Videos, Photos, and Text, except where noted, by Carl Morrison. Comments welcomed at: Carl@TrainWeb.com
This Locomotive is the opening of Ringling.com,
but the power to relocate the circus train is
locomotives from the host railroad, in Anaheim's case Union
Pacific. The locomotive in the photo above actually does not
exist,
but is an artist rendition. Ringling may own switch engines at
their Florida rail yard where cars are rebuilt for the circus train,
but I have not seen the color scheme or style of any of these
locomotives.
My favorite car on the train is the Pie Car, the Diner for the residents, and social center during a move to a new city.
"China,
Cuba, Paraguay, and Russia are just a few steps apart...on the Circus
Train," said Joe Colossa, Blue Unit Train Master, as he listed which
car numbers housed the performing groups from these countries.
To
identify the Blue Unit train (a completely different show from the red
unit) look for the "Blue Globe" on each of the cars or pieces of
equipment, not the color of the lettering. To identify the unit
while watching the circus, notice the globes on the foreheads of the
elephants, they are blue for the blue unit and red for the red
unit. This color identification runs further, but less
noticeable, such as in the color of the shirts worn by escorts as
they hold the rope between the animals and spectators during the animal
walk. Also, this year I noticed that the trucks on the flat cars
were blue. However, there was one red pickup truck and I presume
there was a need to take that piece of red unit equipment onto the blue
unit train.
In talking to Trainmasters of the Circus Train, they explain that there
is a friendly competition between the Red and Blue Units and each is
proud of any advantage one has over the other such as which unit is
featured in a major TV production. This year Train Master, Joe,
proudly stated that the Red Unit was 2 cars shorter than his Blue
Unit. Incidentally, the 61 cars of the Blue Unit make it one car
too long to travel the coastal route through California because of the
length of the sidings, so being proud for one fact may make for
disadvantages in their railroad routes. This explains why the
Blue Unit this year traverses the Tehachapi Loop four or more times
during its California portion of the 2012 tour.
Underway
between
Bakersfield and Cajon Pass, California
The complete Tehachapi Loop with the Blue Unit Circus Train's 61 cars crossing over the entry tunnel of the loop.
Video
of the RBBB Blue Unit entering, traversing, and leaving the Tehachapi
Loop. 4:02 minutes
Description: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Blue Unit
Circus Train traversing through Tehachapi Loop, July 9, 2012.
Moving from Fresno to LA via Bakersfield and Cajon Pass. Person
in video is Chris Guenzler. Videographer is Carl Morrison,
Carl@TrainWeb.com
First, On far right see the train crossing a bridge, heading for the
loop.
Second, The Train coming through the tunnel into the loop
Third, The 3 Locomotives pulling the train around the loop and crossing
over itself over the entry tunnel.
(It was breezy, so you may want to turn down the volume to eliminate
the wind noise.)
Video
of the RBBB Blue Unit leaving the Tehachapi Loop and heading east
toward Mojave, CA. 4:27 minutes.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey
Blue Unit Circus Train leaving Tehachapi Loop, July 9, 2012.
Moving from Fresno to LA via Bakersfield and Cajon Pass.
Videographer is Carl Morrison, Carl@TrainWeb.com
Video of the RBBB Blue Unit traveling
through Mojave Junction, Mojave, California, on a trip from Fresno to
Los Angeles. See details in the description of the video under
the video when it is running. 4:53 minutes
Slow moving Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Blue Unit Circus Train
heading south at Mojave Junction, Mojave, California. You will be
able to spot the different cars in this order: Locomotives, 4
stocks (elephants, horses, etc. no cats they travel in trucks), 36
coaches (rooms for over 300 performers and staff), 2 COFC (Container On
FlatCar), 19 flats (formerly auto haulers) with circus wagons and
tractors to pull them to the arena. Usually 6 or 7 circus wagons
per tractor/mule. Buses for transporting performers and staff to
the arena from the parked coaches. Equipment repair trucks - Blue
for the Blue Unit. Videographer is Carl Morrison,
Carl@TrainWeb.com
The consist of the 2012 Ringling Bros.
and Barnum & Bailey Blue Unit Circus Train. The Blue Unit
Circus Train has 61 cars consisting of 4 stocks, 36 coaches, 2 COFC,
and 19 flats. Total axles, not counting the locomotives, is
260. The total length of the Blue Unit Circus Train, without
locomotives, is 5,409 Feet, 129 ft. longer than a mile.The 4 stocks
house nine Asian elephants and an array of 6 to 10 majestic show
horses plus two miniature ponies.
Thanks to fellow TrainWeb.com Field Reporter, Chris Guenzler, for the following list and the work he did researching
each car. My notes are added in blue.
Ringling
Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Blue Unit Train Consistfor the July 9 run from Fresno to Los Angeles:
UP 4426 UP 8542 UP 6959 1 RBBX 60017 Stock 4 UP 6304
Baggage/Messenger --Stock No. 1 is the only animal car of the four without handler accommodations. 2 RBBX 60010 Stock 3 UP 6318
Baggage/Messenger 3 RBBX 60006 Stock 2 UP 6312
Baggage/Messenger 4 RBBX 63009 Stock 1 UP 5762
Postal/Storage 5 RBBX 60001 Shop Circus Train Crew UP
5749 6 RBBX 40016 Coach 178 UP 5433 7 RBBX 41301 Coach 168 PRR 8242
Anderson Inn --One of two Chinese Cars 8 RBBX 42103 Coach 169 GN 1230 --The Russian Car 9 RBBX 41305 Coach PRR 8263 Jeanette
Inn 10 RBBX 41405 Coach 170 SAL 55
Cedartown 11 RBBX 40011 Coach 180 UP Alpine Pass 12 RBBX 42015 Coach 179 UP 5432 --The Carin which I traveled from San Diego to Bakersfield 8/27/12. This car has 6 compartments. 13 RBBX 42016 Coach 178 UP 55433 14 RBBX 43003 Coach 177 UP 5507 15 RBBX 42010 Coach 183 1/2 N&W
Pulaski County 16 RBBX 41309 Coach 175 N&W Duke
University 17 RBBX 41308 Coach 174 PRR 8268 Lima
View 18 RBBX 43009 Coach 173 UP 5418 19 RBBX 40006 Coach 172 UP 5459 20 RBBX 43007 Coach 171 UP 5540 21 RBBX 63010 Pie Car 181 UP 5770
{Postal/Storage} --The Pie Car 22 RBBX 63007 Generator 182 UP
5761{Postal/Storage} 23 RBBX 42001 Coach 183 UP 5401 24 RBBX 41304 Coach 184 PRR 8257
Elmara Inn --The Paraguay (Torres) Car 25 RBBX 41317 Coach 185 PRR 8288
Uniontown Inn 26 RBBX 41307 Coach 186 PRR 8267
Lewistown Inn 27 RBBX 40010 Coach 187 UP Alpine Camp 28 RBBX 41316 Coach 188 PRR 8260
Greensburg Inn 29 RBBX 42013 Coach 189 UP 5425 --The Clown Car 30 RBBX 41404 Coach 190 SAL 52
Pinehurst --The Band Car 31 RBBX 41312 Coach 191 UP 5513 32 RBBX 43012 Coach 192 UP 5541 --The Train Crew Car 33 RBBX 40013 Coach193 UP American
General 34 RBBX 41402 Coach 194 B&O 7103
Kingfisher 35 RBBX 42011 Coach 195 UP 5421 --The Dancer's Car 36 RBBX 42006 Coach 196 UP 5410 37 RBBX 42009 Coach 197 UP 5418 38 RBBX 42005 Coach 198 UP 5407 39 RBBX 40014 Coach 199 UP American
View 40 RBBX 63005 Shop 200 Circus Porter
Car 41 RBBX 84802 COFC 89' MLCX 8900 42 RBBX 84801 COFC 89' GTW 304235 43 RBBX 84718 89 foot Flat Car CREX 351
--The black cages on this car
are for the tigers and lions, which travel by truck, not on the train. 44 RBBX 84704 89 foot Flat Car Ramps
GTW 303063 45 RBBX 84706 89 foot Flat Car Cat
Flat TTGX 961763 46 RBBX 85702 89 foot Flat Car Cat
Flat GTW 303142 47 RBBX 80715 89 foot Flat Car RTTX
911820 48 RBBX 80702 89 foot Flat Car GTW
303074 49 RBBX 80718 89 foot Flat Car FEC 4039 50 RBBX 84707 89 foot Flat Car GTW
303461 51 RBBX 80705 89 foot Flat Car GTW
303068 52 RBBX 84717 89 foot Flat Car BTTX
930349 53 RBBX 80708 89 foot Flat Car SP
515415 54 RBBX 80707 89 foot Flat Car GTW
303461 55 RBBX 80703 89 foot Flat Car ACF 4 56 RBBX 80704 89 foot Flat Car GTW
303063 57 RBBX 80710 89 foot Flat Car ACF 1968 58 RBBX 80714 89 foot Flat Car RTTX
911816 59 RBBX 80713 89 foot Flat Car ACF 1969 60 RBBX 84713 89 foot Flat Car BTTX
910675 61 RBBX 84719 89 foot Flat Car CREX 352
Video of the RBBB Blue Unit traveling
from Cajon Summit downhill toward San Bernardino, CA, July 9,
2012 5:29 minutes Slow moving Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Blue Unit Circus
Train heading downgrade after Cajon Summit. You will hear me taking
still photographs as the train passed below me at the left, through a
cut. Other trains were in the area also going downhill. You will hear
me say, "See you in LA" and "Hello" a few times. Many passengers were
in the vestibules, because it was cooler now, and I could see them as
they passed below me. Most were taking their own photos of the train as
it curved back up Cajon Pass to the summit. Still photos in this report
show views of what was in the open-topped cars. At the end of the
photo you can see Chris Guenzler walking across the tracks at a
crossing, and a white truck of railfans heading out.
For the video above, I was positioned
high, directly above the passing Circus Train to my left as it passed
through a deep cut that was only a few feet long. These still
photos show some interesting things not shown in the video.
This wide shot near Cajon Summit gives you a view of almost all of the 61-car Circus Train, and
you can understand why it is called the "Longest Private Train in the
World" nearly a mile long.
Click any
photo below to see a double-sized copy; click BACK in your browser to
return to this page.
These three locomotives were on point throughout the trip from Fresno
to LA, but I understand there was a crew change.
This shows the proximity of the passing train to my photo spot.
Most vestibules were filled with performers and staff who live on the
train enjoying the ride, and fresh air. They all seemed to be
taking photos as the train rounded the sweeping curve. When the
Blue Unit Trainmaster saw this report, he said this happened to be a
photo of him and his family...what are the chances?!
Chris' research on the Circus Train calls the flat car with the bus the
'ramp car'. You can see, behind the loader, the stands used to
hold the ramps that will go from this flat car to the
street crossing. All the vehicles and circus wagons will be
pulled
off this end of the flats. Some will have to navigate the length
of all the
flats to reach the ground at the end. This provides quick loading
and unloading. This system is called 'Circus Loading'. The
black cages on the second flat are for the tigers and lions, which do not travel by
train, but rather by air conditioned trucks.
Not until this last view of the circus train underway was I able to see
that the red circus wagons were open-topped. This wagon is
holding the stands (called Bull Tubs) used in the elephant act.
This open-topped wagon is a “rubber wagon” there are 3 of them like
this numbered 24, 25 & 26. The black painted equipment you
see is the Ring curb frame. The skin of the curb travels elsewhere so
it doesn’t get damaged.
The 42 wagon you see in the picture, that is ¼ red and the rest white,
is the steel globe, in which the
motorcycle group performs. The motorcycles store in the red part and
the globe in the white part. --Info. provided by Joe Colossa
The last two cars are typical
with a tractor and 6 to 8 circus wagons
that will be pulled to the arena. All the wagons were in sets
with a
tractor so they can be pulled off the flats and reconnected to local, large wreckers and pulled to the arena.
The sun was setting as we watched the
Circus Train snake down the rest
of Cajon Pass for its twilight run from San Bernardino to Los Angeles.
Your Comments are Welcomed at Carl@TrainWeb.com
Please visit the links below for additional information about the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
For a Slide Show of All Photos in this Report in Large Format, Click Here.
LINKS
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