Model Railroading > doodlebugs

That new Walthers doodlebug gives me ideas for my pike, but then I realize I've never seen a real doodlebug run. I have some very basic questions:

1. Would the 1950s era be a correct time frame?
2. They had to be "turned" at the end of each run, correct?
3. What would have been a typical operating speed?
4. How well does the Walthers model run?

Any other background info would be appreciated also. Thanks

50's is a good era for a gas/diesel motorcar. RR's were
seeing drastic drop in passenger traffic, but could not
legally abandon some routes, so doodlebugs reduced the
cost of operations. Some actually made money. Most
terminals still had some kind of wye to turn the cars,
left from steam days. Some doodlebugs had RPO compartments
so mail operations could be modelled also. Haven't seen the
model to which you are referring, so cannot comment on that.

I'm not even sure if it's out yet, but if it's based on their Sperry Railcar, I wouldn't touch it. I pick up a new Sperry Car this past weekend and it's a piece of crap. Although there is not supposed to be any glue used during it's assembly, parts of the body were glued to the frame, and part of the internal detail piece was also glued in place. The motor mount was broken, and detail pieces off the bottom of the frame literally fell off in my hand. A call into Walthers Customer Service told me that since I did not purchase the car directly from them I was out of luck.

Although Bachmann gets a bad rap sometimes, I know of several people that run Bachmann Doodlebugs for hours at a time and have not had any problems with them. I would buy one of those before I try anything from Walthers again.

Actually, most doodlebugs were introduced in the 1920's for a lower cost alternative to passenger service, paticularly on branchlines. The automobile was taking its toll.

When you look at how many were originally built as a percentage remaining on the roster, most were gone by the 1950's. However, there still was a fair representation on some roads, though sparse. Milwaukee, Rock Island, GM&O, Burlington, M&STL, C&NW, SAL, Santa Fe come to mind. (I beleive all of the New York Central's were out of service by the 1950's.)

They were a mixed success. Unless rebuilt by the railroads like coverting to a diesel prime mover, for example, they were unreliable. Some had trailer cars but anything more than that with the orignal set-up was taxing. There were interesting variations. The M&STL pulled a stainless steel passenger car behind theirs. Some were even used in mixed, switching or local service. A few were rebuilt with shovel noses. A few of the NYC ones used former Michigan Railway interurban cars for trailer cars. Many were equiped for baggage, LCL and RPO service.

In sheer numbers ont the roster I would say the RDC Budd cars were more common in the 1950's than the doodlebugs.

As for turning Doodlebugs, the ones I'm most familiar with are the ones operated by the Pennsy and the Reading; most, if not all of which were double-ended. Reading also ran cab-control cars with their doodlebugs. I think most of EMC's were single-ended and had to be turned at their destinations. I actually rode the Black River & Western's (NJ) ex-Pennsy No. 4666, a Brill double-ended model with a Hamilton 415 HP diesel engine (same as in a blimp) that chugs like a Model-T. Last I heard, it is being rebuilt and may return to the rails sometime next year (I can't wait!). This particular model I've seen in brass but not in plastic.

If you don't have anyplace to turn a single-ended doodlebug, take a 4-axle celestory or arch roof coach that you are not too fond of, cut windows into one end, add detail parts like a spoked pilot, bell, air horn, and headlight to it and you're in business!

The only place I've seen a Doodlebug in action
is on videos, such as Wallin's Wonders with the
GM&O Doodlebug with appeared to be only going about
40 mph. They weren't really built for speed, they
were built more for economic service, that is why
the GM&O had the engine and baggage in the first
unit and they would hook on a trailer car for
its RPO and passengers. It was discontinued on
April 9, 1960 and ran from Bloomington, IL to
Kansas City, MO which was 361 miles and took
almost 12 hours with 57 stops, including flag stops.
They had to run around a wye to go the other direction,
since the controls were in the engine compartment, at
front end, where the headlight is.

I have a couple of the Bachman Doodlebugs and
they run great. TrainWorld had them for $25 not
to long ago, and worth it. The Bachman only has
the front truck with traction, similar to the
real thing, and will pull 3 passenger cars without
any trouble, like the GM&Ns were used for
in the 1920's, they would hook up 3 other cars
behind it and make more money. If you want a
trailer car, use the older style Rivarossi coach
and change the roof on it. Hope this helps. Bill

Can anyone provide data on what kind of equipment PRR used for their doodlebug service from Grand Rapids South in the mid to late 1950's. I recall my parents pacing along side of them at night in a car on old US131 in the Moline MI area. One of those early impressions that led to a lifetime of trainwatching!

I have a photo of a PRR doodlebug on Pennsy's GR&I. It had a shovel nose! It's in a magazine published 50 years ago. Maybe I can scan it.

I sure would like to see that PRR pic if you can scan it. Or, if you can fax it, drop me a note at rbdv@go.com and I can set up to receive it. And, thanks in advance, wabash2800.