Return on the VIA RDC
- Thread starter VIA6415
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Not the VIA one, but in 1986 I travelled from Prince George to North Vancouver on a BC Rail Budd Car. Long way on a DMU, even though I was travelling in the refurbished premium class car.
And I got bowled out by VIA having intended earlier in the trip to "leap" from Calgary to Edmonton on their Budd car service, to find it had been withdrawn. Too many level crossing collisions so deemed too much of a safety risk for passenger operations. Ended up with three hours cramped in a Greyhound bus instead!
And I got bowled out by VIA having intended earlier in the trip to "leap" from Calgary to Edmonton on their Budd car service, to find it had been withdrawn. Too many level crossing collisions so deemed too much of a safety risk for passenger operations. Ended up with three hours cramped in a Greyhound bus instead!
Gee whiz! If that's the inside of that RDC, that's 1st class! I remember the inside of the PRSL RDC's that ran to the NJ shore in the late 60's. They had no more than school bus seats. No frills at all. Although, IIRC, you could move the seat back so you'd be traveling frontwards if you wanted.
Then why were the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum's four Ex-MBTA RDC's plagued by failures of their air conditioning? TVRM's vintage passenger cars didn't have this problem.
They may need a bit of rebuilding sure, but the old MBTA units, before they were depowered, worked fine. The MBTA turned them into coaches pulled by Easter Eggs, which ruined how they worked.
By mid-1980s, the B&M inherited all the Budd Cars plus purchased others to supplement their service from many railroads when Conrail gave up the commuter service. We saw RDCs with CNJ, PRSL, B&O, NH, NYC, B&O, LV, CNR, and even CPR. Our B&M RDCs never had striped ends. That would be New Haven, or some other acquired road.
We never had the plush seats like this either!
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