Pub 30
Speakeasy on the Rails
Relaxed Atmosphere | Rich History
All Aboard for History
Unveiling the Grand Bell's Rare RDC-3!
The Newport & Narragansett Bay Railroad car #BC-30 was built in 1956 by the Budd Company for the Pacific Great Eastern Railroad as Rail Diesel Car #6508. These self-propelled cars became popular as they could move under their power without needing a locomotive, saving costs and service on many branch lines and underutilized passenger routes. The BC-30 was one of only several cars built as an RDC-3, including its own Railway Post Office with baggage area and passenger seating.
The #6508 changed ownership in 1972 to the BC Rail Company, where it was renumbered to BC-30 and continued to serve rural Canadian communities with mail and passenger service.
In 2002
In 2002, after decades of service in British Columbia, the car was sold to a tourist railroad in New Hampshire, where it spent a short time before coming to Aquidneck Island in 2006, along with another unit, #BC-15. Both cars have remained on the island and have been used in limited operation while receiving necessary mechanical work. BC-30 is one of the last surviving examples of a combination of railway post office and baggage RDC-3.
