I have a couple of MTH gas electric shells I picked up in shows, and would like opinions as to what prototype these most closely resembled? I have RMT chasses l can mount them on, but want close models of one time existing doodlebugs .
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In real life, doodlebugs were definitely different on different railroads, and even different at various times on the same railroad. But -- from a distance, or when getting a quick look -- they looked pretty much alike.
Most doodlebugs were sold by Electro-Motoive Corporation with car bodies built by St. Louis Car or Pullman.
My suggestion is to Google "Gas Electric Doodlebug Images" and see what you think is closest to your car body.
Tom sums it up well. Gas electric motor cars are a pretty diverse lot when it comes to configuration and detailing. I believe the MTH Railking tooling is an attempt to capture the essence of the early EMC gas electrics. The prototype I believe it is based on was 80' in length. ATSF & CB&Q were a few roads that operated ones similar to the MTH tooling. Many got rebuilt to be fueled by diesel due to issues with flammability of the gasoline and many received lots of changes over the years.
Note: I first suggested Googling "Doodlebug Images, "however, after trying it myself and seeing nothing but sow bugs, I revised the suggestion to use "Gas Electric Doodlebug Images." That one will get you doodlebug photos.
Might also try Gas Electric Motor Cars.
I have a great great uncle who ran those between Topeka, Marysville and Grand Island on the UP.
The MTH Railking doodlebugs represent EMC/St. Louis Car doodlebugs. For the Early doodlebugs, you had EMC/St. Louis Car/Pullman and Brill for the big players.
I don't want to lead this off-topic -- which is, seeking information about a prototype for the MTH gas-electric doodlebug shell.
But -- briefly -- there is a really good book called Doodlebugs, by John McCall, who is just old enough to have ridden some of the numerous Santa Fe doodlebugs in their last decade. Also his father was a Santa Fe Mechanical Department official who had experience with doodlebugs. The book is well illustrated and has lots of technical information, and I think the first hand accounts of doodlebug life on the great plains are wonderful! How else would we ever know about how doodlebugs belched fire when being cranked up for the day, and how the Engineer sat right next to the generator and the engine, and had to manually excite the generator with a lever, as well as operating the radiator shutters, and other things we might never have thought of. The book is out of print, but not rare, and some libraries have copies. I think one is on eBay right now.
Now . . . back to identifying the prototype for the MTH model . . .
