Passenger Trains > RBBB circus train future

As I have been reading about the circus train lately, I get this feeling that perhaps we may be seeing the beginning of the end of the circus trains that crisscross our nation every year.  

They have not not only removed the elephants from the show with the likelihood that other animals will be removed in the future, but apparently all animals have been removed from the train.  I feel the animals were a big reason to keep the train running.  Now all we have left are the performers and the equipment.  Why can't they put up the performers in hotels and haul by truck the equipment?   I hope I am not giving anyone any ideas, but this discussion HAS to be taking place at RBBB.  

I hope I am wrong, but I have this nagging suspicion that I might be right.

I've noticed here in the west in the last decade there are fewer places to park the train which requires some serious highway drayage to get the show to it's venue.

P Wrote:
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> Why can't they put up the
> performers in hotels and haul by truck the
> equipment?   I hope I am not giving anyone any
> ideas, but this discussion HAS to be taking place
> at RBBB.  

While the equipment could care less about which method it moves by, the performers would really hate staying in hotels.  They are performancing or resting most of the time while at each venue, leaving little time to pack and unpack.  Staying in a hotel room would require this constantly.  Remember these performers are on the road literally every day for 300+ days consecutive days each year.  Having a "rolling home" that is your space and doesn't require one to "move" every few days is by far the bestest available of the continued use of the circus train.

BNSF6400 Wrote:
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> P Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Why can't they put up the
> > performers in hotels and haul by truck the
> > equipment?   I hope I am not giving anyone any
> > ideas, but this discussion HAS to be taking
> place
> > at RBBB.  
>
> While the equipment could care less about which
> method it moves by, the performers would really
> hate staying in hotels.  They are performancing
> or resting most of the time while at each venue,
> leaving little time to pack and unpack.  Staying
> in a hotel room would require this constantly. 
> Remember these performers are on the road
> literally every day for 300+ days consecutive days
> each year.  Having a "rolling home" that is your
> space and doesn't require one to "move" every few
> days is by far the bestest available of the
> continued use of the circus train.

While what you say is true there are hundreds of other traveling shows and concert performers who stay in hotels or buses. It all comes down to who pays the bill. Once it becomes cheaper to go via road vs railroad the switch will be made.

Posted from iPhone

howeld Wrote:
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> While what you say is true there are hundreds of
> other traveling shows and concert performers who
> stay in hotels or buses.

Certainly true, but not too many of them travel with 300+ people.  When Bruce Springsteen or Toby Keith goes out on tour, I'd be surprised if they bring along more than 50-60 people - doesn't take nearly as many hotel rooms.  Even an NFL team probably travels with around 75 people to a typical road game, and they only have a half-dozen or so in the regular season.  And let's not overlook the convenience of having your own space on the train that doesn't have to be constantly packed and unpacked - you can't put a number on that.

back in the 60,s  if i remember right.. thay did go to trucks  and it was a disaster, so thay went back to the train  

pennsy3750 Wrote:
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> And let's not overlook the convenience of having your own
> space on the train that doesn't have to be constantly packed
> and unpacked - you can't put a number on that.

The number that matters has a dollar sign in front of it. As long as the train is cheaper it will be used. Performer satisfaction is for superstars where the show would not go on without them. Replacable performers in a circus? Not quite rock stars. People are going to RBBB Circus. The show is the headliner.

If transitioning to tour buses and hotels saves money and adds venues RBBB will look at the costs. As long as the train works it will be used.

justalurker66 Wrote:
--------é-----------------------------------------------
> pennsy3750 Wrote:
>
>
> The number that matters has a dollar sign in front
> of it. As long as the train is cheaper it will be
> used. Performer satisfaction is for superstars
> where the show would not go on without them.
> Replacable performers in a circus? Not quite rock
> stars. People are going to RBBB Circus. The show
> is the headliner.
>
> If transitioning to tour buses and hotels saves
> money and adds venues RBBB will look at the costs.
> As long as the train works it will be used.

As explained to me a few years ago by the lady who was running the on board school/ day care center for the performers' kids, the big headliners (yes there are some, the show is NOT the headliner) already travel in RVs by themselves. I assume they do that at their own expense. I doubt that the lesser performers and roustabouts make enough to do this on their own.

At least some of the towns they now play probably don't have 300 hotel rooms available. 

This really is a small town on wheels. Not to say that it's invulnerable, but replacing it with a truck caravan would be a monstrous undertaking. 

 

From what I remember seeing and counting at Anahiem one year, if you were to put all the vehicles that travel by road for the circus, it would equal 1/2 the train length. There was something like 35-40 vehicles: Cars, RVs, Trucks. So you can easily figure 110-130 vehicles total to move the circus without the train.

Comparing that to a typicl concert on tour: 4-8 trucks (depending upon how big the stage setup is), 3-6 BlueBird type RVs, handful of normal RVs and a couple of big black SUVs depending upon how the stars travel.

A 3 ring circus has a stage of 100' by 300'? Plus multiple changes? Concert has pretty static stage of 100' by 75' plus a 25' by 25' control area out in the floor.