Circus train
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A circus train is a modern method of conveyance for circus troupes. One of the larger users of circus trains is the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus (RBBB), a famous American circus formed when the Ringling Brothers Circus purchased the Barnum and Bailey Circus in 1907.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circuses separately and together grew to dominate live entertainment through their frequent purchases of many other American circuses. In modern times, they travel in two circus trains, the blue unit, and the red unit, following an alternating two-year schedule to bring a new show to each location once a year. The RBBB circus trains are more than a mile in length, and include living quarters for the performers and animal keepers. There are also special stock cars for the exotic animals and flatcars for the transportation of circus wagons, equipment, and even a bus used for local transportation at performance sites.
The circus trains have proven well-suited for transportation of the heavy livestock such as elephants, despite several tragic accidents over the years. Many railfans keep track of the movements of circus trains. Another circus train is operated by the James E. Strates Shows.
 Men pose at the end of an observation car of a Barnum and Bailey Circus train. |
 Southern Pacific Railroad #2806, a type 2-8-0 steam locomotive, hauls a Foley and Burk Circus train through San Luis Obispo, California in July, 1937. Wagons and rolling cages are lashed to the tops of flatcars for transport. |
 Animal car RBBX #63009 (a specialized type of stock car) from the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus Train "Blue Unit" in July, 2002. The animal loading ramps stow directly under the doors on the underside of the car. |
 RBBX 41307 after refurbishment -- Tampa, Florida. |
Some of the opening scenes in the 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade take place aboard a moving circus train.
[edit] See also
- Phineas Taylor Barnum
- James Anthony Bailey
- The Greatest Show on Earth
- Hammond Circus Train Wreck
- Showmen's Rest
