Aristo has recently released their version of a rail bus. The rail bus evolved to fill a need on narrow gauge, shortline and branchline railroads. As passenger traffic dropped off due to competition from automobiles and highway busses, the railroads could no longer afford to run a regular steam engine which pulled maybe one coach. To reduce costs an old wooden coach was often cut up and grafted to an large automobile or truck frame. The original gasoline engine and manual transmission were sufficient to haul the rail bus, and on some lines, maybe an additional coach if the grades were mild. The rail busses kept these struggling railroads in business for a few extra years, but eventually most of these roads folded anyway.
The model represents a wooden coach body grafted to a Mac Bulldog truck frame but without the Mac chain drive.
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