[PHOTO] RDC Fan Trip Location & Date Needed

Also on that page is a photo of an RDC pulling a T-54 coach (left side, right in the middle of the page). Seems like I read that this violated the warranty requirements of the RDCs - true?

Absolutely true! As soon as a now Budd RDC was coupled to a Budd Car, the warranty was done - finished- kaput!

RGlueck wrote:Absolutely true! As soon as a now Budd RDC was coupled to a Budd Car, the warranty was done - finished- kaput!

Since the Budd Co. was located in Pennsylvania, how did they find out about the breach of warranty ?

Perhaps a snitch in the LIRR ?

scopelliti wrote:Also on that page is a photo of an RDC pulling a T-54 coach (left side, right in the middle of the page). Seems like I read that this violated the warranty requirements of the RDCs - true?

Yes, that's the culprit.

"Captain Kirk, that's right, the warranty's dead, Jim."

I was once told that Budd had there finger on the pulse of every railroad that purchased Budd Cars. They studied publications and even spot checked. Personally, I think they had "rogue operatives" conducting interrogations, but that's unsubstantiated.

"Caught in the act" photo 1955! And later "on the Scoot" 1963 (top photo)

I read the link about the engineer killed in that wreck. It happened on this date coincidentally in 1967. Rest his soul.

I can see why they felt unsafe, there’s really nothing to the cab structure to protect the engineer in a crash.

BuddR32 wrote:I read the link about the engineer killed in that wreck. It happened on this date coincidentally in 1967. Rest his soul.
I can see why they felt unsafe, there’s really nothing to the cab structure to protect the engineer in a crash.

Maybe that's why FA and F used cabs instead of a cab car for push-pull operation

Also why the LIRR ran the Alcos long hood forward. BTW this topic just cost me a couple of hundred bucks.. just ordered a Rapido HO Scale RDC-2 (with DCC and sound). Aleady got the T-54 to tow behind

... and why the PRR redesigned the P5a many years ago. Slow progress on the learning curve here, it would seem.

scopelliti wrote:Also why the LIRR ran the Alcos long hood forward. BTW this topic just cost me a couple of hundred bucks.. just ordered a Rapido HO Scale RDC-2 (with DCC and sound). Aleady got the T-54 to tow behind

Show us when you get them!

Doubt it, Newkirk- the M3 and M1 pretty much were cab-cars (Not off the shelf, but same design principles).

BuddR32 wrote:I read the link about the engineer killed in that wreck. It happened on this date coincidentally in 1967. Rest his soul.

I can see why they felt unsafe, there’s really nothing to the cab structure to protect the engineer in a crash.

Given the alloys of the day, all else being equal, I'd take my chances in a Budd than an MP-54.

Why the US still trails the rest of the world in cab car design is beyond me - I doubt a US design cab car would even be legal in most of the world, it's standard now to have an impact structure in front of the cab, which is why they all have that 'aerodynamic' look - that's where the attenuation occurs. Nobody really cares about aerodynamics when you top out at 60-90mph.

In watching cabride videos from all over the world I note that most RR's employ full four quadrant gate systems to protect their engineer / drivers from road vehicles that run around the half assed gates used in the United States.

Operation Safety be dammed. The effing railroads are NOT interested in safety, only in company profits. And a PR campaign with pretty logo's and safety 'classes' are a lot cheaper than installing the proper protection at grade crossings.

And just how much is a human life worth? Twenty percent higher cost for full quadrant gates is not that much of a cost protecting train crews AND the public idiots who seem to enjoy putting lives at risk.

Sincerely,
Vince Cockeram
Author of the LIRR Route for Open Rails Simulator http://www.openrails.org/
and soon to be released The PRR East Region v2

Looks like this was another RDC fan trip?

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