CN RDC? Huh? What is it, really, guys?

[C855B]

I setup the railcam a few days ago to grab a frame every 10 seconds and upload to a server. So a couple of times a day I scan through the clips to count traffic and see if anything interesting passed by. Here's today's really interesting grab:



Looks all the world like an RDC... maybe it was at one time... but what the heck is it? I'm guessing a self-propelled geometry car. Certainly was a shocker to see it, though.

[nkalanaga]

Transport for MOW crews to remote locations?  Leave the MOW equipment there, and haul the crews home for weekends, then back again?

[GaryHinshaw]

Almost certainly a track geometry car:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1473221
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2415168

[nkalanaga]

I'd say that nails it.  Definitely the same cars.

[C855B]

Thanks, Gary. Yup. That's it. From the close-ups I was better able to spot the logos, satellite dome and window blanking in the frame grab. They must have been scooting down the track at a really good clip - 40-50 mph - since it was in only that one frame.

Other geometry cars are immediately obvious as to what they are - NS's and UP's, for instance - and don't move about the RRs by themselves. Don't know the story behind NS's (is it self-powered, or not?), but a few years ago UP had a big row between the engineering and operating departments, and now can't move theirs without a train and full crew.