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Rapido Trains - 516510 - Railcar, Diesel, Budd RDC - New York Central

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N Scale - Rapido Trains - 516510 - Railcar, Diesel, Budd RDC - New York Central Image courtesy of Rapido Trains
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Production TypeAnnounced
Stock Number516510
Original Retail Price$259.95
BrandRapido Trains
ManufacturerRapido Trains
Body StyleRapido Rail Diesel Cars
Image Provider's WebsiteLink
Prototype VehicleRailcar, Diesel, Budd RDC (Details)
Road or Company NameNew York Central (Details)
Paint Color(s)Silver
Print Color(s)Black
Coupler TypeGeneric Magnetic Knuckle
Wheel TypeChemically Blackened Metal
Wheel ProfileSmall Flange (Low Profile)
DCC ReadinessDC/DCC Dual Mode Decoder w/Sound
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 1) (DC/DCC/Sound): New York Central - Stripe
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 New York Central Railroad (reporting mark NYC), known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States. Headquartered in New York City, the railroad served most of the Northeast, including extensive trackage in the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Massachusetts, plus additional trackage in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

    The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St.Louis in the midwest along with the intermediate cities of Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Detroit. NYC's Grand Central Terminal in New York City is one of its best known extant landmarks.

    1853 company formation: Albany industrialist and Mohawk Valley Railroad owner Erastus Corning managed to unite ten railroads together into one system, and on March 17, 1853 executives and stockholders of each company agreed to merge. The merger was approved by the state legislature on April 2, and by May 17, 1853 the New York Central Railroad was formed.

    In 1867 Vanderbilt acquired control of the Albany to Buffalo running NYC. On November 1, 1869 he merged the NYC with his Hudson River Railroad into the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad. Vanderbilt's other lines were operated as part of the NYC.

    In 1914, the operations of eleven subsidiaries were merged with the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad, re-forming the New York Central Railroad. From the beginning of the merge, the railroad was publicly referred to as the New York Central Lines. In the summer of 1935, the identification was changed to the New York Central System.

    In 1968 the NYC merged with its former rival, the Pennsylvania Railroad, to form Penn Central (the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad joined in 1969). That company went bankrupt in 1970 and was taken over by the federal government and merged into Conrail in 1976. Conrail was broken up in 1998, and portions of its system was transferred to the newly formed New York Central Lines LLC, a subsidiary leased to and eventually absorbed by CSX and Norfolk Southern. Those companies' lines included the original New York Central main line, but outside that area it included lines that were never part of the New York Central system. CSX was able to take one of the most important main lines in the nation, which runs from New York City and Boston to Cleveland, Ohio, as part of the Water Level Route, while Norfolk Southern gained the Cleveland, Ohio to Chicago, Illinois portion of the line called the Chicago line.

    At the end of 1925, the New York Central System operated 11,584 miles (18,643 km) of road and 26,395 miles (42,479 km) of track; at the end of 1967 the mileages were 9,696 miles (15,604 km) and 18,454 miles (29,699 km).

    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 14:34:00

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