Nevada Northern Railway Musuem Welcomes Historic Doodlebug Railcar

ELY, NEVADA – On February 12, 2025, the Nevada Northern Railway Museum received a special early Valentine’s Day delivery—a 1930 Brill Model 55 Self-Propelled Railcar, affectionately known as a “Doodlebug.” Built by the J.G. Brill Company and refurbished in 2019, the railcar has a passenger capacity of 40, making it an ideal choice for days with lighter ridership.

The museum has been searching for a Doodlebug for over 20 years for the same reason railroads originally acquired them in the 1920s and 1930s: to provide an economical means of serving branch lines with light traffic. These self-propelled, gasoline-powered railcars played a crucial role in connecting smaller communities when rail travel was the dominant form of transportation.

In the 1930s, the Nevada Northern Railway considered acquiring a Doodlebug to replace passenger trains and reduce operational costs. However, union opposition to reducing crew sizes prevented the purchase, leading to the discontinuation of passenger service on August 31, 1941.

Nearly a century later, the Nevada Northern Railway Museum faces a similar challenge: balancing costs while maintaining service. The issue that the museum has is very similar to what railroads were facing then, our midweek passenger trains light ridership. Unlike the Railroad’s management back then, cancelling our mid-week passenger trains is not an option. Our visitation plummets when a train is not on the schedule. Tourists come here to ride a train, purchasing the Doodlebug provides the perfect solution, allowing the museum to continue offering midweek rides at a fraction of the operating cost.

Currently, the museum’s diesel excursion trains require a five-person crew per trip, and the diesel locomotives burn an average of 25 gallons of fuel per hour. With a typical 3.5-hour excursion consuming about 87.5 gallons of fuel, costs quickly add up—approximately $350 per trip.

In contrast, the Doodlebug is powered by a Chevy 396-cubic inch big-block V8 engine with a Turbo 400 transmission. It is estimated to achieve 10 miles per gallon. A round trip on the Keystone or HiLine routes is 14 miles, and if the track to McGill is reopened, the round trip would be 26 miles. This means that a McGill trip would require just 2.6 gallons of fuel—costing about $10 per trip, a remarkable savings of $323 per trip. Additionally, using the Doodlebug reduces the crew requirement by three positions, further cutting costs.

Historical Background

Built in August 1930 by the J.G. Brill Company (Shop Order #22880), the railcar was originally owned by the Sperry Rail Service and numbered 116 (later renumbered 121). It was used for track inspection across the country before being acquired by Remington Arms Co. in the 1940s, where it served as a switcher moving railcars within the plant.

The car was retired in the late 1960s and passed through private ownership. In the mid-1980s, the plan was converted into a Brill Model 55 passenger car for the Valley Railroad in Essex, Connecticut. Although the plans for the Valley Railroad never materialized, the car was restored in 2003 by Steve Tearrico’s Edwards Rail Car Company.

Following restoration, the railcar was leased to the Mount Dora & Lake Eustis Railroad in 2004 before being transferred to the Black River and Western in Ringoes, New Jersey. It later operated on the Arizona Eastern Railway and, most recently, the Colebrookdale Railroad in Pennsylvania, where it was recently refurbished.

Originally powered by a 92-horsepower Continental six-cylinder gasoline engine, the Doodlebug was later refitted with a Chevy 396 V-8 and a Turbo 400 transmission from a Camaro. This powertrain drives the original 1930 Brill power truck, blending vintage engineering with modern reliability. A humorous comment on the museum’s Facebook page noted, “I find it amusing that someone swapped what is essentially a Corvette drivetrain into a Doodlebug. Talk about high-speed rail!”