Circus Train

[MP173]

The Ringley and Barnam Circus train just passed thru Valparaiso, In. on the NS's former NKP line (Chicago - Ft. Wayne). Their next performance is Wednsday in Columbus, Oh. I dont know their routing, but probably to Bellevue and then down to Columbus.

It was an impressive site with about 40 passenger cars and then quite a few flats with containers, trucks, busses, etc.

It was good to see a passenger movement on the old NKP again, the last time I saw one was back in 1979.

ed

[railman]

I guess the circus train is quite the epic to get together; I remember reading about it in a Trains a few months back.

[venardos]

Hi Ed and Ron,

The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Blue Unit Circus Train is 58 cars long when fully assembled, weighs 4200 tons, and stretches 5139 feet. None of these stats include the engines.
There are usually 4 stock cars at the head of the train (the ride is smoothest there) where animals large (elephants) and small (alpacas, goats) travel.
42 cars are coaches where 300 Circus personnel live.
The rest are flats where all of the Circus equipment, from lighting and sound grids to souvenirs are stored and transported. And a car carrier for Circus vehicles---and the Circus Bus.
Assembling the train can start as early as midnight, four to six hours or so after the last performance in a town. That assembly process can take from three to four hours---or more, depending on whether the stocks, flats and coaches have been stored close to each other or are miles apart.
The train is usually scheduled to depart around five or six AM. But that can easily slip a couple of hours.
The Circus Train has a maximum speed of sixty miles an hour. It has no minimum speed.
The best part of riding the train is seeing the country up close...and watching the almost-always-positive reaction from people as it passes.
The Blue Unit train will leave Columbus, Ohio, sometime around dawn on Monday and head to Florida for a month's down time. At least one of the cars is due to be replaced. Other cars will get some needed maintainence.

Lane

PS: I wrote the Trains piece. Thanks to Mark Hemphill for running it.

[MP173]

Lane:

Thanks for replying. I could have sworn the train I saw Monday had more than 16 flat cars, but in my excitement I was probably mistaken.

It was a great site. It brought back memories of taking my son, wife, and mom to see the circus in Chicago about 15 years ago.

I really enjoyed the article in Trains. Were you on the train I saw?

ed

[venardos]

Ed,

Sorry to say I was not on the train during the run from Chicago to Columbus. I was in Chicago for a couple of weeks in November (the Circus is in the Chicago area for a month; the train doesn't move for that entire time).
Thanks again!

Lane