RAILWAY AGE ARTICLE: Remembering the Budd RDC

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The company was also known for another innovation, the Rail Diesel Car (RDC), also called the “Buddliner” or, more simply, the “Budd Car”: a diesel multiple-unit (DMU), different from those that run today. It was a self-propelled unit that provided service on many lightly patronized lines, often as the last passenger equipment a railroad ran during the final days of its passenger service.
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Almost 400 RDCs were built by the Budd Company, starting in 1949 and continuing until 1962. They consisted of an 85-foot-long standard coach body with a diesel engine under the floor and the Budd Company’s distinctive stainless-steel construction. There were five models available. The RDC-1 held 90 passengers, the RDC-2 held 70 passengers and had a baggage compartment, the RDC-3 held 48 passengers and had both a baggage compartment and a Railway Post Office (RPO) for mail, the RDC-9 held 94 passengers and used a less-powerful engine, and the RDC-4 was a 73-foot RPO and baggage car. The RDC-9 also had no cab and was designed to be used along with one or more powered cars.


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