Prototype Information
In 1923, the Electro-Motive Company began production of self-propelled railcars. Thrifty to operate on lightly traveled local and regional lines, with their forward baggage sections, these self-propelled railcars (also called Doodlebugs) provided economical mail and passenger service.
Although they were more often used singly, the self-propelled railcars sometimes pulled trailer cars when additional capacity was needed.
Engineering
The Electro-Motive Company was the designer
and contractor for this self-propelled railcar model. The design
consisted of a cab and motor
compartment in front. The aft section was divided into three separate
compartments: one was used to transport baggage and the other served as a
small railway post office, or RPO (the forward door, located just
behind the radiator louvers, was equipped with a mail hook). The third
compartment was a coach for passengers.
ElectroMotive
Corporation supplied the 600 hp (450 kW), eight-cylinder Winton 8-201A
prime mover and electric transmission components, though some units
would be rebuilt in 1948 with a more modern EMD 567 prime mover. The
units had a B-2 wheel arrangement, mounted atop a pair of road trucks.
They subcontracted bodies to the St. Louis Car Company, prime movers to the Winton Engine Company, and electrical equipment to General Electric. At some point, the Pullman Company was added as a subcontractor for the car bodies.
The Northern Pacific
The NP Trains 422-461 and 464 - 423
provided passenger service between Seattle to Hoquiam. The Trains were generally headed by 4-8-2 steam locomotive. When the NP downgraded passenger service on the Gray Harbor Line in 1950, Trains 422-461 and 464 - 423 were operated with a mix of equipment.
The Northern Pacific Railway had a fair number of gas electrics providing service on branch lines often towing a freight car or two. NP No. B19 and NP No. B23, both RPO-Baggage-Coach were photographed on the Gray Harbor Line in the mid- 1950's providing mixed train service.
NP No. B 23 was built by St. Louis Car Co in 1929 and was engined by
EMC. B 23 was converted to a Coach-Baggage configuration in December
1939. It was sometme later restored to its original Coach-Baggage-RPO
configuration. It was converted to diesel-electric in July 1947. NP No. B23 initially was run on routes in Montana and Idaho. In September 1955, B-23 was assigned to Trains 422-461 and 464 - 423. It still had its RPO, Baggage, and Coach (20 seat) configuration.
Its assignment to the Seattle - Hoquiam route was short-lived. It was dismantled in September 1956 at South Tacoma, Wash. NP No. 2261, 4-8-2 steam locomotive headed passenger train #461's last run on February 18, 1956. It's train consisted of a baggage car and coach.
The WWSL
One of the WWSL's future modeling projects is the modeling of representative locomotives of the Class 1 and Class 3 operating in the Montesano, Wa. area. I am going to model NP No B23 on my layout in vignette style.
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| Gene Deimling |
Modeling Information
Reference
NP Research Library, NP Motor Car RosterNP Research Library, NP Equipment Diagrams,
Great Northern Gas Electric and Oil Electric Locomotive Diagrams, September 15, 1941.
Clive Carter, Union Pacific Self-Propelled Cars, Mainline Modeler, June 1998.
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