Budd Rail Diesel Car Profile and Models
CN 6206 at Melford, Saskatchewan, Canada in October 1971. ©Roger Puta
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The Budd Rail Diesel Car, RDC, Budd car or Buddliner is a self-propelled diesel multiple unit (DMU) railcar. Between 1949 and 1962, 398 RDCs were built by the Budd Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The cars were primarily adopted for passenger service in rural areas with low traffic density or in short-haul commuter service, and were less expensive to operate in this context than a traditional diesel locomotive-drawn train with coaches. The cars could be used singly or coupled together in train sets and controlled from the cab of the front unit. The RDC was one of the few DMU trains to achieve commercial success in North America. RDC trains were an early example of self-contained diesel multiple unit trains, an arrangement now in common use by railways all over the world. |
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Type of Unit |
Single-car DMU |
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Builder |
Budd Company |
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Build Dates |
1949 to 1962 |
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Total Built |
398 |
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Power Output |
RDC-1/2/3/4: 550hp RDC-9: 300hp |
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Top Speed |
85mph |
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Passenger Capacity |
Between 70 and 94 |
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Operated By |
A-Train AllEarth Rail Amtrak Baltimore & Ohio Railroad BC Rail Boston & Maine Railroad Burlington Northern Railroad Canadian National Railway Canadian Pacific Railway Cape Cod Central Railroad Cape May Seashore Lines Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad Central Railroad of New Jersey Dominion Atlantic Railway Great Northern Railway Lehigh Valley MARC MBTA Metro-North Railroad New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway Penn Central Portland & Western Railroad Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines Reading Company Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Sierra Verde Express Southern Pacific Railroad Trinity Railway Express Via Rail WES Commuter Rail (Also used by other US/ Canada operators, in Austrlia, Brazil, Cuba & Saudi Arabia) |
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Main Duties |
Rural Passenger/ Commuter Services |
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In Service Until |
Present |
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Surviving Examples |
Many in service or preservation |
OO Gauge (1:76 Scale)
Awaiting Categorisation
