In fact, most of the gas-electrics were initially bought by class I roads (their purchase price was not negligible--less than a new locomotivebut still considerable--and they were expected to earn that back from savings on crew and fuel costs replacing a full train), only a relativefew being passed on to shortlines and other smaller roads. By the time most original users scrapped them, the passenger business onshortlines had pretty well long evaporated. Somewhere I recall seeing a roster of Sperry rail-detector cars, and quite a few, perhaps most, were rebuilt from gas-electrics (cheaperconverting a second-hand self-propelled unit than buying new); perhaps someone can give the reference. So there probably would bea secondary market in S scale for those that wanted to redetail one and paint it yellow. I like EMC's, and they were as common as any prototype; I bought one of Don Heimburger's imports a year or so ago and I quite like it.It is an EMC, although a bit longer than I would have preferred. One possibility if there is an S scale resin kit is the shorter EMC whichsurvives at Mid Continent Museum; American Standard (long out of business) offered an excellent kit for one in O scale, from which anS scale one might be scaled up. The other obvious choice, as noted in the original proposal, would be a Brill (there were a good 6-8other builders who produced more than a few units, but these were the larger of the builders), and I would vote strongly for a Brill55-the smaller of their standard cars, one used on both a number of class I's but also on a surprising number of shortlines, as it wasabout the most affordable and met their more limited needs. While I can see the attraction of a power car to pull coaches, for the first offering I still think a single unit combine would sell best.
Jace Kahn General Manager Ceres & Canisteo RR Co./Champlain County Traction Co. Yes, the big roads did use doodlebugs. The following roads were big users of car bodies built by St. Louis Car Company with the relatively flat front, although that front was not toally flat: C&NW, UP, ATSF, Cotton Belt, MKT, M&StL, RI, CGW, NP, NYC, ERIE, DL&W, quite a collection of roads. The beauty of producing a mail-baggage unit is that modelers can attach, as did the real roads, one heavyweight coach as a trailer. Yeah, and interestingly--I'm not sure how widespread this was--but the CGW and the M&StL towed both coaches and Pullmans behind their doodlebugs. Then there's that really neat C&NW [technically CMO operation] doodlebug train that rain between Minnneapolis/St. Paul and Ashland, Wisconsin, called the "Namekogan" painted in yellow red and silver before the advent of the streamlined "400". The B&M, GN in a few cases, C&O, SP, were users of the Brill doodlebugs. Tom Around these parts the Santa Fe and Union Pacific used doodlebugs to shuttle smaller numbers of passengers between small/medium sized towns, trips that did not justify using large locomotives. Doodlebugs often made connections with street cars that ran on the same gauge tracks. Couple photos of the ATSF version on Andy’s Photostream www.flickr.com/photos/8348059@NO2/6078087107/in/photostream. Basically a motorcar. Roy No, The cars (RPO/Bag w/ coach trailer) were made by St. Louis Car Company with FM Engines. TCC:} On Feb 12, 2012, at 10:48 PM, [email protected] wrote: How about the Southern Railway's cars, manufactured by Fairbanks-Morse as I recall. Fred T in Tennessee Talmadge C 'TC' Carr Sn42 and Hn42 somewhere in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest [email protected]
