Mack Trucks' Mysterious New Haven Railbus: A Transit Enigma!

In late 1949, a radical and unusual new type of transit vehicle was ordered by the New Haven Railroad from Mack Trucks. It was called the FCD - named after the president of the New Haven.
The FCD was quite odd on many fronts: It was for use on mainline railroads. It was built from the body of a Mack C-50 transit bus. And it utilized the B-3 trucks that were manufactured for the PCC streetcars.
Therefore, what was this vehicle? A railroad car, a bus, or a trolley? All of them, none of them, or.....?
The first prototype, delivered in 1951, was fleet No. 10. Nine more were ordered, with fleet Nos. 11-19.
Only two were ever in service - No. 10 and No. 12. And they were only in service for a short period of time.
See and hear the story of this most unusual transit vehicle!
#transportationhistory #buses #railroads #trolleys #newhaven #trainspotting #trains #railways #railbus #macktrucks #macktruck

[@michaelwalter3399]

My hometown of Los Angeles, CA used the PCC unit until 1963, when we gave up a world class light rail system in favor of freeways, gridlock and air pollution.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Yes, how unfortunate that LA, and most other cities, got rid of their trolleys! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

LA was one of the last cities to get new PCCs, and they were ordered by National City Lines, the company that supposedly wanted to kill streetcars (a lie).

[@laurencecheyne593]

General Motors bought up a number of great public transit system in cities in the US and then closed them down. Guess what that forced their citizens to go?

[@skovner]

This really does look like the love child of a 1950's bus and a PCC car, both of which I rode on frequently.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

LOL, you are right about that. Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@michaelcamberdella]

Great informative presentation! I'm a retired (15+ years) NYC subway train operator. I once had a job assignment (for overtime) working as a pilot for one of the Sperry cars, as their operators couldn't go through the system on their own. Pilots advise them on the routes & signals, and communicate via radio to the various towers. We were following a southbound D train in Brooklyn, in an open cut. Leaving Newkirk Ave, the track goes up a decent grade to an embankment, and we had to stop for a red signal midway up the grade. It was in the fall (October as I recall), and the rails were a little slippery from leaves. It struggled for a bit, and I was worried I would have to call Command Center to 'wrong-rail' back to Newkirk to get a running start. Thankfully it managed to grip the rails (wheels spinning!) and we continued south to Coney Island. Later in the night we followed another D, but I had them hold back to allow it to get farther away from us. Thanks for presenting!

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Fantastic comment! It's great to hear your experience as a T/O! Sounds like you were the equivalent of a "Harbor Pilot" who guides ships since the captain is not aware of all of the details of the route. As a Brighton Line rider, I know exactly the geography you are talking about, and can certainly imagine what happened. Really interesting to hear this! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@michaelcamberdella]

@JeffreyOrnstein Ave H and J were my home stations from '75 to the late '80s. Also had the ex-LIRR Bay Ridge branch outside my apartment windows on E12th St. I'm glad they're finally trying to resurrect it for new service.

[@dorepage7076]

Great story. Thanks for downloading.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Glad you liked it! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@JTA1961]

Didn't know Mac did anything other than trucks...but now I do.

[@StationaryDingleberry]

Thanks for posting! That's some weird, wild stuff... fantastic.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Hello! I'm really glad you liked the video! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@martinstyblo6355]

Incredibly interesting to see. The traction arrangement (all four axles driven, diesel-electric) is well ahead of many traditional light rail diesel buses/motorcars...

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Yes, it was ahead of its time!! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@argopunk]

This is cool, thanks. Until '95, my town had PCCs all over the city along with CLRVs. Now both are gone replaced by Bombardier streetcars. Well, there are still two PCCs and a Peter Witt used for special events and charters.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Glad you liked this video about this unusual railcar! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@victorcontreras3368]

Great presentation! I drove a Mack truck many years and was pleased to learn that they also had their hand in rail cars.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

I'm really happy you liked the video! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@cruzcontrol1504]

BINGO !!! This is a fantastic video, you outdid yourself, great thorough research, I've encountered the Sperry car a few times on the Subway

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Thank you!!!! I'm so glad you really liked this video!!!! And yes - if you ride the subway enough, you will eventually encounter the Sperry railcar. Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@railtrolley]

Interesting vehicle! Did not know that Mack made these. About them sharing the line with heavy weight rollingstock. The then Victorian Railways in Australia, ran a fleet of light-weight Walker diesel hydraulic rail cars from the 1950s to 1980. They mostly ran services on secondary branch lines, but did have to travel on main lines, and at up to 60mph to keep time. They would be sharing the line with EMD locomotives. The Walkers were fitted with unique couplers, unlike the auto-knuckles of the rest of the fleet. They were intended to run on their own, or with other Walker rollingstock only (trailers, for larger passenger numbers). An coupler adapter was used, when a locomotive had to rescue a failed one. The units had a driving cab at each end.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Interesting comment about the Walker railcars of Australia! Need to research this. Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@colinjones2974]

Another Victorian Railways bus-based rail motor was the AEC Rail Motors of the early 1920s which used. the chassis of the London General B-type bus. In New South Wales, Australia was the Paybus, which looked like a bus, built by Waddingtons of Sydney(coach builder) but was based on a truck chassis. Also, Queensland Railways had some AEC railmotors. So between those three railways 3 different gauges, 3'6", 4'81/2" and 5'3".

[@MrRiley1210]

Great presentation! I have a personal interest in this topic. Back in the day my father was freight agent for the NHRR in PVD. One day in 1954 my mother decided she'd take us kids (pre-teens) on a scheduled trip Providence to Worcester round-trip to check out this novelty. I remember it to this day! Plus it was free since we had family passes.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Wow, that's great, that you got to see and experience this unique piece of equipment! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@WA1LBK]

Good video! You mentioned towards the end about them being lightweight; they were a little too much so, New Haven had issues with them having problems activating grade crossing signals, as well as track circuits for mainline signals (a full - scale version of the problems model railroaders have with lightweight equipment with poor electrical pickup!). 🙂 Although the New Haven had experimented with gas - electric cars early on as you mentioned, I think the main reason they were ordered was the Fredrick C. Dumaine Sr. (who was something of a corporate raider who frequently ran companies he acquired into bankruptcy while lining his own pockets) had a reputatation for being a NOTORIOUS cheapskate! (He reportedly wanted to can any New Haven executive who had a salary in excess of $10K / year - a good salary at that time). He deferrred a lot of maintenance on the New Haven right-of-way which resulted in frequently late trains & dissatisfied patrons. I think his rarionale behind ordering the Mack FCD's was to cut costs on lightly patronized passenger lines; I know they ran into my hometown of Fall River, MA from Taunton while they were in service (I would have been a toddler at that time! 🤭). His son, upon taking over the New Haven presidency after his death, actually tried to undo some of the damage his father did by improving maintenance & service; only to have it undone when Pat McGinnis took over & largely ran the railroad into the ground. (As far as I'm concerned about the only thing McGinnis di posivive for the railroad was his adoption of the famous Herbert Matter "NH" block logo & modern paint scheme)!🤔 You mentioned the pricey brass Crown HO model; I've been debating getting one for my HO New Haven layout; but at the current going rate of around $400, it's difficut to justify spending that amount on a single tiny piece of rolling stock (I'd have to install DCC in it as well); but I'm at least considering the possibility. It was also interesting to learn that they actually used a diesel - electric drivetrain; with being built by Mack, I had guessed that the were diesel - mechanical drive to the trucks (similar to the Budd RDC's). Also very interesting that there are several survivors; the one that Sperry still has in service, the one down at the Danbury RR. Museum, and the one in Spain as well. 😀

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

WOW - great comment and information! I wish I knew about the grade crossing situation when making the video - I didn't come across that while doing research, but it is certainly believable! And all the info about FCD Sr. and Jr. ....that in itself would make a good video! Oh, and yes, that McGinnis paint scheme and logo....even Metro North brought it back for one of their diesels, LOL. Thank you for watching and for your very detailed comment!

[@MrExec3549]

Jeffrey. Thank you once again for your trove of information. You’re apparently a”buff” like myself. You’ve taken your interests in transit and utilized your knowledge to share with us all. Thank you very much. Paul Messina, retired NYCTA subway employee.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Hello Paul! Thank you very much for your feedback and very kind comment! I am really glad you enjoyed the video!! I'm working on more videos on unusual and obscure transit vehicles that nobody has made videos about, so hopefully you'll continue to stay tuned!! Thanks again!!

[@MrExec3549]

@@JeffreyOrnstein It would be great if you could do a video on the R-11 subway cars. I’m a mechanical engineer and am retired from the NYCTA Car Equipment Division. I’m also a “buff,” having grown up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan I literally grew up riding the subways by myself at the age of 9. As you’re aware, in 1949 ten stainless steel R-11 cars were built by Budd as prototypes for the new Second Avenue Subway (that was never built in its original planned form in the 1950s.). They were equipped with the new SMEE electro-pneumatic propulsion and dynamic braking system, disc brakes, air conditioning, and even ultraviolet lights in the ceiling air conditioning return grills to eliminate germs during the Polio epidemic. Unfortunately, they became an isolated fleet and ran on the various BMT Division lines. Could not be operated with other cars in the system. That changed in the mid-1960s when their electro-pneumatic portions were replaced with standard units and modifications were made to the propulsion and braking of the cars. They could then be operated with the new R-32 and R-38 cars in consists. Most likely one of the most unique car classes ever produced for the system. We have one R-11 in the transit museum. Beautiful cars. Paul Messina

[@MrExec3549]

Forgot, after the overhaul, they were reclassified as the R-34 class by the NYCTA.

[@MrExec3549]

Oh yeah, at 72 and growing up in Manhattan, I remember the Bingham Mack buses on the No.15 1st and 2nd Avenues. Took them to South Ferry. I remember the sliding side windows, rear sliding windows and most of all, the interior fluorescent lighting. The first buses that I ever rode on with fluorescent lights. Even General Motors didn’t have a model with this bright lighting until a new TDH5104 they built for the Fifth Avenue Coach Company in 1954.

[@pacificostudios]

With four axles, the FCD looks like it would be one of the most comfortable rail-bus ever made. Also, with a good suspension system, the FCD would be able to run faster than a normal passenger train, over poorly-maintained track.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Yes - and in my research, I found a comment or two from those who actually rode this railbus who said it had good ride quality. Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@pacificostudios]

McGinnis was one of the most interesting railroad executives ever.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

He certainly was! And I think he's responsible for the great McGinnis Paint scheme, LOL. Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@adriaanboogaard8571]

Fantastic program. I love all things old. Especially older than me. The Sperry track analysis units look very familiar. I've either seen one of them or something very similar. I'm around the railway in Salt Lake City and Ogden and work for a water utility in and around railway infrastructure frequently. I love Mack trucks and I'm not surprised about busses but hadn't heard of railway busses. Thanks for bringing it to light. I hope when Sperry is done with the last one they put it in good hands instead of a scrap yard.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Yes! When the Sperry railbus is retired, I also hope a museum obtains it! As it's 70 years old, it could be coming to the end of its operational life. Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@SirKenchalot]

I really enjoy your videos buddy; well researched and interesting. Good job!

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

I'm so happy you enjoy my videos!! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@GlennBrown-il3fx]

Excellent presentation

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Thank you Glenn! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@ThomRealEstate-k1y]

The Mack FCD was considered a PCC. They also built a few regular PCC cars. I remember riding them in Philadelphia and Pittsburg. I think that there were only about 25 or so built. When I rode them was in the early 1970s. Mechanically they were full PCCs where’s the FCDs weren’t.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Interesting comment about the PCC and the FCD! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@ThomRealEstate-k1y]

I’m adding to my comment about the Mack PCC cars . They were built in the 1940s postwar. The Philadelphia cars had GE equipment and the Pittsburg cars had Westinghouse equipment.,the FCDs were built later.

[@THR33STEP]

Well done! Super interesting!!

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@Stanf954]

I saw the Sperry Rail Car many times doing track inspections during my career with NYC Transit. It always seemed to be ahead of my train and causing delays in service.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Interesting to hear your experience with the Sperry rail car at NYCT! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@christopherprince3250]

Very interesting, I have never heard of them. Thanks for posting.👍

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

I'm really glad you liked the video!! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@jeffclark2725]

One of those Frankenstein bus train combonations, thumbs up, interesting video, Ya never kno if an idea will or will not work unless you try it

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

LOL, that's a good analogy! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@craigrymer9903]

Another excellent well informed video 👍👍👍

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@palomaaroca3512]

Qué bien que haya incluido el mack del ffcc del Langreo que está en el Museo del ffcc de Gijón Enhorabuena por el video.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

¡Me alegra mucho que te haya gustado el vídeo! ¡Gracias por mirar y por tu comentario!

[@00Zy99]

I've actually seen the Sperry one around a few times in my life. It seemed to spend a lot of time on SEPTA when I was younger. I spent years wondering what the heck it was, but I did eventually find out the basics. This gives me a little more depth, though.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Interesting to hear about the Sperry car on SEPTA! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@frankshimkets5000]

Very cool information and video‼️👍👍

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Very glad you liked it! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

The PCC streetcar trucks are themselves nearly high speed heavy passenger rail trucks. Adapted versions are used on subway cars, and the similar Budd Pioneer is used on subway cars and Amfleets.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Yes! The PCC trucks are used on other types of vehicles as well! Many PCC rapid transit cars have variants of them as you mention. Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@biker683]

Excellent!

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@crabbymilton390]

Never knew that about MACK. Their buses never really got over but they gave it a shot. Something like this would be good to take a railroad crew to a worksite.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Yes - too bad it was never really given a chance to prove itself, even if in a very specific capacity. Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@swanvictor887]

over in the UK, one of the most hated trains in service, is the unfortunate 'Pacer'....which began life in 1973 as a Leyland National Single-deck Bus! Slightly left-field but on the theme of blurring the lines, my home town of Swansea, Wales, was home to the world's First Passenger Rail Service - 'The Mumbles Railway' - which, in 1930, replaced its small steam engines with specially designed "Railcars" as the manufacturer described them. Designed by English Electric and Brush, they were double-decker tramcars that could hold over 200 people and were the longest tramcars ever built. They blurred the lines as to what exactly they were: they were larger than Tramcars, lighter than Steam Trains but ran on rails! They were rather gorgeous vehicles but alas, none survive. The railway was scrapped in 1960, all the tramcars scrapped. There is lots of footage on You Tube.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Oh yes, the Mumbles tramcars! I have books with pictures of them. Very large and impressive! Could be an idea for a future video! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@DetroitMicroSound]

What an interesting vehicle.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Yes it was! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@darylcheshire1618]

BR ran something similar called a Pacer, apparently they were not comfortable and have been replaced, they looked like a bus on rails. However it was explained that some branchlines survived because Pacers ran on them and kept the service going.

[@dglcomputers1498]

Yes, the original ones were essentially a Leyland National bus on a high speed freight chassis, used bus doors, a Leyland engine and an SCG automatic gear box. All were in the 14X class, 140 (prototype) 141, 142, 143, 144. The later 144's built by Alexander has less in common with buses but still used bus construction techniques. Later they got better Cummins engines and Voith hydraulic transmissions, plus better doors. They were in service way longer than they were designed to as there was never the money to replace them. Also the fact that they did not have bogies meant they were either unsuitable for some lines or had some speed restrictions on some curves. In the end political reasons were the reason for their demise and have been replaced either by cascades from other areas or new build stock from CAF.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Thank you for the additional and interesting info on the UK railbuses!! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Interesting to hear that the Pacers kept alive some of the branch lines! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@Trainfan1055Janathan]

This reminds me of the Pacer trains in the UK.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Yes...it is a similar concept as the pacer...but with four axles...LOL. Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@linolnman5900]

Wow, I thought I was up on my Mack's but was unfamiliar with this one - really interesting. I assume the powerplant was a Mack END 672 diesel, also used in the C-series buses. Just a possible suggestion for a future post - the Mack MV 620 D - quite the interesting bus..

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Thanks for your comment and suggestion.

[@petermalanchuk8210]

Hi, JeffreyOrnstein, I enjoyed your video. On the LIRR, in the twilight of Fairbanks-Morse (aka F-M) C-Liners, I saw one New Haven F-M CPA24-5 or CPA20-5 idling on the eastbound track at the Mineola RR Station around 1963, it had the McGuiness paint scheme. The CPA24-5 (12 cyl. in-line, and 2,400 hp) and CPA20-5 (10 cyl. in-line, and 2,000 hp), externally, were nearly identical and used the same F-M Consolidated cab locomotive car body, both F-M "C-Liner" model cab units were used on the LIRR. All of the F-M units used the FM 38D-8 opposed-piston engine design. The other model F-M unit on the LIRR was the F-M model H16-44 high hood road switcher/passenger, essentially a multipurpose locomotive. The H16-44 had an in-line 8 cyl., opposed piston engine with 1,600 hp (all with 200 hp/cylinder).

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Thank you for your very interesting comment, Peter! Maybe these locomotives are a good idea for a future video. Need to research it. Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@Akabei01]

Something similar called "Schienenbus" (rail bus) was a common sight in rural Germany in the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

I really like the german railbuses. I had Marklin models of them. Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@AndreiTupolev]

Must have been one of the first railbuses, a concept which was very popular in Germany, and also in the UK (though not so much with passengers 🤔)

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Yes...it's odd that one of the first railbuses was in the US, but was not really used here, and became more popular in Europe. Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@jeffaulik3980]

Those "doodlebugs" were used on a couple of interurban lines years ago here in northern IL.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Oh yes - the big doodlebugs were quite common in the midwest. Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@rexracernj7696]

Unique idea, but the Budd RDC (introduced at same time) did this task far better, obviously sold better too.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@sardu55]

I wonder who does repairs on the last car running QC in NYC. Not many of those mechanics around today.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

I think it may be maintained soley by Sperry, the owner. I believe the NYCTA contracts out to Sperry for track analysis. Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@lesliedrysdale2434]

NI Railways ran rail buses in the 70s and 80s based on the Leyland National bus an example still exists in the Folk and and Transport Museum in Holywood Co Down

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Interesting to know about the one in NI! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@peterkneissl3358]

Interesting. Perhaps you could. Do a report on the high rail gmc fishbowl the lirr tested

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Thanks for the suggestion - will look into it. Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@johnchambers8528]

Red Arrow transit also experimented with using a GM fishbowl type bus on rails on the Norristown line but found it impractical to use. They envisioned a vehicle that could run on rail and then go off rail to go to other destinations. Since their rail equipment was getting older they also hoped this type vehicle could replace the rail cars at a lower cost than new rail cars.

[@phillb1222]

Why isn't there one of these for the old railroad across Cape Cod. Simple transportation for those near by the tracks!

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Good question! I guess we'll never know! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@tonymento7460]

I have pictures of the New Haven Mack rail car on a flat car at the New Haven shops in Readsville there is a book on them too there’s a book on Mack buses and it shows the Mack Rail cars too

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Must be interesting photos! Would have been good for the video! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@andreww2098]

a pacer built by someone who isn't an idiot

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

LOL, I think you are right!! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@TatraT2681]

Clark B-3 trucks? The B-3 truck was a product of St. Louis Car Co., definitely not of Clark Equipment.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Yes, I am aware of that...if you look at the video where I mentioned it, I made a correction at the bottom of the screen stating it's actually St. Louis B-3 trucks. Sorry about that.

[@etmccaus]

What the heck did Remington Arms use a Mack Railbus for?

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

LOL! I actually researched this question, and apparently, the railbus was used to carry gun powder from its sheds to the main factory 6 miles away. It was a rail line with one grade crossing and required a flagman for safety reasons. Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@RocketTrain-0]

Could railbuses be classified as light metros or light rail?

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Hello! Maybe as light rail....but as a light metro...I don't think it would be practical underground due to its engine!! Maybe if it had a dual-mode electrical 3rd rail power equipment.... Thanks very much for watching!

[@RocketTrain-0]

@ I’d consider it to be light metro because tram-trains do exist and they’re classified as light rail. Same for electric trolleys.

[@AC34D]

If SEPTA had used these instead of the Leylands they probably would’ve had better results. Those Leylands failed as rail vehicles over in the UK for various reasons especially cause they weren’t comfortable.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Yes, maybe these would have worked better for SEPTA. But...we'll never know, unfortunately. Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@EpicThe112]

Isn't this the United States equivalent to the United Kingdom Pacer which Philadelphia got rid of in the 1980s United Kingdom Northern Rail Tfw Wales 2021. From what I can see Mack Trucks might have actually sold the blueprints to Leyland in the United Kingdom in order to make the Pacer without this the British wouldn't have an idea on how to put a bus chassis onto a train. Had the United States kept going with this concept we would have ended up a modernized version running all the way to now although in the 1980s it would have ended up using imported Leyland National or a homegrown RTS

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Yes - interesting comment and possibility! It does seem similar to the LEV-2, which was imported to the US, but failed miserably. I made a video about that not too long ago. I don't know if Mack sold the blueprints to Leyland....but who knows....anything is possible. An RTS railbus? Would have been awesome!!

[@christopherisherwood4967]

No US input into the LEV. The chassis - four-wheeled - was developed from the British Rail high-speed freight vehicle chassis, and the body used panels from the standard British Leyland buses.

[@TozziWelding]

Not a doodlebug, a motor

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@nicolek4076]

This sounds a bit the British Rail Pacer - a dreadful fusion of a bus and railway wheels (not even a bogie). It rattled and swayed and was kept in service far beyond its sell-by date.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Oh yes, the Pacer! Many comparisons to it! LOL, I like the sell-by date analogy! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@WesternOhioInterurbanHistory]

Aw hell nah they made the gas powered pcc

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Yes, it does seem so! Thank you for watching and for your comment!

[@AlbertBenajam-ww1db]

A thought is they were never "really" but into New Haven service, just BECAUSE OF NEW MANAGEMENT OPPOSITION, not because of deficiences. The fact a Spanish RR used for years not to mention Sperry test use, shows they were a functionable desin. (As opposed to 'kludge' or failed concept.) From looking at photos, I SUSPECT alot of PCC was in it, not just the "trucks" (RR term for wheelsets) Making i 9:45 t a true rail vehicle, not just a bus on rails. MACK leaving rail businessack sence as a service runnable by a bus sized vehicle or 2or3 such better served by road bus. As a side thought, if streetcars had remained widely used, larger systems might bouhht a few to "cover" libes with tenborary proples. (One thing done (apart from bus substituon) wss to tow cars through 'dead' overhead line sections.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Yes - you make a lot of valid points here. McGinnis didn't really give the railbuses a chance. And it may officially be considered a PCC streetcar, if it used more patents than just the trucks. A diesel powered PCC would have been a good idea, indeed!! Thank you for watching and for your comment!