RBBB Circus Train Coming To Rochester, NY

Just a heads up for those who enjoy seeing the circus train. Next Monday, the Ringling Bros. Circus train will be departing Bridgeport, CT for their next show in Rochester, NY. Train will go north to Springfield, MA from Bridgeport, than westbound to Selkirk, Utica and Rochester, NY. I believe CSX interchange the circus train to the Rochester & Southern at CP-373, correct? The show last from Thursday, October 27th to Sunday, October 30th. On Halloween Day, train will leave town to their next show in Pittsburgh, PA. Power for train is most likely going to be CSX GE's. Hopefully it'll be daylight run on the Water Level Route to Rochester! But with my luck, night run!


- Scott

ScotCP356 wrote: CSX interchange the circus train to the Rochester & Southern at CP-373, On Halloween Day, train will leave town to their next show in Pittsburgh, PA.

Now if they had not torn out from SLJ to Machias, it could go directly there GWI direct!

If they didn't rip that out, it would be still way too slow and add 1-2 more days to the trip. It used to ran at 10 mph max. now they're running at 30? 40 mph max?

Is circus train considering passenger train which they can go at passenger max speed? or still have to run at freight max speed due to flat cars?

If they have freight cars in the consist, freight speeds govern.

And speaking of such things altho admittedly OT from the circus train. It is, or used to be the position of the FRA (or at least some of its inspectors) that you had to HAVE passenger cars in the consist to be a passenger train. Thus on Class 2 track - 25 mph freight, 30 for passenger - an engine takes 2 coaches from A to B. That's a passenger train, OK 30 mph. Now that same engine returns light from B to A over the same track. Now it's limited to 25 mph!

We now return you to circus train discussion.

sd80mac wrote:If they didn't rip that out, it would be still way too slow and add 1-2 more days to the trip. It used to ran at 10 mph max. now they're running at 30? 40 mph max?

On the flip side, a BR&P routing would avoid the bottleneck at CP Draw, as well as the lengthier route via CSX and the potential to be put on a siding in favor of a hotshot intermodal or tank train.

The R&S and B&P run at more than 10 mph. They aren't 50 mph RRs, so a guess of 30-40 mph seems appropriate.

60 mph would make it up for CP draw anyway.

in 92 and before, Salt train crossing over Ballantyne Rd used to ran at 10 mph the MAX. The tracks were so bad that they cant go any faster than 10 mph It took them forever to cross the tracks that people behind me would make U turn and go for Paul RD.

Sometimes in late 90's R&S got grant from NYS or Fed to fix their track. Now they run their trains at 30 mph which I am pretty sure that I recall. If not, then 40 mph. Quite big difference in waiting time when I stop at grade crossing at Ballantyne Rd.

Train arrived in Rochester at around 7 this morning.

The train just went thru 383 westbound 1:27PM