The BUDDY® Rail Diesel Car/RDC is 13 inches long and perfect for use on most O and O-27 3-Rail model train layouts...will operate on 0-27 radius curves. The BUDDY® features 2 motors, electronic reverse F-N-R, front/rear directional headlights/ markerlights, flashing roof beacon, operating knuckle couplers, cab detail with seated engineer figure, tinted windows, interior lights, metal hand rails - chains and metal chassis with multi-wheel electrical pickup...a lighting feature allows prototypical operation of headlights-roof beacon-rear marker lights when BUDDY®s are coupled together to form a train of more than 1 BUDDY® RDC. NEW FOR 2011...the BUDDY® has an optional speed control that allows a realistic prototypical speed operation...but fully compatible with earlier RMT® BUDDY®s. Powered unit only...no non-powered dummy units. The prototype BUDDY®/RDC, a classic North American streamlined self-propelled passenger rail car built by the Budd company of Philadelphia, PA USA between 1949 and 1962 was developed to allow railroads to replace conventional steam or diesel locomotive powered passenger trains with an economical 1 unit railcar that would also update the railroad's existing passenger train service. Bi-directional operation allowed a quick return trip since only the engineer/fireman needed to walk to opposite end for the return trip. Railroads used RDCs as pure RDC only trains but a few railroads hauled an additional conventional/non-RDC coach or even a mail/express boxcar with their RDCs. Other railroads operated the RDC as part of a conventional locomotive hauled passenger train and seperating only at a junction where the RDC then continued alone up a rural branchline. The NY CENTRAL even had a diesel hauled RDC train that operated between Detroit, MI and Windsor, Ontario, Canada...diesels hauled the train only through the rail tunnel underneath the river seperating the USA and Canada! Today, most of America's mainline railroads have retired their RDC cars but some tourist and museum railroads still operate these RDCs as restored railroad equipment for historical and educational purposes. The ALASKA RAILROAD operates RDC cars on certain trackage in the state of Alaska. VIA RAIL CANADA may also operate RDCs in Canada. RDCs also operated in Australia, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Cuba! For more prototypical RDC information visit www.budd-rdc.org Here is a link to an authentic 1950's era BUDD Promotional film...enjoy! NEW BUDDY® ROADNAMES will be added below as the series continues. Click Here To E-mail suggested roadnames to READY MADE TRAINS |