# HO car



## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

I have this car and would like to know what it is. The trucks and wheels are missing and it looks like it may have been powered at one time. It's all aluminum with a cast metal underframe and horn hook couplers. I can find no name on it anywhere. It' nice and heavy so it probably ran pretty well either powered or as a pulled coach. I'd like to try and find some more of them. Pete


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

It's an Athearn RDC3 sans rubber band drive and trucks...:smilie_daumenpos:


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Rubber band drive? How does that work? Pete


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Basically a pulley and belt system >>> http://hoseeker.org/assemblyexplosionAthearn/athearnrdc131964.jpg

They're a hoot to watch, run them up to top speed, then cut the throttle...they have a delightful boing-oing-oing cartoon stop.


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

WOW! That looks pretty cool. never saw one like that before. Do you suppose there are trucks ect. available anywhere to put this car back together? I understand that this car is not made anymore right? Pete


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## The New Guy (Mar 11, 2012)

*parts*

Some quick searching brought me to the gear replacement parts, still currently available. I'd suppose the rest could be assembled fairly easy. It would remove the _boing-oing-oing cartoon stop_ though.

That question was raised in another forum, and the suggestion was made to junk the original drive in favor of a Northwest Short Line powered drive. Something to consider.


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## rrgrassi (May 3, 2012)

I have one missing the trucks and bands as well. The motor spins up nicely though.


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Thanks for the info New Guy. I'll check into the short Line stuff as it's probablt the best way to go.
RRgrassi if you go to ebay and do a search for the 'Athern RDC3' specifically you'll find several offers for the bands to run this car for about $5. Saw them there last night looking for parts. Pete


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

norgale said:


> WOW! That looks pretty cool. never saw one like that before. Do you suppose there are trucks ect. available anywhere to put this car back together? I understand that this car is not made anymore right? Pete


Parts would be available, practicality is the issue. By the time you put out for parts and regearing, you'll have as much or more into it that a similar Life-Like P1K Budd RDC that would be the correct scale length and a better runner. I keep mine for nostalgia's sake...the boing boing is a kick for the kids...


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## Gansett (Apr 8, 2011)

That car would make a heck of a nice diner Pete.


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

You could always make a model of this... http://thecontaminated.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/m497-jet-train/jet-train.jpg It was based on a Budd RDC chassis and body.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-497_Black_Beetle

The windows were made from the number boards of an F unit...


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

jack I was thinking about a diner for that car and it would be a good idea.:smokin: The link that Shay posted shows the car with jet engines and the jets from a B-36B model would be just the thing :thumbsup:and I think I have one somewhere. Good ideas guys.:appl: Gotta think about this a bit. Pete


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

What I need are two trucks for this RDC so the diner will look right. Shay do you have any idea what might fit? Pete


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## morrjr (Dec 20, 2012)

norgale said:


> What I need are two trucks for this RDC so the diner will look right. Shay do you have any idea what might fit? Pete


I just found an Athearn dummy combine RDC packed away in the basement. The trucks on the dummy cannot be used as powered trucks: there are no drums for the rubber bands, and the trucks screw directly to the chassis. You would need to use the chassis and trucks from this dummy with your coach body. I'd be willing to send the entire dummy RDC to you for the cost of shipping ($6.00).


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

morrjr is your car all metal? You can see in my pictures that the bottom frame of my car is all cast metal and the top is extruded aluminum. There is only a post for the trucks to ride on with no screw holes for attaching them. I'd be happy to have your car for the shipping. Could you PM me with your address and I'll send out a money order. Thanks very much. Pete

I just took my car apart and the top part is plastic not aluminum like I thought.


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## morrjr (Dec 20, 2012)

The top part on mine is plastic, as were all the Athearn RDCs that I can recall (I'm old enough to remember them). Will send PM with address.


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Got the RDC from Jim Morrell and it's very nice and complete. Thanks Jim,I appreciate it. Looking at Jim's car and the one I have the truck mounts are different. My car has no hole for a screw so it must have had a different kind of truck on it. Maybe somebody can tell me what's up with this? Pete


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## ktcards (Sep 22, 2012)

norgale said:


> Got the RDC from Jim Morrell and it's very nice and complete. Thanks Jim,I appreciate it. Looking at Jim's car and the one I have the truck mounts are different. My car has no hole for a screw so it must have had a different kind of truck on it. Maybe somebody can tell me what's up with this? Pete


The car with the post is a rubber band drive (HiF) car

http://www.hoseeker.org/assemblyexplosionAthearn/athearnf7ahifitowerdrive.jpg

K


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## morrjr (Dec 20, 2012)

Norgale, you might be interested in this.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Athearn-2173-RDC-1-RTR-Powered-Diesel-Locomotive-Engine-Baltimore-Ohio-HO-Scale-/111236198215?&_trksid=p2056016.l4276


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

That's a good buy Jr. Have to see what spendable this month. Thanks for the link. Pete


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## ktcards (Sep 22, 2012)

morrjr said:


> Norgale, you might be interested in this.
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Athearn-2173-RDC-1-RTR-Powered-Diesel-Locomotive-Engine-Baltimore-Ohio-HO-Scale-/111236198215?&_trksid=p2056016.l4276


Here is the spec sheet on it:

http://www.hoseeker.org/assemblyexplosionAthearn/athearnrdc131964.jpg

K


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Thanks for that ktcards. The spec sheet will be very helpful. Pete


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## ggnlars (Aug 6, 2013)

The dummies need something to hold the trucks in place. The design did not change, even though the motors did. I have a chassis with a gold motor with brass fly wheels. The rods to drive the bands are attached to the FW.
Larry


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Larry would you have any pictures of what you have there? Pete


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## ggnlars (Aug 6, 2013)

Pete,
Yes, I will post some pix later today. The christmas season has slowed me up a little. 
Larry


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## ggnlars (Aug 6, 2013)

Here is the Chassis for the Powered RDC that I have. The metal strap is missing, so I wired the top part of the five wire upgrade. 
I was mistaken about the fly wheels. Although it could have them. There is enough room. 
This unit will run as slow as 15 scale mph. With the fly wheels it probably would run slower. The high end is some where around 150 mph. My test trak is short, so the time measurement is not very accurate. 
Larry


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Thanks for that Larry. Maybe I can cobble together something to get a couple of my RDC running again. The couplings are good to see too. I have some of those from some old boat models where they were used to connect the prop and shaft to the motor. Thanks again for the picture. Need some of those wheels too with the fat axles. Pete


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Here's what I have for RDC so far. The first picture is an umpowered dummy with no trucks or wheels.


The second picture is powered but missing one drive shaft and the fat axle wheels necessary for the rubber band drive. I did get some fat axle wheels on ebay but they havn't arrived yet.


The third pic is a powered unit with all the correct wheels and trucks and the rubber bands. It is complete but I havn't tested it yet for running.


The fourth and last car is an unpowered dummy car with no trucks or wheels. So you can see that I have enough cars to make a decent commuter train with one good powered unit as the locomotive. All I need now is four sets of trucks and wheels for the two truckless cars. If you have any for sale or know where I can get some please let me know. Pete


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

It's hard to believe that this RDC hasn't been made by Athern for thirty years. The two powered cars that I got on sleazebay are in excellent condition even though they are missing some wheels. pete


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## morrjr (Dec 20, 2012)

I'm glad to see things are coming together for you. You should have a nice set of RDCs when everything comes in.

I last saw real RDCs in action in the mid seventies when I lived in Elmhurst, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. Amtrak ran a two or three car RDC train from Chicago to somewhere in Iowa on the Illinois Central tracks that ran a couple of blocks from my parent's house. Here's a pic I found on the internet - it was taken in 1975 in Lombard, just two towns west of Elmhurst.


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Nice picture morrjr. The car looks a little beat up so was probably near the end of it's useful life. I guess there are still a few of these around and maybe even some that are working. They were no doubt very useful in their day. Pete


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