but where would it park? Been reading the John Armstrong track planning book, learning alot about spurs and train ops…but where would a circus train park so that it wouldn`t be in the way?(in real life) Rent a spur for a week? In a yard only?
I got all the Bachmann circus trains and it got me to wondering…just over 7ft long right now…
One thing to remember is that they’ve been moving the circus by train well over a hundred years so they pretty much have a feel for what they are doing.
In many towns, once the train has been unloaded the cars are moved to a track that is hopefully not too distant from the venue. I recall in the 1980’s the performance was at the Richfield Coluseum in a pretty rural area between Cleveland, and Akron, Ohio. The train couldn’t stay anywhere near the venue and was spotted on a B&O siding in Akron, some ten miles away.
Ringling Brothers carries vans and buses to ferry performers and staff from the venue to the parked train.
http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2017/01/20-ringling-insider
All the contracts are written up months in advance. A TN or Transportation Notice is generated specifying every move and the times it will happen. The Trainmaster makes sure the cars are spotted and the loading/unloading are done in a timely fashion.
Sometimes the train has to be split into segments but the performer’s cars have to have vehicle access since it is their living quarters during the show.
http://www.trainweb.org/carl/CircusTrains/CircusTrainFacts.htm
I caught the “old” cars, including the 1948 20th Century Limited observation car, in the former PRR coach yard near the Cleveland ship docks. The weeds will tell you, these tracks were seldom used. This was around 1970.
Good Luck with your Circus Train!
Ed
Too cool! I’ve always loved those round-end obs. Even daydreamed about what it might be like to be a “Nabob” and have one as a private car (Sigh)…
Deano
Years ago, poking around industrial areas of Baltimore, I happened on the arrival of the circus train. Those pics are in one of 3 fairly large boxes.
I believe it was one of the yards visible in this picture. (the upper right one is my best guess) Parts of the area have since been gentrified and perhaps I saw the elephants come out of the rail cars on tracks that no longer exist.
The elephants were paraded to what is now called the Royal Farms Arena, with the lions and tigers in carts.
Here is the Ringing Brothers 2017 schedule and train routing
http://cprailmmsub.blogspot.com/2014/03/wye-not-or-you-wont-believe-your-wyes.html
Their last performance was May 12-23, 2017 in Uniondale NY.
I think this car:
might be my choice for a private car.
Ed