Self-powered car
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Self-powered cars generally refer to rail vehicles that are not exclusively locomotives and can operate under their own power without the use of external power sources . An example is the "RDC" (Rail Diesel Car). These commuter cars had their own diesel plant and could operate over any trackage in general. Used mainly in branch service, they were built by the Budd Company of Philadelphia and were configured in a variety of designs, such as passenger and passenger/baggage. A later incarnation of the RDC, called the SPV 2000, also built by Budd, did not generate enough interest with the commuter agencies, and was short-lived. Metro-North ConnDOT still have at least one unit on their premises, but is not used in revenue service anymore. Other forms of Self-powered vehicles were known as "Doodlebugs" and the "Galloping Goose."
Railbuses are also forms of self-powered vehicles, and are mainly used in Germany and England.
