoder for them. The Sperry rail cars were another story. Since we have one in the museum yard here in Danbury, I’ll see if I can get some more information. And yes many are being replacerd by hi - rail trucks. J.R.
I don’t recall sound exactly but when I used to run CNR 15824, sitting right next to the diesel was very noisy and, in the summer, very warm.
