Last DART RDC Joins Museum Collection
We are very pleased to announce the arrival of one of the most unique rail cars of the streamlined era. On November 18, the last remaining Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) rail diesel car (RDC) #2001 was rolled to a stop on Museum trackage by BNSF, ending nearly six decades of faithful service. It officially joins the Museum’s collection as an enduring design innovation that touched the lives of countless North Texans. One of 13 RDCs assigned to DART’s Trinity Railway Express (TRE), it ushered in a new era of rail commuter service between Dallas and Fort Worth, starting in 1997.
(At Left) DART/TRE RDC #2001 is eased down the Museum's lead track on the rear of a BNSF main line freight, Saturday November 18, 2023. (At Right) The train's Conductor and Switchman proudly pose in front of the RDC after an excellent job of safely transporting it from Irving.
The DART RDC fleet provided reliable service for 14 years until retirement in 2011. They offered multiple round trips between Dallas Union Station and Fort Worth’s T&P Station, with intermediate stops in the mid-cities. The RDCs were also assigned to the DCTA line from Carrollton to Denton for a brief period following retirement.
RDC #2001 was built in 1957 by the Budd Company of Philadelphia, with final assembly at Canadian Car & Foundry Company of Montreal. It was originally purchased by the Canadian Pacific Railway and numbered 9070. Dubbed “Dayliner” it was designated for use between major cities and outlying communities, including Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. It also served Calgary and the western provinces. In 1978, the RDC was sold to VIA Rail, Canada’s nationalized passenger rail system. Renumbered 6131, it continued its role in commuter service under the newly formed operation.
(At Left) In this early 1970s image, #2001 is leading a trio of running mates while in service on the Canadian Pacific (its original owner). It is numbered 9070 and painted in the CP Rail high visibility scheme. (At Right) #2001 is in service on VIA Rail Canada in this post-1978 view, renumbered 6131.
In 1993, it was withdrawn from service by VIA and sold to DART along with 12 running mates. In 1995, the 13 RDCs were completely remanufactured by GEC Alsthom Transport of Montreal, with final assembly in Dallas. The work took 20 months and included new drive trains, wiring, air conditioning, and interiors. Total cost per unit was $1.8 million.
The RDCs provided DART and its partner Trinity Metro a quick and economical way to get up and running on the TRE line through remanufacturing existing equipment. They served the line well for nearly two decades, but increased ridership demand called for more capacity and standardization of equipment. Their retirement followed acquisition of conventional locomotive-hauled high capacity bi-level coaches operating in push-pull fashion. Twelve of the thirteen retired units were sold to other commuter authorities, while #2001 awaited disposition. The decision to donate it to the Museum came earlier this year, and we couldn’t be more thrilled!
We are grateful to DART for this outstanding addition to the Museum’s collection. Their sensitivity to the history and technology represented by RDC #2001 and its service in North Texas will be enjoyed by generations to come. Its role as a museum piece ensures its preservation and access by thousands each year.
The Museum has enjoyed a long relationship with DART, having hosted Transit Education programs during its years in Dallas, as well as technology presentations at Frisco’s Mindbender Academy. Santa Fe Tower 19, a keystone piece in the Museum’s collection, has been preserved through DART’s commitment to saving the region’s railroad history. The structure was displaced due to Red Line construction in the 1990s. The Tower was added to the Historic American Engineering Record at the Library of Congress in 1992.
Our thanks to BNSF Railway and their crews for transporting the RDC safely from Irving to Frisco at greatly reduced cost. BNSF’s ongoing support allows us to do great things in North Texas! Thanks also to the folks at Herzog’s West Irving maintenance faculty for readying #2001 and handing it off to BNSF.
Right for the Times
While Rail Diesel Cars were innovative, the concept of a self-propelled rail vehicle was not new. Internal combustion engines had been used to power early rail cars since 1905. Later versions included the Museum’s preserved 1931 Santa Fe Motorcar M-160. The RDCs were a product of changing post-war ridership and evolutionary railcar design.
Ann Arbor Railroad McKeen Motor Car #3 pauses in Owosso, Michigan, 1911. These cars were among the first self-propelled rail vehicles utilizing internal combustion engines.
Introduced in 1949, RDCs were based on Budd’s tried and true stainless-steel shot-welded carbody design with General Motor’s proven two-cycle diesel engines and hydraulic drives nestled underneath. Radiators and exhaust were placed in “blisters” on the roof. RDCs were bi-directional, with operating controls at both ends, eliminating the need to turn them at end points. They could operate in multiples as ridership demand warranted.
Budd’s innovative RDCs were as much evolutionary as revolutionary. They took their existing stainless-steel shot-welded carbody design and added cab controls and windows at each end. The RDCs were equipped with two General Motors inclined Series 110 six-cylinder two-stroke diesel engines. This 1952 advertisement extolls the virtues of cost savings and advanced design.
RDCs quickly gained favor of nearly every railroad in North America as a versatile and economic means of providing passenger service to shrinking markets encroached upon by automobiles. They were also ideal for medium and long-distance commuter service. Many lines actually saw increased ridership on the new RDC routes. RDCs were available in four basic configurations, including coach, coach-baggage, coach-RPO-baggage, and RPO-baggage.
Among a number of RDCs preserved in museums is this rare RDC-4. Built in a baggage-RPO configuration and numbered 9250, it served many years on CP Rail. It is on display at EXPORAIL in Montreal. We are proud to join our friends at The Canadian Railway Museum and the Canadian Railway Historical Association as a repository for these unique rail cars.
Several of the 1950s-era RDCs are still in daily service on commuter lines and tourist railways. TRE #2001 is a fitting addition to the museum as we preserve the golden era of post-war passenger trains.
Education Update
Educational programs are in full swing as the Museum enters the 2023-2024 academic year! Frisco schools have returned for a full slate of programs with concentrations on 3rd, 7th, and high school grades. Our staff met with FISD social studies coordinators and teachers over the summer to add content and update programming to comply with the latest state standards (TEKS).
The Museum’s African American Studies program was presented for a third consecutive year on November 2nd. (At left) Melissa Johnson, professor at Collin College poses with Charlotte Simmons from Frisco High School, and Patience LeBlanc, FISD Secondary Social Studies Coordinator. Ms. Johnson is credited with developing Museum programming. Ms. Simmons is a life-long resident of Frisco and the daughter of Jimmy and Clara Jones, for whom a new park was named in Frisco. Ms. LeBlanc is a powerhouse at FISD and a major advocate of museums as learning tools beyond the classroom. (At right) Museum Trustee Carmen Ramirez, a favorite among students, presents “Women in Railroading” in the Museum’s 1914 Parlor-Club car.
In November, our African American Studies program was presented to FISD high school students for a third consecutive year. Attendees from Centennial, Frisco, Liberty, Lone Star, Memorial, and Panther Creek high schools enjoyed interactive experiences throughout the Museum, along with presentations from Museum staff and volunteers. The African American Studies program is inquiry-based, enabling students to research and create projects based on their individual studies of the subject. The Museum provides tangible evidence of the African American experience as it relates to railroads, including Pullman Porters, improved working conditions, the elimination of segregation on modes of travel, and the rise of the black middle class.
(Clockwise from upper left) Museum CEO Bob LaPrelle hosts students in Texas & Pacific Coach #1143 that displays exhibit panels covering Plessy vs. Ferguson and the elimination of segregation on rail cars. Museum COO Kellie Murphy presents a program on the Chicago Defender newspaper aboard Metra Highliner car #1608, which itself participated in the history of the City’s south suburbs for over 40 years. The Museum’s Dir. of Programs & Services John Garbutt discusses events and landmark cases that led up to the elimination of segregated travel. FISD’s Ryan Davis of Panther Creek High School facilitates a presentation on famous African American leaders in the Museum’s 1937 M-K-T dining car. Brief bios and photographs of these leaders were affixed to plates on each table of the dining car to encourage students to have a modern-day dinner discussion about their history and influence.
Third grade FISD field trips are currently underway and make up the bulk of our educational programming. Several schools have attended to date, with several thousand visiting this coming spring. Topics include community building, cotton, economics, the Texas oil boom, and rail technology. Seventh grade programs begin in a couple of months. Planning for updated content wraps up next week. We’ve had several very productive meetings with FISD administrators that will result in expanded learning stations and content for 7th graders at the Museum.
We are also seeing additional grades from districts around North Texas, including 2nd, 4th, and 8th grades from Prosper, Birdville, and Richardson ISDs. The Museum is looking forward to a very full calendar of field trip bookings in 2024!
Important Piece of North Texas Rail History Saved!
It was a little over a year ago that Fort Worth’s Interlocking Tower 55 was razed. A victim of changing times and technology, this once essential control point is but a memory. Tower 55 regulated the movement of trains at the busiest railroad intersection in Texas. Located at the crossing of today’s Union Pacific and BNSF main lines, it was originally constructed to regulate the movement of Texas & Pacific, Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe, and other roads such as Rock Island, Fort Worth & Denver, MKT, and IGN.
Tower 55 found itself increasingly surrounded by elevated freeways until its imposing appearance was finally lost in a spaghetti of highways. Once the busy interlocking was automated from a remote location, the physical structure became more of a liability. The interlocking plant was commissioned in 1904. A wood tower similar to the Museum’s Tower 19 was constructed soon after, with the most recent brick structure built sometime after 1916.
While Tower 55 is now relegated to the history books, there is a bright spot in the story. The indicator board, or model board, was saved at the urging of local rail historian, photographer, and friend of the Museum Ken Fitzgerald. It was safely stored at Union Pacific’s police department headquarters, and at Ken’s urging donated to the Museum during the summer. The model board displayed track diagrams of Tower 55’s interlocking plant along with indicator lights showing the position of trains throughout the control area. It was used at a time when tower “operators” manually controlled trains at the busy rail intersection. The board is in remarkably good condition with the exception of one missing panel that can be easily replicated.
(At left) In this June 14, 1986 image, Tower 55 was a prominent landmark on the southeast side of downtown Fort Worth. These were indeed simpler times before the venerable structure was encircled by overhead freeways. Amtrak train #21, the Texas Eagle, is crossing the diamonds southbound toward San Antonio. (At right) Ken Fitzgerald presents Tower 55’s model board to Bob LaPrelle, along with a few bricks from the structure’s exterior. Photos of the missing panel have been located and a replacement will be fabricated onto matte finish aluminum to match the originals.
Our sincere thanks to our good friend Ken Fitzgerald and Union Pacific Railroad for rescuing this priceless artifact and making it available to the Museum. It joins our extensive collection of train control and signaling devices, including Tower 19.