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Rapido Trains - 516004 - Railcar, Diesel, Budd RDC - Boston & Maine

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N Scale - Rapido Trains - 516004 - Railcar, Diesel, Budd RDC - Boston & Maine Image courtesy of Rapido Trains
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Production TypeAnnounced
Stock Number516004
Original Retail Price$149.95
BrandRapido Trains
ManufacturerRapido Trains
Body StyleRapido Rail Diesel Cars
Image Provider's WebsiteLink
Prototype VehicleRailcar, Diesel, Budd RDC (Details)
Road or Company NameBoston & Maine (Details)
Paint Color(s)Silver
Print Color(s)Black
Coupler TypeGeneric Magnetic Knuckle
Wheel TypeChemically Blackened Metal
Wheel ProfileSmall Flange (Low Profile)
DCC ReadinessReady
Release Date2024-03-15
Item CategoryPassenger Trains
Model TypeDiesel
Model SubtypeRailcar
Model VarietyBudd
Prototype RegionNorth America
Prototype EraEU Epoch II (1920 - 1945)
Years Produced1949-1962
Scale1/160
Track GaugeN standard



Specific Item Information: N Budd RDC-1 (Ph 2) (DC/DCC/Sound): Boston & Maine - McGinnis
Model Information: Built by the Budd Company of Philadelphia in their hundreds between the late 1940s and early 1960s, the single-car RDC (Rail Diesel Car) fleet was ubiquitous on passenger service throughout Canada and the United States on any routes that could not justify loco-hauled operation. The 85ft long vehicles, which were powered by a pair of Detroit Diesel Series 110 engines, could be employed in single formation or coupled together with other examples - all controlled from the lead RDC cab.
DCC Information:
The Rapido N scale Budd RDC features:
  • Designed from original blueprints and field measurements
  • Accurate Phase 1 and Phase 2 body details
  • Both fabricated and cast trucks, as appropriate
  • Single-motor, all-wheel drive for unparalleled reliability
  • All-wheel electrical pickup
  • Directional headlights and red marker lights
  • Flicker-free interior lighting
  • Tinted windows and fully detailed interiors
  • DC/Silent (DCC Ready) or DC/DCC/Sound (ESU LokSound)
  • Factory-installed couplers mounted at the correct height
    Prototype History:
    This Single-car DMU is commonly known as the "RDC," the motorized Rail Diesel Car generally operated in rural areas where ridership and mail/parcel transport were too low for regular passenger train service. When first introduced, the RDC was also proclaimed to be the savior of branch line and suburban service. It was heavily used as a commuter service workhorse (and still is currently in some locations!).

    The Budd Company rolled out the first RDC in the fall of 1949, a single RDC-1 "Budd Demonstrator." Hundreds more would eventually follow for service to railroads throughout North America and around the world (including South America, Australia, Saudi Arabia and even Cuba!). Oddly enough, it was Budd's experience in the production of small yet powerful diesel engines for WWII tanks that eventually lead to the birth of the RDC.

    A total of 398 units were built. The RDC utilized two compact motors mounted under the car's floor to drive one axle on each truck. Capable of being operated by a motorman from either end of the car, these units could be used independently or combined to create a two- or three-unit consist. These railcars cold achieve as top speed of 85mph

    A review of the Budd roster reveals that many RDC cars were operated well into the 1970's and early 1980's, with a small number still in service today!

    Four standardized designs were created to reduce the time and expense of custom production
    - RDC-1 was strictly passenger-oriented, containing 90 coach seats.
    - RDC-2 contained 71 seats and a separate baggage area.
    - RDC-3 combined a Railway Post Office with a baggage compartment and 49 seats.
    - RDC-4 was a self-contained RPO-Express car.

    Read more on Wikipedia.
    Road Name History:
    The Andover and Wilmington Railroad was incorporated March 15, 1833, to build a branch from the Boston and Lowell Railroad at Wilmington, Massachusetts, north to Andover, Massachusetts. The line opened to Andover on August 8, 1836. The name was changed to the Andover and Haverhill Railroad on April 18, 1837, reflecting plans to build further to Haverhill, Massachusetts (opened later that year), and yet further to Portland, Maine, with the renaming to the Boston and Portland Railroad on April 3, 1839, opening to the New Hampshire state line in 1840.

    The Boston and Maine Railroad was chartered in New Hampshire on June 27, 1835, and the Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts Railroad was incorporated March 12, 1839, in Maine, both companies continuing the proposed line to South Berwick, Maine. The railroad opened in 1840 to Exeter, New Hampshire, and on January 1, 1842, the two companies merged with the Boston and Portland to form a new Boston and Maine Railroad.

    The B&M flourished with the growth of New England's mill towns in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but still faced financial struggles. It came under the control of J. P. Morgan and his New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad around 1910, but anti-trust forces wrested control back. Later it faced heavy debt problems from track construction and from the cost of acquiring the Fitchburg Railroad, causing a reorganization in 1919.

    By 1980, though still a sick company, the B&M started turning around thanks to aggressive marketing and its purchase of a cluster of branch lines in Connecticut. The addition of coal traffic and piggyback service also helped. In 1983 the B&M emerged from bankruptcy when it was purchased by Timothy Mellon's Guilford Transportation Industries for $24 million. This was the beginning of the end of the Boston & Maine corporate image, and the start of major changes, such as the labor issues which caused the strikes of 1986 and 1987, and drastic cost cutting such as the 1990 closure of B&M's Mechanicville, New York, site, the largest rail yard and shop facilities on the B&M system.

    Guilford Rail System changed its name to Pan Am Railways in 2006. Technically, Boston & Maine Corporation still exists today but only as a non-operating ward of PAR. Boston & Maine owns the property (and also employs its own railroad police), while Springfield Terminal Railway, a B&M subsidiary, operates the trains and performs maintenance. This complicated operation is mainly due to more favorable labor agreements under Springfield Terminal's rules.

    Read more on Wikipedia.
    Brand/Importer Information:
    Rapido Trains Inc. is a high-end manufacturer of model trains and accessories in HO, OO and N (North American 1:160 and British 1:148) scales. The firm's mission is to recreate the entire rail travel experience, from fully-detailed interiors and under-frames on models to fully-wired telephone poles for model railroads.

    The name RAPIDO was introduced by Canadian National in 1965 to headline the railway's high-speed intercity passenger services. Until the mid-1980s, RAPIDO stood for fast schedules, frequent trains, and superb service.

    Today, Rapido Trains continues the RAPIDO concept with state-of-the-art models and attention to fine detail. This company is not related to the venerable (and now defunct) German manufacturer Arnold Rapido, nor the present-day Arnold (which is owned by the United Kingdom's Hornby), Canadian based Rapido Trains was founded in 2003.
    Item created by: Powderman on 2024-01-10 14:04:07

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