Eastern Railroad Discussion > RBBB Blue--May 1/2--Baltimore MD to Charleston WV

~~~~NEXT-TO-LAST RUN FOR THE BLUE UNIT CIRCUS TRAIN~~~~

RINGLING BROS. AND BARNUM & BAILEY CIRCUS
http://www.ringling.com/
151.625 is the Circus Train Operations radio frequency.

Circus Train Yahoo Group:
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/CircusTrain/
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May 1/2 BLUE UNIT Train-run from Baltimore MD to Charleston WV. Most likely route would be CSX south to D.C., then on NS to Lynchburg, west to Roanoke, Bluefield and the ex-Virginian up the Guyandotte River (via Mullens) and to the Watco shortline [Kanawha River] at Deepwater. DEPARTURE/Baltimore may be around mid-day, Monday, May 1. ARRIVAL/Charleston may be some time late Tuesday night, May 2 or very early Wed. morning, May 3, depending on how CSX, NS and Watco get the show there through opposing RR traffic.

Tear-downs for this Edition (which is partially performed on an ICE FLOOR) takes anywhere from 10 to 12 hours; with a late show I don't expect the tear-down to be completed at Baltimore's "Royal Farms" arena until close to sunrise, after which the flatcars are still loading .... the flatcar loading could be done not long after sunrise, and then CSX must "build" the train and do the standard FRA brake test before departing. SCANNERS will be handing to know when this train departs Baltimore for THE LAST TIME with people aboard.

GET YOUR PHOTOS AND VIDEOS WHILE YOU CAN: there is ONLY ONE remaining Blue Unit train-run (WITH PEOPLE ABOARD)* ... which is to occur on May 8/9 ... likely on a reverse move of the run to W.Va., but via the Shenandoah Valley line north from Roanoke, and another with an empty coach-set with all electrical power cut off -- and with some cars removed that are already purchased by new owners. That Florida "home-run" will basically be a "funeral train" or "ghost train" from Uniondale, NY to [somewhere in] Florida. After that, the entire Ringling' show, and its (Inter-) National Legacy, will nothing by a memory.

2017 Blue Unit Circus Train:
---56 Cars (36 conventional passenger-type cars; 19 TTX-[type] piggyback flats behind them; one 5-part articulated flat).
---4,010 Tons (when fully loaded)
---5,142 Feet (WITHOUT host RR's power attached; 1 mile = 5,280 feet)

BLUE UNIT -- 146th Edition -- "OUT OF THIS WORLD" -- extended tour.
SEE: https://www.ringling.com/shows/out-of-this-world/
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Current RBBB rail-tour Edition Numbers for the two railroad shows, Blue and Red, are measured from the show's first year, 1871. Train-run ["jump"] dates presume each train departs the morning [or day] after the closing performance date. *RBBB Circus Trains can change scheduled routing and departure time without notice.

2017 PLAY DATES for the 146th Edition ("OUT OF THIS WORLD"), from the official RBBB website:

ALREADY PLAYED:
Miami, FL: Jan. 6 - 15
Birmingham, AL: Jan. 19 - 22
Columbia, SC: Jan. 26 - 29
Charlotte, NC: Feb. 1 - 5
Raleigh, NC: Feb. 9 - 12
Philadelphia, PA: Feb. 16 - 20
Brooklyn, NY: Feb. 23 - Mar. 3
Newark, NJ: Mar. 8 - 12
Trenton, NJ: Mar. 17 - 19
Richmond, VA: Mar. 23 - 26
Washington, DC: Mar. 30 - Apr. 2
Fairfax, VA: Apr. 7 - 16

PLAYING NOW:
Baltimore, MD: Apr. 20 - 30

PLAYING NEXT:
Charleston, WV: May 3 - 7
Uniondale, NY: May 12 - 21

May 22/23/24--FINAL "HOME-RUN" to Florida (--a re-disposition of some of the RBBB railcar fleet to new owners may occur here; NO train residents will be on the run to Florida; this will be a "ghost train" move).

The CSX power from Baltimore might run-through to Charleston on Norfolk Southern unless NS has other plans in store. If that holds, then the Watco shortline would likely hold that power for the outbound move a week later when the show departs Charleston.