Photos of a gas-electric doodlebug at the station in downtown Anderson in 1954. The gas-electrics were used on the run from Anderson to Elkhart as a full passenger train just wasn't acceptable. This was the end of the gas-electrics. Photos by Gene Yates. Roger Hensley Collection.
I'll be darned. I didn't realize the Central owned any Gas-Electrics. I really led a sheltered life....:tb-embarrassed:
Well, I could say that it was owned by the Big Four but that would be telling. (They were known as Rail Motor Cars on the NYC.)
I guess they would have been replaced by RDCs...? Though were any RDCs assigned to the Big Four? I know RDCs were assigned to the B&A and I think also the Hudson and Mohawk Divisions.
By the time the RDC came, the gas-electrics were nearly or all gone. I don't believe that there were any RDCs on the Big Four (although I could be mistaken about that). This Rail Motor Car was on it's last legs when the picture was taken. It may even have been the last time the car was used and the photographer was very lucky to have caught it. He came to me the other day with the negatives and wanted to know what it was that he had taken a photo of in 1953 or 54. I get some very interesting photos that way.
Like Hank, I didn't know the Central ever operated gas-electrics. Come to think of it, I never saw an RDC in the flesh (or metal). :tb-biggrin:
Jim, I was fortunate to ride a B&A RDC in '52. It was part of a trip that required three railroads to go ~150 miles - NYC steam from Bedford Hills to Chatham, NY; B&A RDC to North Adams, MA; then B&M E7 to Hoosick Falls, NY...and it only took ~7 hours end-to-end. :tb-tongue: Roger, I meant to ask you...do you know who maufactured that gas-electric? I know GE made gas-electrics during the Teens and 20s, but there were others also.
In "New York Central's Later Power 1910-1968" by Staufer and May on page 364 begins "Motor Cars". The section covers a number of the gas-electric motor cars. It really is quite good but I never expected to see a photo of one in Anderson. I do have a couple of photos of one in Illinois. And I never expected that you would not have seen one.
Come to think of it the Central did run specialized gas-electrics throughout the system, including the eastern divisions. They were the equivalent of the Sperry Rail Car, but designed, built, and owned by the Central. I don't know how long after WWII they lasted, but I worked with a man whose first job after graduating as an Electrical Engineer from RPI in 1947 was with the Central on one of these rail inspection cars. He said he lived in a dormitory car towed by the inspection car for 3-4 weeks, then a week or so home, or in a hotel depending where on the system they tied up, then back out. I believe he said he quit after about two years, totally exhausted, because he wanted to live a normal life.
St. Louis Car Co. built bodies for Winton/EMC for some doodlebugs. However, most of those that I have seen photos of had flat faces instead of the rounded one on the unit above.
1922 article on Motor Cars on Big Four I don't know too much about motor service cars, but thought I would mention a few things along these lines to the group that I think will be of interest on the topic. Here is an article on motor service cars, trial runs on the Big Four, that appeared in the Railway Mechanical Engineer June 1922 on page 336. http://www.archive.org/stream/railwaymechanica96newy#page/336/mode/2up/search/wabash The article talks about motor cars that were built at the Service Motor Truck Company in Wabash Indiana and their trial runs between Wabash Indiana and Benton Harbor Michigan. The line was the Michigan Division of the Big Four. And also M.D. McCarter has a photo of a gasoline motor service car (negative N35244) at Wabash Indiana, along the station,as part of a train, behind a K-3p 4-6-2 #3318 and in front of a passenger coach. The photo was taken in 1934. Kyle Coble Auburn Indiana
Roger's gas-electric has been niggling my brain since I first saw the photo, then I finally remembered. The B&M, actually the Concord & Claremont Branch, had a very similar gas-electric combine that was built by Osgood Bradley - EMC in 1926. The noticeable differences between it and Roger's are a slightly flatter front, different stack and hood arrangement directly above the cab, and 10 close-set coach windows behind the baggage door. Other than that, they could first-cousins, even sisters. I'll see if I can find a public domain photo on the Net. I'd post the photo I'm looking at, but that would mean scanning a copyrighted book page.
Found it....! Now that I see it from this perspective, I realize it's not that similar to Roger's...close, but no cigar. :tb-wacky: The photo in the B&M book is nearly head-on, so I didn't see the full effect of the car's design. BTW, while searching, I ran across a Brill/EMC car owned by the Reading which did look like Roger's.
Kyle, welcome to Trainboard and the New York Central fallen flag forum. I love those old articles from Railway Mechanical Engineer. There is so much history in them that has largely been forgotten. We have to thank Roger and Hank for bringing so much of it back to our attention. :tb-biggrin:
Omigosh, Kyle, I'm very sorry that I didn't welcome you right up front....:tb-embarrassed: I got so wrapped up searching for B&M gas-electric photos....AAARGH :tb-hissyfit: (with apologies to Charles Shultz and Charlie Brown.) However, as Jim says, you are very welcome here, and we're happy that you want to share your knowledge with this rare breed of Olde Phogies.....:tb-cool:
A message from LEW: "Roger, saw your photo of the doodle bug and was this at Anderson? Why I ask this is the passenger train to Elk. stopped in April 1950. If this was 53-54 I don't have a reason why the doodle bug would be there. I worked the 8015, rail detector car, two different times in the middle and late sixties but it just had the one car. It did have a porter for the crew who cooked their meals and made their beds. When we were working with them, as pilots, we had one meal, noon, with them. The last time I acted as pilot it was Aug. and the sweet corn was ready out of the garden and I brought some with green onions and we did have a feast. They used pilots engineers, conductors and then stopped and only used an engineer. They stopped using pilots and run them as track equipment with the track foreman in charge after the PC merger. LEW" Yes, it was at Anderson, LEW. And no, I don't have an explanation for it's being there. I've checked the photo several times and have confirmed that it is Anderson and late 1953 or 1954.
