MTH Doodlebug PS1

I can't compare it to the PCC trolley, but I put a BCR in my PS1 doodlebug without any problems.

Same here-have 2-now both with BCRs and work great

Popping the top is easy, 6 screws,  2 in each corner and 2 in the center. You would have to play "Barber of Seville " to add passengers,  the electronics take up almost all of the seating area. Chopping the passengers lengthwise at one shoulder will get them thin enough to place on the seats.

Yep, you get two sets of passengers for one with the Doodlebug, I sliced them right down the middle and put half on each side.

Very much appreciate the heads-up on adding passengers.  Does the entire shell easily come off as one or or just the roof? 

My MTH Doodlebug requires no battery and only provides the horn sound. Before purchasing, make sure the version you want has the sound board to produce the bell and other sounds.  The shell is easy to take off. I know this when I spent several days replacing all my MTH engine batteries with BCRs.  I spent a lot of time looking for the battery inside the Doodlebug until I realized it never was designed for one.

My Proto 1 Doodlebug has no battery,  has horn  and gas engine sounds. The whole shell separates from the chassis.

Just a thought...I run my Milwaukee (repainted from Santa Fe) doodlebug with two 15 heavyweight passenger cars and make a train. Don

@scale rail posted:

Just a thought...I run my Milwaukee (repainted from Santa Fe) doodlebug with two 15 heavyweight passenger cars and make a train. Don

Spectacular scenery !!!!  Great job.

Thanks for all the responses.  Glad to hear the entire shell comes off easily.  Looking forward to getting a Doodlebug and running it on the Beaches Museum's FEC layout.  It's going to be updated to reflect the Florida East Coast Railway as they purchased one in 1915 from Westinghouse/General Electric.  This gasoline/electric car provided service from Jacksonville on the Mayport Branch of the FEC.  Records indicate the FEC sold this rare bird in 1920 to the Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern.   

Have overhauled several, take the cab off and replace the white battery with a regular nine volt battery, put it on the track, turn the voltage up to about ten volts for several minutes, press the direction button and if everthing work ok, take the trucks off with the single screw in the bottom clean and grease the gears, replace the battery with a BCR type battery and away you go. Have an extra doddlebug that is overhauled, $125 plus shipping.

My PS-1 Doodlebug had a battery, it's buried in there though.  Be careful putting it back together, easy to pinch wires.

Interested in purchasing your extra B & O doodlebug.  Is it ready to run and how much to ship? 

Do you know MTH made dummy doodlebugs?  don

There is the trailing Doodlebug passenger car that is not powered. It looks identical to the powered version except it doesn't have the baggage section.