# Ready Made Trains RDC Review



## Wood (Jun 9, 2015)

I have previously purchased some of the Ready Made Trains BEEP equipment and have not been able to integrate the units into my layout. I did buy a MOW speeder which the kids love to run around the layout and I found a good siding to keep it on. Because of my purchases I am on their email list and they recently sent me a notice of their RDC series. (Rail Diesel Car more commonly called Buddy cars.) It was only $59.00 and I have lots of trolleys plying the lines so I gave it a try.

This car comes with various Rail line insignias. I chose the Atlantic Coast Line. They are numbered in two car sequences. 

RNT made their name in BEEPs - this is not a BEEP. It is just a little short of scale gauge. These are 11 1/2" long and 2 1/2" wide. But they look very nice and are comparable to the MTH passenger car sets. It is a heavy plastic shell with beautiful lettering and logos. There are plenty of nice add-ons like chains on the front and rear, both forward and reverse looking horns, both ends are equipped with white running headlights, red trailing lights and an engineer figure on both ends. It has a green tint on the windows and even though there are no passengers inside the lighted visual is very nice. I think the cab stands a little tall on the trucks. The trucks simply appears to be too large for the unit. They do not have any sound, however the nice part of the sound is how quietly they run. No grinding or whining it is a very smooth operating unit.

















One of the unusual feature is a switch that allows you to operate the unit at 18 volts but it operates at a nice regulated speed of approximately 20 scale MPH. You can change the switch and it will speed up or slow down depending on your transformer settings. I switched it to low speed because I run my transformers at 18v continuously. It is not bump and go it has an electronic eunit. You can adjust the light settings to multiple operations. And, you can set it to run with the eunit to operate forward at all times. In regard to the bump and go, if you want to operate that way the engine will stop at your bumper and it will still the engines so they do not spin the wheels. You have to push direction to reverse but it would sit there and not burn the engine out.

























The trucks have traction tires, 2 on each truck and on opposite sides.









The couplers are easily removable and have magnetic uncouplers. You can buy two units and hook them up in tandem then remove the couplers on each end.

















This is a very short video of the unit operating.


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

Wow, thanks! That is a great review and very thorough and fair. I liked it a lot. Very helpful.


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## Guest (Nov 26, 2015)

Thanks for the review, Wood. Very helpful information.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Nice review. I have one of these in pieces waiting for me to install TMCC.


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

Thanks for the review Wood. RMT makes some nice stuff for reasonable prices. And it looks like their RDC has some nice features. I do have to differ with you on one thing. You said it is just a little short of scale gauge. If you mean the length (11 ½ inch) is a little short, that’s not really the case. A real RDC 1, 2 or 3 is 85 feet long and an RDC 4 is 74’ 10”. That would make an O scale version 21.5 inches (19.3 inches for an RDC4). The MTH Railking version is 16” long (still too short). Incidentally, anyone that is crazy for RDCs should pick up The RDC book by Donald Duke and Edmund Keilty.


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## MOVL (Aug 23, 2015)

Very good review, Wood.
Interesting...I never knew they added a series/parallel switch to these.


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## Todd Lopes (Nov 11, 2015)

Thanks Wood for sharing. Nice!


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## Wood (Jun 9, 2015)

Thank you for your comments. In hindsight my intention to post this review, which is the first I have ever done, was to inform members of something I thought was very cool and a real bargain. I had purchased one 2 weeks ago and it has been running everyday on my layout. Then I ordered the second number in the series and it arrived on Wednesday afternoon. I immediately put it on the layout and thought to myself that I should share this super inexpensive product with the forum members. Apparently it sparked some interest.

RMT is a small company and I think they do provide a unique product in an inexpensive way. I do not know the owner Walter, but he always sends me a hand written thank you note on each product I purchase. Plus the products I have purchased have all been nicely detailed and well built. Nothing like high end products but not flimsy replicas that fall apart like several manufactures do with their entry level equipment. I like that.

Lehigh74 - You are quite correct with your comment on RDC cars. This is really not "scale" at all. RMT advertise the car as a "Traditional" and I was trying to imply that the RDC cars from RMT fit in very nicely with most of my "Standard O" equipment. I had considered doing some comments about the RDC cars of the 1950's era, but I held off. Next time I do a review I will definitely compare the original equipment with the model presented as well as it's general appearance relative to my layout. 

MOVL - The Series/Parallel switch was the defining item on this car. I run command all the time and having a conventional RDC car or Trolley run at normal operating speed with the transformer set at 18v is important to my layout.

Gunrunner - I won't be sending this unit down for TMCC. You are so good at those upgrades. My Midnight Chief is smoking the rails. I am grateful for your cruise commander install.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Wood, glad you are happy with the result. I like some of the smaller stuff when we do modular shows, I just run them out between the larger stuff to add interest when there are lots of spectators, they love to see lots of action on the rails. I try to keep in mind that most of the folks that come by the modular display aren't really train people, and they're mostly interested in seeing things "happen".


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

I have 2 JERSEY CENTRAL LINES #560 AND #561 made by RMT.

Back when I got them they were called* Baby* Budd cars.

I like mine, good runners and the detail is there.
I think some kind of people window inserts would have been a good thing to add?

I have not run them for a while, aren't the lights directional?
They automatically switch with the direction?
I can't remember, maybe I am thinking of another train?


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Lights are directional on those.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Lights are directional on those.


I thought they were, I have sections of track torn up trying to get some larger curves with the O/72 switches in over by the mountain and can't try them.

I got my 2 from the NJ Hi railers, I think they were selling on an e bay site? Got the 2 for a good deal back then.
Even though they are a little smaller I like them. But I guess that is why they are called *Baby* Budds?

But then again, I like anything with the Jersey Central on it.


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## Wood (Jun 9, 2015)

Big Ed, We're talking the same unit. The lights are bidirectional. I agree that passengers would have been nice, but hey they're $59.99.


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## eddiem (Dec 3, 2015)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Nice review. I have one of these in pieces waiting for me to install TMCC.


GRJ,

I have two of the older units... wondering if they will work with the mini-commander from ERR. Any experience with that yet?

If I get one to work, I was thinking about gutting the second one to be coupled and dragged by the other TMCCed one.

Ed


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## Wood (Jun 9, 2015)

*Ed posted: If I get one to work, I was thinking about gutting the second one to be coupled and dragged by the other TMCCed one.

*I would look closely at the drawing power of one unit. They have traction tires, but pulling another unit just might bog the lead unit down even with a gutted interior. You could put a lot of people in that trailing unit....


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

eddiem said:


> GRJ,
> 
> I have two of the older units... wondering if they will work with the mini-commander from ERR. Any experience with that yet?
> 
> ...


They will work with the MiniCommander II, but sadly not with the Cruise Commander or CC-Lite. They apparently have an incompatible motor, I tried a Cruise Commander and it was very jerky at low speed. This is a fairly common issue with certain motor designs. It does run fine with the MiniCommander II, I sky-wired it to test, and I'll eventually get around to installing it.


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## eddiem (Dec 3, 2015)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> They will work with the MiniCommander II, but sadly not with the Cruise Commander or CC-Lite. They apparently have an incompatible motor, I tried a Cruise Commander and it was very jerky at low speed. This is a fairly common issue with certain motor designs. It does run fine with the MiniCommander II, I sky-wired it to test, and I'll eventually get around to installing it.


The CC-lite seems Ok with my Beep.... I was hoping it would be good for the Budd

..that because I have a few CC-Lites! The good news is that the MiniCommander II looks like a bargain! 

Thanks!
Ed


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

The CC-Lite works fine in the BEEP, I have one as well. However, the BUDD car has a different motor and it doesn't work at all. Give it a quick try, you just have to wire power and motor. You can just short the PGM/RUN to program it and then test. The low speed performance will be amusing, but not useful.


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