Nostalgia & History > RBBB Red 2015 in Virginia - a trio of rare images

Here are a few images showing the 60-car Red Unit Circus Train, taken on April 20, 2015.  The show was enroute out of Hampton (Newport News), Virginia going west, via Collier Yard (Petersburg VA) to be interchanged there from CSX to NS.  Note that NS power had been retained in Newport News VA (on CSX) during the show's stay there, and was on the point out of NN for the run to the next town.

Image #1 - downtown Richmond, the train is about to pass through CSX's "Rivanna Junction" where the mainline along the James River to the west splits off to the left behind the NS power, while the Circus Train is taking the old C&O route through Main St. Station, up "Hermitage Hill" and around ACCA Wye to go south to Petersburg on CSX's "A-Line" route.

Image #2 - North Collier Yard, Petersburg, is where this photo was taken.  This day, the train would be shoved back out of the yard to the new "BX Connection" line used by Norfolk-Richmond AMTRAK trains.  From there they would go east 4 miles to Poe Wye, then swing west onto Petersburg's "Old Line" to continue west.  This move would save at least TWO HOURS that otherwise would have been spent switching the train's twenty-one 89-foot flatcars to the other end at Collier.

Image #3 - There were up to 350 people on board each of the two Ringling' trains, and here are two of the Red Unit's passengers:  a woman from an amazing act in the show and her young son, experiencing the joy of seeing America by rail in the company of his parents aboard a train at least 20 cars LONGER than Amtrak's "Auto Train" at the time.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/24 14:52 by rbx551985.

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Wonderful gems of a marvelous cross country train operation.  Thanks for sharing your experiences and photos with us.