Now Free to Download: The Budd RDC in Canada (1967) by Raymond F. Corley

I am pleased to make available a free download of a genuine piece of Canadian railway history: The Budd Rail Car Company in Canada, written by Raymond F. Corley and published in 1967 by the Upper Canada Railway Society (UCRS).

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About the Booklet

This slim but information-packed booklet is one of only a handful of standalone soft-cover publications the UCRS produced outside its regular Newsletter series. Corley's work documents the story of the Budd Rail Diesel Car — better known as the RDC or "Dayliner" — and its adoption and operation across Canada's railways. Published in 1967 at the height of the transition era, it captures a moment when diesel self-propelled rail cars were reshaping passenger service on branch lines and short-distance runs from coast to coast.

For railway historians, the booklet is a snapshot of an era: the streamlined stainless-steel cars that Budd built were a bold attempt to make rail travel efficient and economical on lightly-used routes. In Canada, the RDC found homes on CPR, CNR, BC Rail, and several other carriers.

RDC Budd car Paul Langan collection

The Cars That Refused to Quit

What makes this booklet particularly relevant today is that Budd RDCs are still running in Ontario. VIA Rail runs them on the Sudbury-White River line. They are aging so if you wish to ride the Budd Cars you should check with VIA and see if they are operational and book a trip. Here is VIA Rail website LINK. 

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About the Upper Canada Railway Society

The UCRS was founded in 1941 and for decades was one of the most active railway enthusiast and historical organizations in Canada. Beginning in 1945, it published a sequentially-numbered Newsletter that chronicled Canadian railway operations, equipment rosters, abandonments, and transit news in meticulous detail. The Society also produced a series of numbered Bulletins on focused subjects — particularly traction and transit — and a small number of standalone booklets by its members. The Budd RDC in Canada is one of those booklets, sitting alongside other UCRS publications such as The Toronto, Grey & Bruce Railway (1963) and Locomotives from London (1968).

The Newsletter ran — under various name changes — until 1998, leaving behind an extraordinary archive of Canadian railway history.

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Download It Free

We believe historical railway literature should be accessible to everyone.  Go to our FREE BOOKS page to download a copy of The Budd RDC in Canada by Raymond F. Corley (UCRS, 1967).

If you're interested in exploring more UCRS publications, a comprehensive archive of Newsletters and Bulletins is maintained at Railway Pages.