Model Railroading > Anyone else model the Ringling Brothers trains?

Here are a few pictures of my HO RBBX Blue train. I have approx 23 cars in different stages of being built. I will post more as I finish them up. I custom made the decals for all the cars and trailers.

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A few more

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much as i dont follow the circus trains' in real life. making such a unique model of that prototype is really neat. are those 89' flats scratchbuilt? assuming the ringling containers are or at least kit bashed... nice work :)

Will Hemb
Flower Mound, TX

The flats are Accu-rail 89' flats, the containers are Athearn and Lifelike modified with wheels. Passenger cars are all Walthers I still need 85' 4 door baggage cars to do my elephant cars, the 72' baggage cars just don't look right.

Here is a picture of one of the souvenir cars ready for the paint shops.

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Very nice

Thanks for sharing your craftsmanship, really impressive. Keep us updated when you can. bcd9

WOW ... neat stuff ... Thanks for the look

Clark Stewart (ex-SP and Amtrak engineer) of W&W Hobbies in Petaluma, CA has the works. Cannot remember which train but this has been a labor of love for many years. He runs it occasionally at the Napa CA club.

Google "W&W Hobbies Petaluma CA" for contact info.

Walt in Sausalito

Are decals available? I recall that Walthers offered cars with decals years ago but heard the Ringling Brothers nixed it. Is that true?

I had a cousin that was a sign painter for Ringling. He also painted the cars from what I understand. He has since passed away.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/09 18:07 by wabash2800.

Tom Rogers is a member of the La Mesa Model Railroad Club, and he runs two different RB&BB trains, a '40s- and a '50s-era consist, if I remember correctly. Sorry I don't have pictures, but if you visit the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, you might get lucky and hit us on a day when he's running his stuff (Tuesday is your best bet). Believe one of the guys in the San Diego club also has a circus train. The museum has a Circus Days event about once a year, in the summer.

Winston Hill

texaswestern70mac Wrote:
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> much as i dont follow the circus trains' in real
> life. making such a unique model of that
> prototype is really neat. are those 89' flats
> scratchbuilt? assuming the ringling containers are
> or at least kit bashed... nice work :)

The prototype COFC cars on each RBBB Circus Train are indeed PROTOTYPE KITBASH cars on a real train: RBBB simply took four 89-foot flats and added two 40-ft. containers on each car, and each has a mid-point doorway for concessions personnel to access when semis arrive in various towns for re-supplying their department. I have photos SOMEWHERE showing the first one actually under construction in Venice, Florida in late 1985 (it's almost identical to your photo -- only the containers were a bit grungier before RBBB painted the cars silver-gray!) .... maybe some day I'll actually FIND it in the mass of RBBB photos I have.

You're doing some MAGNIFICENT WORK there, with the models! I'll send a link to this thread to personnel on the Blue Unit, as well as those running the Palmetto, Florida railcar recyling center (which is right beside the spot the FEC rock-runner trains go on CSX line there (the Parrish branch, only about a mile east of downtown Palmetto, Florida.

And you're right about the 72-foot baggage cars not appearing "right" for the stock cars: RBBB uses former U.P. 85-foot baggage cars, each with SIX-AXLES. That's also for the Pie Car, Shop Car, and the two Generator cars (on each train). Those six-axle cars are denoted by the reporting mark/numbers: they begin with "6" -- as opposed to four-axle coaches, which have 5-digit car-numbers beginning with "4" ... all of the flat cars (all RBBB freight cars -- note the word 'FREIGHT') begin with "8" (for 'FREIGHT').



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/09 16:38 by rbx551985.

The new Walthers Union Pacific six wheel baggage cars are perfect for the elephant cars, generator cars and pie car. I was going to use the Soho brass versions but the plastic cars well be easier to work with. They will be out in August of 2010.

I like those WAGONS on flat car RBBX 84717: you can even see the red-painted "possum bellies" under each wagon, for storing various items and/or tools used by the show (concerning the contents of those particular wagons). Now all you'll need are some coaches with OPENED vestibule doors, and Circus personnel riding in them! (Hey, why not include a miniature of YOU and/or your family riding aboard one of the coaches -- for a healthy dose of modeler's lisense?)

Beautiful work. You can bring that train over to my layout and we'll hook up a pair of CSX GEVO's and transport it over the Philly sub.

Bruce

Bruce,
I might just do that! Would love to see your layout in person!
Jeff



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/09 17:59 by FEC2000.

Here is the car carrier and the bus! Blue unit no longer carries this car.

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That is really some nice work. Thanks for sharing.


Dave Dane

RBBX 80706 BILEVEL, to my knowledge, remains stored at the show's Palmetto, Florida shops complex. (Or, it could be stored off-site as of this writing.) But I believe it's still there, just in case they decide to return it to the tour if necessary. I haven't seen the planned trainlist for 2010, but that should be made know rather soon. (It's not easy to hide a mile-long, PROTOTYPE Circus Train!)

Nice, it looks like you are doing the blue unit train. Keep up the good work.

Looks really nice!! I am modeling the "Red Unit". It's here in Miami right now. I've been working on this project for about 3 months now. Finding the right cars to use gave me a little trouble at the beginning.

I too have also created my own custom logos. All though, I am having a little trouble when printing them out. Any advise? Did you use someone or do you have all the materials to do this?