LIFE-LIKE PROTO 1000                                    BUDD RDC 1

HO GAUGE                                                        CANADIAN NATIONAL

POWERED      DC

NEW IN ORIGINAL BOX

READY TO ROLL

NO ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

The PROTO 1000 series offered hobbyists high-quality locomotives and freight cars at an affordable

price.  Each locomotive in the PROTO 1000 series features intricately molded details, laser-quality printing,

and prototypically correct paint schemes.  The PROTO 1000 locomotive boasts a five-pole skew wound armature motor with low amp draw for realistic, prototypical speeds.             

The famous RDC fleet was first introduced by the Budd Company of Philadelphia, following World War II.

 April 19, 1950 saw the first purchase of the new Budd RDC by the New York Central.  Eventually,

398 cars would be produced in five different versions for both domesstic and  foreign use.  The most popular of these, the RDC-1 was a 90-seat coach.  The RDC-2 featured 70 seats with a baggage compartment.  The

RDC-3 was even more versatile, combining 48 seats, a baggage compartment and a Railway Post Office 

within its 85 foot length.  The RDC-4 was a baggage/RPO combination without passenger seating.  The last RDC, the RDC-9, was an improvement on the original RDC-1 offering 94 coach seats--four more than the RDC-1.                                                                                                   

The popularity of the RDC was due to its ability to transport passengers, baggage and U.S. Mail economically and quickly.  Maintenance costs were minimal because the diesel engines (mounted below the floor)

could be replaced quickly, reducing the down-time for major repairs.  The RDC accelerated from zero to 60 mph in only two minutes, with a top speed of 83 mph.  Apparently, that was too slow for the New York

Central: they mounted two jet engines atop an RDC-3 and in a test run on July 23, 1966, achieved a top speed of over 180 mph! But the jet powered M497 remained an experiment, never to be used in revenue service.                                                                                                       

This model features magnetic knuckle couplers, directional lighting, dual machined brass flywheels, balanced 5-pole skew wound armature, heavy die-cast chassis, RP25 contour blackened metal wheels, and 8 

wheel electrical pickup.                                                                                

Model is finished in aluminum with black lettering, car number is D-100.