Against my better judgement, I am refuting each statement, line for line. I know this is a pointless exercise, I apologize in advance.
DMUs are "pretty" much the same as RDCs, RDC is a trademarked term for a single unit DMU that was made by the Budd company.
This is true. A "Rail Diesel Car" is in fact a DMU, a diesel multiple-unit. From Wikipedia:
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also generally classed as DMUs. Diesel-powered units may be further classified by their transmission type: diesel–electric (DEMU), diesel–mechanical (DMMU) or diesel–hydraulic (DHMU).
Anyway, we won't use either on my railroad for lot's of reasons - but they are essentially glorified subway cars.
This is false. Subway cars are built for rapid transit operations and are built to a much different tolerance for crashworthiness than are cars that run on the national rail network. In specific, the Budd RDC is based on the same design as their standard coach, except redesigned with added strength to operate as a powered car, essentially a locomotive (though they are not designed as a locomotive to haul unpowered cars, they are designed to work in "multiple unit" with other powered cars). They have all the comforts of a standard coach, including bright interior lighting and climate controls.
In all cases you need a waiver from the FRA to run them on tracks where freight exists at all let alone in our footprint.
Conditionally false. A waiver might be needed if you are going to operate some sort of equipment that does not meet crashworthiness standards. There are operations around the country where non-standard equipment shares the tracks with freight, but they work out a "temporal separation" agreement where the passenger trains run during the day, and freight trains run at night, and never the twain shall meet... But only when using non-standard equipment. Never mind the FRA, the host railroad might have their own rules...
Further I have serious reservations about fuel and propulsion mechanisms living under my customers. Think of the nasty electrical smells that invade the T cars when their motors burn up or God forbid we have an accident and diesel fuel gets spilled. Diesel isn't anywhere near as flammable as gasoline but the fumes alone are awful in the event of a spill and normal exhaust fumes can end up easily in the passenger compartments in the case of a simple leak or clog.
There are two types of trains in use today: Diesel-electrics, and electrics. A diesel-electric uses a diesel-powered generator to produce electric power that is fed to the traction motors mounted directly to the axles. That is how every diesel locomotive in America works. An electric draws power from overhead wires or third rail and the power is fed to the traction motors. A Budd RDC is powered by a common Detroit Diesel engine with a hydraulic torque converter transmission to the wheels, no electric motors involved. So no matter what train is operated on this proposed service, there's the potential for "fuel" and "electric motors" to be involved. There is no train in America that is operated by gasoline, so I don't understand that comparison. The Budd RDC has a 65-year track record of successful operation and passenger comfort (and probably better than any modern DMU you can purchase today). I don't know what the "nasty electrical smells" are referring to. If you are using a diesel locomotive to haul coaches or a set of DMUs, either has the potential to spill diesel fuel in an accident.
DMUs frequently couple differently (although this can be fixed) than normal push pull equipment which means having the freight railroad be able to send a rescue engine in the event of a breakdown of one of ours becomes a problem, and no before you ask if one of them breaks down it's partners typically can't move the whole consist - it works on paper not so much in reality ask Metro North.
Conditionally false. Budd RDCs use standard railroad couplers. Regarding break-downs: If you are running a train consisting of two or more RDCs (or any DMU for that matter), if one shuts down, the other will still continue to operate and will be able to pull the train at reduced speed. That is the point of "multiple-unit" control. If you are operating a DMU with a non-standard coupler, there are adapter couplers, and yes, the whole consist gets towed. Yes, let's ask Metro-North: Here's my photo of a GP35 towing a set of M-2 electrics with an adapter coupler.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ottomatic77/3505384732" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
So short answer - no RDCs, no DMUs (and of course no EMUs which are the electric bretheren DMUs because we will be on electrified track for all of 5 miles).
Obviously if the whole route is not electrified, there is no reason to use an EMU. But to dismiss the cost savings and operational flexibility of DMUs (whether using the RDC or a modern variant) seems a bit naive.
-otto-
----------------------------------------------
Moderator: New York State Railfan :: New York Central :: Toy Trains
NYW&B Fan Site ::
A Magazine I Read Often ::
A Museum I Volunteer At