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.

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

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!

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

Great story. Thanks for downloading.

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

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.

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

McGinnis was one of the most interesting railroad executives ever.

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. 😀

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Another excellent well informed video 👍👍👍

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

Excellent!

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.

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.

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

Well done! Super interesting!!

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.

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.

Excellent presentation

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

Very cool information and video‼️👍👍

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

What an interesting vehicle.

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

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.

This reminds me of the Pacer trains in the UK.

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..

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.

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

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 🤔)

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).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

a pacer built by someone who isn't an idiot

Aw hell nah they made the gas powered pcc

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.

Not a doodlebug, a motor

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

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.