Report: Ringling Brothers Red Unit arrival in Worcester 5/15

Hi all

The Red Unit of the Ringling Brothers circus arrived in Worcester Monday 15 May 06 around 2145. P&W locked couplers with the trailing flat car at 2152. On a restricting indication at CP 45, PW 3002 & PW 3002 brought the train down onto the Norwich main. The train later ran around one leg of the wye.

As of 2400, most of the passenger cars were still up on the wye (the leg between the mains), while the animal cars were along side P&W's container lot. The flat cars should be spotted next to the animal cars. I'm not sure where the sleepers will spend the layover ... Greenwood Yard maybe?

The train looked stunning, with a high-gloss finish provide by the light mist that was falling last night.

Around 2330, I chased the procession of elephants, horses and ponies from Port Worcester to the DCU Center. Of the half dozen or so RBBX chases I've been on, this is the first where I've gotten to see the animals ... and an Elgin Pelican at night!

* JB *
w.f.p.t. | w.l.s.

This was my first time seeing both units at the same time. The Blue unit came from Springfield and down the River Line and then the Red unit followed Q420 to the B&A. The combination of both units on the B&A on the same day made for alot of maneur along the right of way.

CSX Conductor wrote:This was my first time seeing both units at the same time. The Blue unit came from Springfield and down the River Line and then the Red unit followed Q420 to the B&A. The combination of both units on the B&A on the same day made for alot of maneur along the right of way.

Where and when was the meet? Be fun to get a shot of that someday ...

* JB *

They didn't actually pass each other.

P946 came from the B&A on track one over the Castleton Bridge because of track work on track 2, however, the River-Line can only be accessed from the B&A by using track #2. The crews were swapped @ CP-SK and then the train pulled west to clear SK using the Inbound for headroom. They then shoved east on track #2 to clear the iron for the wye to the River-Line and headed south (about230/300pm). After this move Q420 left the yard off the South Departure and then P945 (the other circus train) followed a Jersey-bound van train (Q156) off the Inbound for the B&A.