LENOX, Mass. — The three remaining cars of the Roger Williams, the all-RDC passenger train built for the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad in 1957, are among five Budd Rail Diesel Cars the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum is leasing from the Budd RDC Foundation.
Also included in the agreement announced Friday is an RDC-1 built for the New Haven as No. 41 in 1953, sister to car No. 42 in the Berkshire Scenic collection; and RDC-2 No. 1960, built for the Baltimore & Ohio in 1956 and operated as part of the Daylight Speedliner between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. That car is unique for its modification to include a galley and six tables. It is one of two cars built for that service; the other is at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore.
“This is a significant addition to the museum’s collection,” said Berkshire Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum President Tom Delasco, “and we thank Mr. [Jim] Gagliardi and the Budd RDC Foundation for having the confidence in our abilities to continue the preservation, restoration and operation of these unique pieces.”
Gagliardi, president of the RDC Foundation, said, “After several years of discussions with the folks at Berkshire Scenic, and observing their successes at restoring and operating their own RDC, I felt that the time was finally right to grant them stewardship of the fleet.”
The equipment had previously been stored at the Hobo Railroad in New Hampshire. It will be split between the two Berkshire Scenic operations, with RDCs Nos. 41 and 1960 to be operated on the Hoosac Valley Service based in Adams, Mass., and the Roger Williams equipment to be displayed at the Lenox Station Museum in Lenox, Mass. More information on the two locations is available at the Berkshire Scenic website.
The Roger Williams was a six-car train of RDC equipment that saw the two end cars equipped with locomotive-style noses and full operating controls, while the four intermediate cars did not have cabs or controls. Initially operated between Boston and New York, it was also equipped for third-rail operation into Grand Central Terminal.
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