Rail Diesel Cars

Thursday, October 16th, 2025

Rail Diesel Cars, commonly known as RDCs or Budd Cars, hold a nostalgic place in American transportation history. In 1949, the Budd Company, owned by Edward G. Budd, introduced the first RDC prototype at Union Station in Chicago. RDCs offered a fast and affordable way to travel, commute, and transport U.S. Postal Service mail. Unique for their time, RDCs were self-propelled, each equipped with two diesel engines and exhaust pipes centrally located on the car.

From 1949 to 1962, a total of 398 units were built and used on rail lines worldwide. With commuting by train declining after World War II and railroads struggling to retain passengers, RDCs presented a more economical alternative to traditional passenger cars. The Budd Company developed four primary models (RDC-1, RDC-2, RDC-3, and RDC-4), plus a less common RDC-9 variant. The RDC-1, -2, and -3 models measured 85 feet in length and offered various combinations of passenger, baggage, and mail capacity. The RDC-4, at 73 feet, was designed exclusively for mail and baggage, while the RDC-9, an 85-foot model with a single engine, was not independently operable.

Each RDC had operator vestibules at both ends (except the RDC-9) with connecting doors, allowing for easy operation back and forth or linking multiple cars together. Stairs enabled boarding from both low-level rural platforms and high urban platforms. Lighter than traditional passenger cars, RDCs could be operated by a two-person crew.

Some facts about RDC:

• RDC-1 — passengers only, 90 seats
• RDC-2 — passengers and baggage, 70 seats (pictured right)
• RDC-3 — passengers, baggage, and a dinette, 49 seats
• RDC-4 — used only for Rail Post Office and baggage
• Truck Design — Each RDC sits on two twin-axle trucks
• Engine Placement — Diesel engines are located underneath and drive the inner axle of each truck via a drive shaft
• Power Generation — One engine drives a generator that provides light, heating, and air conditioning
• Cooling System — Radiators for exhaust and cooling are housed in a roof enclosure
• Redundancy — Engines operate independently so if one fails, the other can still propel the car
• Service Accessibility — Engine placement allows for easy access for service and repair

Twas The Night Before Hershey

Saturday, October 11th, 2025

…Twas the night before Hershey and all through the fields, not a creature was stirring, footed or wheeled. The tables were set in vendor spaces with care, with hope in the morning buyers would be there. Old men were nestled all snug in camper bunk beds, with visions of that elusive part dancing in their heads…

And dad with his duster coat, and I with my touring cap, had just settled down in our Winnebago for a pre-Hershey nap.

When right down the row, there arose a loud sputter, I arose from the bunk and peered through the clutter. Away out the door I flew as if powered by White Flash, knocking into a Whizzer bike, to the ground it did crash.

The parking lot lights making an Erie pump globe glow, shinned light on a distant hulk, moving quite slow. Then along, what should hit my sensitive ears? but a backfire and hissing and gnashing of gears! With a grey haired old driver, so lively and quick, it took a moment to discern if the transmission was planetary or stick. More lively than snare drums, the tappets of his auto’s valve train. He ran through the aisles calling out autos by name!

Now Corvair, now Edsel, now Hudson and Pontiac .. on Buick on Studebaker, on to Oldsmobile and Cadillac. To the edge of the green field. To the chocolate field annex. If you don’t find that part, there’s no need to panic! As the Cyclops light on the Tucker follows the steering down the road as it flies… That long lost part is here somewhere If you open your eyes.

And as I blinked through the darkness He turned around and called,

Happy Hershey to you sir, Happy Fall Meet to all!