Product Title: Walthers Proto 1000 Series 920-35352 Budd RDC-3 Coach-Baggage-Railway Post Office - Standard DC - PROTO 1000(TM) -- New Haven #127 (Plated Finish) HO Scale
Manufacturer: Walthers
Scale: HO
Condition: Item Condition: C-8, Box Condition P-8
Operational Status: This item has been tested, and the item is fully operational.
TCA Condition/Grading Standards: C-8: Like New—Complete All Original: no rust, no missing parts; may show effects of being on display and/or age; may have been run.
TCA Box Grading Standards: P-8: Like New: Complete and all original. Evidence of light use and aging, additional notations since leaving publisher or manufacturer. Contents of box may be missing.
Photos: Stock photo included for reference.
Manufacturer Information:
* Now With Real Metal Finish* Revised Circuit Board with NMRA 8-Pin Plug for Easy DCC Conversion
* 4-Wheel Drive & 8-Wheel Electrical Pickup
* 5-Pole Skew-Wound Motor
* Flywheel Equipped
* Authentically Contoured Radiator With Realistic Fan
* RP-25 Metal Wheels
* Proto MAX(TM) Metal Knuckle Couplers
Many rural lines saw a sharp drop in passenger ridership following WWII, but trains still had to be run. To slash costs and provide reasonable levels of service, many railroads found a solution in Budds new self-propelled Rail Diesel Car (RDC). Introduced in 1949, the design was adapted from a modern stainless steel coach. Power was supplied by a pair of small diesel engines under the floor, each driving a single axle per truck. Controls at each end eliminated turning or repositioning the car between trips, and allowed RDCs to be operated alone or coupled together as a train by a single engineer. The cars proved well suited for country routes and short-haul commuter lines, and to meet these diverse needs, Budd eventually offered five different versions. These included the RDC-1 Coach seating 90, the RDC-2 Coach-Baggage with seats for 70, the RDC-3 Coach/Baggage/Railway Post Office seating 49, the RDC-4, a 72 long Baggage/Railway Post Office model with a 30 postal apartment, and the RDC-9 (also RDC-5), a powered coach with no controls seating 94, designed as a trailer to be pulled by other RDCs. Production continued until 1962, and RDCs remained in regular service for decades afterward. Several are preserved in museums today.