Santa Fe RDC trains 311-312 (Newton to Dodge KS), 1956-1968

Fred Klein, 2005, 2010

Santa Fe purchased a pair of RDC-1 rail diesel cars from Budd in 1952, numbered DC-191 and DC-192.  These were efficient, self-powered coaches with an engineer’s cab at either end.  After a wreck in California in January 1956, Santa Fe repaired the cars, and added a baggage compartment to one of the cars, effectively making it an RDC-2.  Between 1956 and 1965, the RDCs ran as trains 311-312 between Newton and Dodge, Kansas.  On week days traffic was often light enough to only run one car, but two cars were used on Fridays and weekends.  In 1965, the cars were transferred to Texas to run as trains 13-14 between El Paso and Albuquerque.  The RDCs were retired in 1968.  See the page titled “Santa Fe RDC trains 80-83 (surf line, LA to San Diego), 1952-1955” to get the earlier RDC story.

Rebuilt RDC’s after wreck damage. Note the first rebuilt car does not exactly have the baggage door placement of an RDC1. Photo from http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=949197.

The rail diesel cars

Pictured are the RDC-1 and RDC-2 cars factory painted by Kato with Santa Fe war bonnet fronts.  The cars are fairly prototypical right out of the box, although Santa Fe added a pair of lights on the painted ends just below the center window.

REFERENCES

I’m sure there are other books, but these are the ones I found so far.

Stagner, Lloyd, Santa Fe in color, volume3: Albuquerque- Los Angeles, Morning Sun, 1994.

Stagner, Lloyd, Santa Fe in color, volume4: Texas- El Capitan, Morning Sun, 1994.