January 7, 2024 - TRA Newswire - 

The one remaining rail diesel car (RDC) that Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) held on to for years has found a new home at the Museum of the American Railroad in Frisco, Texas.

According to the museum, RDC #2001 was rolled to a stop on museum trackage by BNSF Railway, making it's last journey from Irving where it was being stored at the Trinity Railway Express yard and shops. Starting in 1997 it was one of 13 RDC's assigned to DART's brand new Trinity Railway Express and carried tens of thousands of passengers between Dallas and Irving, then further to Fort Worth in the early days of the agency. 

"Our thanks to BNSF Railway and their crews for transporting the RDC safely from Irving to Frisco at greatly reduced cost," according to a museum post. "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."

#2001 had a history dating back to 1957 when it was built by the Budd Company in Philadelphia, with final assembly taking place at Canadian Car and Foundry Company of Montreal. The RDC was originally purchased by Canadian Pacific Railway and assigned number 9070. RDCs served as a "Dayliner" between Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto as well as in Canadian western provinces.

In 1978 the car was sold to Canada's nationalized passenger rail company, VIA Rail, and was renumbered #6131.  It continued in service until 1993 when it, along with 12 other RDCs were sold to DART. The cars were remanufactured in 1995 with new drive trains, wiring, air conditioning and interiors at a cost per unit of $1.8 million.

DART' ran the self-propelled cars either in single service or with two or three together for 14 years before a short retirement in 2011. The cars were then pressed into service for a brief period between Denton and Carrollton on the Denton County Transportation Authorities' "A Train" until new diesel locomotives and cars arrived.  

The RDCs ushered in a brand new era of rail commuter service on the Trinity Railway Express that caught on rapidly. Partnering with Trinity Metro, the RDCs were a quick and economical way to get the regional passenger rail line operational. They were eventually replaced by conventional locomotive-hauled high capacity bi-level coaches that operated in push-pull mode. The locomotives faced west pulling the coaches from Dallas Union Station toward Fort Worth and returned to Dallas by pushing the coaches from the rear of the cars, with the engineer operated the locomotive remotely from the front of a coach. 

According to the Museum of the American Railroad "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".

The balance of the DART RDCs were sold to and moved to Vermont where it was thought that regional service could be developed. All Earth Rail has yet to put the RDCs into revenue service.