RDC9????

[Engineer James]

What is this I hear about a RDC 9?? Was there one made?

[chuchubob]

more than one, including these two Boston & Maine RDC9's, photographed at Cape May Court House, NJ, on August 22, 2005

http://www.transitspot.com/gallery2/v/o ... _22_03.jpg

http://www.transitspot.com/gallery2/v/o ... _22_04.jpg

There's much information available; Google 'budd rdc9'

[Engineer James]

Can they be used still? Or are they sitting there for a purpose?

[Sir Ray]

Can they be used still? Or are they sitting there for a purpose?

They were brought in during 1997 to be restored and used for excursions - however, they look pretty much as they did in Gerald's roster shot of 2000 - so apparently no work has been done on them in 5 or more years.

http://www.geocities.com/transit383/cmslrost.html

[Ken S.]

The RDC-9 was basically an unpowered RDC-1 as Budd would void the warranty if an RDC towed a regular passenger coach.

[chuchubob]

The RDC-9 was basically an unpowered RDC-1 as Budd would void the warranty if an RDC towed a regular passenger coach.

Not unpowered; half powered. RDC-9 was a B unit, lacking cab controls, and having one motor and radiator instead of two.

[Engineer James]

Can they be bought and run as a single RDC?? Such as an RDC1?

[chuchubob]

Can they be bought and run as a single RDC?? Such as an RDC1?

They can't be run as a single unit because they don't have controls.

[wigwagfan]

Can they be used still? Or are they sitting there for a purpose?

The Pacific Northwest Chapter, NRHS, owns two former MBTA/B&M RDC-9s, and uses them as coaches on their occassional (less so than in the past) excursions. They are both without all of their engine and propulsion systems.

A shame - because the Port of Tillamook Bay RR owns two RDC-1s (which have been bumped from RDC status, a steam engine now pulls the day-time coastal trips); and the Oregon Department of Transportation owns two ex-PG&E/BCR RDC-1s and a ex-GN/BCR RDC-3 which were used on the Lewis & Clark Excursion Train.

My question is - how difficult would it be to convert a RDC-9 into an RDC-1 - are all of the mounts and other hardware for two engines present on an RDC-9? Certainly new control "stands" would be required as they weren't ever present on a RDC-9...

[CarterB]

Interesting that all 30 RDC-5 (9)s that were ever produced went to the B&M (later 7 of them to CN/VIA) Was that because the B&M didn't have tough grades >1%? to require double powered trailers, while others with larger gradients used MU'd RDC-1s etc? Or was it more that other RR's 'cheated' by just running regular coaches as 'trailers'?

[glennk419]

Weren't all of the B&M RDC-9s eventually de-motored and used as standard coaches (Boise Budds) in their final days or did they retain their motors for HVAC and lighting? I believe they were all pulled by F-10's in their final years.

[Bill West]

The length of B&M's commuter trains may have been the issue. 6-2/2 to 7-1/2 pairs of motors for 8 cars is not much of a shortfall. Long haul RDC owners didn't usually work with that train length, some didn't even have that big a roster.

Bill

[TomNelligan]

The B&M bought RDC9s as a way of saving on fuel and engine maintenance costs. As Mr. West mentions, they were often run in fairly long trains where the loss of a couple motors really didn't affect overall acceleration very much.

[typesix]

As the first car in an RDC train displaced the air Budd found that the trailing cars could maintain train speed with half the power and therefore the RDC-9.

[Raakone]

Here's another interesting thing. CN called them "RDC-5", to make things more confusing, but it seemed more logical. Was there ever any "5, 6, 7, and 8" variants planned that just didn't see the light of day?

All of VIA's RDC-5s were from CN who got them from B&M, but they were retired with the Great Cataclysm...er....Mulroney Cuts of 1990.

~Ra'akone