Question About the Circus Train/GMS

I realized that, was hoping to hear its actually out on the rails here somewhere. You know, local spotters report

mirrodie wrote:I realized that, was hoping to hear its actually out on the rails here somewhere. You know, local spotters report

Red train making it's way into south philly approx 11pm last night ...

Thanks.

Yeah I took my kids yesterday. We had to drop off my brother to work in NHP, so it was not going out of hte way.

But no train there, so too bad, the kids would have liked it.

Anyone seen it on LI yet today? (tues)

Mirrodie, You are a month early !
BTW, don't get too close to where the animals come out of the cars:
- The crews will get mad at you, because the animals may get out of control
- The animals may be waiting to take a wicked pee, so look out ... saw that happen when I was there.

HOLY COW!!!!

ROL, Sorry, I got totally mixed up and 2 Monday the 14ths didnt help!

LOL. So I guess I'm glad I have another month to prepare.

You know, I didnt realize how close to the LI Childrens museum that Quentin rd was. I noticed its double track up until right before the crossing. Where does the train stop, prior to Quentin or behind the Aviation and Children's museum?

mirrodie wrote:HOLY COW!!!!

ROL, Sorry, I got totally mixed up and 2 Monday the 14ths didnt help!

LOL. So I guess I'm glad I have another month to prepare.

You know, I didnt realize how close to the LI Childrens museum that Quentin rd was. I noticed its double track up until right before the crossing. Where does the train stop, prior to Quentin or behind the Aviation and Children's museum?

On the day of arrival the train is usually split up at Clinton Rd. Each half is then pulled across the tracks ( although it could be 15 minutes or more before the second half is actually moved across the Clinton Rd. ). On a side note last year the rear half of the split up train was actually shoved across Clinton Rd. using the MP15 chase locomotive.

There are sets of switches between Clinton Rd. and Quentin Rd., which are used in rearranging the cars to where they need to be. They'll use the entire length of the spur too, I have seen cars shoved way back into the NCC campus before.

Got to work it just once, in 2004 Was on the roustabout and they sent us to assist it with 2 1500's, because the engines originally sent were having trouble.
Coupled up to it between metropolitan ave and Kew Gardens, and dragged it to the Garden Mitchel secondary.
The Road crew did most of the switching, but I wanted to be involved just to tell my grandkids, so they let me hang the hoses and shove a string of cars east. ( was the Road conductors call, it was his train, I was the roustabout Conductor)
I knew I would be retireing in a year or 2 and wanted to do it at least once.
I am not positive, but I think the next day was the day engine 160 ran away.

Disclaimer: This is being asked by someone who knows nothing about the LI other than Montauk to Oyster Bay...

What's the routing they use to get the Circus Train to the Colosseum? And do they usually take her in one section or two? I'll probably be around, and it'd be nice to catch the old girl on the Island for the first time. Thanks folks...

-M

The train arrives on the island in Long Island City after Amtrak takes it through the tunnels. From there, a LIRR crew takes over. The train runs the mainline (through Woodside, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens) past Jamaica, and goes down the Hempstead Branch. After Garden City, the train continues east on the Garden City Secondary.

The train is hauled by four MP15s, with one more that follows the train. It arrives in one section, but usually departs in two.

Dont know if they do such things anymore, but I witnessed it sneak through penn in 1994 with conrail diesel engines. ( violation)I know it was 94 because it was just after the colin furgeson shootings.
Came through late on a weekend evening on the low side of penn.

I worked the circus train back in the mid 80's.
We picked up from Conrail at the mouth of line 1.

As Wilson stated, when I worked it, it came through Penn and the tunnels
hauled by a couple of Conrail diesels.

I've also seen it towed through Penn by a couple of Amtrak E-60's.

Thanks all. Curious about one other thing. What kind of train ID or job symbol does it usually run with?

wilsonpooch wrote: I am not positive, but I think the next day was the day engine 160 ran away.

That is correct. I distinctly remember seeing that on the news before I went to (Of course)the circus.

On the LI it's Circus Extra, or Circus Extra 1, 2 or 3.

Sometime in the ’60's, while I was still a Fireman, I fell for a job that picked up the circus train. The Engineer was trying to update his qualifications by working the Extra list. When we signed in at Morris park, he told me that I had to handle the move because he had been working a Brooklyn job for the last 20 years. The train was brought to the top of the hill at Harold and dropped by (2) GG1’s. We had (2) 1600 Alco’s. This is about 1/3 the HP of the G’s. We sat in the runaround at Harold and had a restricting signal to go down to the mouth of the tunnel after the G’s uncoupled. By the way, it was at a time when train crews still helped each other out, no matter who they worked for. The Penn crew made a service reduction on the train and bottled the train line. When we came down to the train, it didn’t have to be recharged. Not by the book, but saved a lot of time. I do not remember the amount of cars but I do remember being in the 8th notch longer than we should have. It was a nice dry day and the wheels never slipped. The smell of traction motor insulation was very apparent. We took it down to Mitchell field, till they squeezed the air, on the rearend, to bring us to a stop. Someone picked the train off of us and we went, light, to Morris Park. The Engineer was requalified in Penn station and we got done in less than (7) hours. A good day.