by Kevin J. Holland/photos as noted
Emerging from its builder’s Red Lion plant near Philadelphia and making its operational debut on August 1, 1949, the Budd Company’s first Rail Diesel Car, model RDC-1, underwent preliminary performance evaluation on Pennsylvania Railroad’s Delmarva Division. After traveling to Chicago under its own power, the RDC made headlines with its official debut to the railroad industry at the city’s Union Station on September 19. A well-received press trip to Valparaiso, Ind., and return later that day over PRR’s Fort Wayne Division was followed by the car’s placement as a featured attraction at the Chicago Railroad Fair.
The RDC-1 — also known by its Budd builder’s number, 2960 — then returned to its birthplace before embarking on a continent-wide tour to drum up sales, publicity, and operating experience. Before the end of 1949, the barnstorming car had performed for prospective buyers in the East (including Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines; Chesapeake & Ohio; Baltimore & Ohio; New Haven; New York Central; Susquehanna; Boston & Maine; and NYC/Boston & Albany) and in the Midwest (Missouri-Kansas-Texas; Missouri Pacific; Frisco). In January 1950, it was tested for 10 days on a challenging 600-mile Western Pacific route that resulted in the first order, for two RDC-2 coach-baggage models that WP christened Zephyrettes.
ABOVE: The demonstrator’s interior was modern, but basic: walkover seats, linoleum flooring, and painted walls. Bulkheads at the ends and center of the car were adorned with photographs of some of the builder’s contemporary products. —Budd Company Photo
By mid-February 1950 Budd 2960 was back in Chicago, being evaluated in commuter service by Chicago & North Western, and by Chicago & Eastern Illinois on regional runs to Evansville, Ind. More Midwestern tests occurred over a two-week period in early April 1950 on Indiana’s Monon Railroad.
Budd 2960 visited Canada for the first time in February 1951, when it carried Canadian National headquarters officers for evaluation, but did not make any trips carrying revenue passengers.
The far-ranging sales tour had begun to earn solid orders for Budd, with New Haven and Boston & Maine becoming particularly good customers, although some Budd-friendly railroads, including Burlington Route and Seaboard, did not bite.
ABOVE: The former Budd demonstrator’s final years of reve-nue service were with VIA Rail Canada, the RDC-1 hav-ing emigrated to Canada in 1965 following its sale by Budd to CN. Initially numbered CN D-110 and becoming CN 6110 in 1969, it was transferred to VIA in 1978. At VIA’s Toronto Maintenance Centre, the car awaits its next assignment in 1987. After retirement, it was acquired by model manufacturer Rapido Trains in 2021 and donated to the new non-profit VIA Historical Association. —Kevin J. Holland collection
The demonstrator ventured north again in January 1953, this time for assessment by Canadian Pacific during which it carried passengers between Montreal and Mont-Laurier, Que. Both CP and CN ordered their first RDCs later that year.
A third Canadian visit for the RDC demonstrator occurred in August 1957, when it arrived with Pioneer III demonstrator car 3880 for a month-long series of evaluation runs on CP and CN in Quebec and Ontario, concluding on August 30. CN headquarters correspondence indicates that the railway was more interested in the Pioneer III as a lightweight RDC trailer than it was for conventional train service, but no orders were placed. For the purposes of this August 1957 visit, coordinated with Canadian Car & Foundry (Budd’s Canadian production licensee), RDC 2960 was temporarily fitted with a small electrical generator to supply power to the trailing Pioneer III coach, and the duo operated together throughout the CN evaluation. On some trips the RDC pulled the Pioneer III coach, while on others both Budd cars were moved together on the rear of regular trains…
