Ringling Brothers Circus Train

[Joe Land]

L&N #3024 leading Ringling Brothers Circus Train  7-28-75
           McDoel Yards Bloomington,IN.  Lloyd Kimble collection

[Rick Berg]

Great picture post Joe

[Pete Pedigo]

This brings up a question I have been wondering about.  Ron can probalby answer this.  Are / were engineers required to be certified or trained as Passenger Engineers to make moves like this when some of the cars were tranporting passengers even though this was a private move.  Today no one is allowed to ride a passenger car on the end of a freight train.  Not even a car attendant during shuttle moves.

Pete

[Ron Marquardt]

No, there was no special certification required for handling trains with passengers.  Our regular engineers operated the Circus trains and other occupied trains such as NRHS specials.  If they were operating into or out of stations or yards where they did not normally go on freight, they had to qualaify on the new territory, but not because it was passenger trains.

Back in the Monon days, a passenger fireman had to ride one or two student trips to qualify on passenger so they could operate the steam generators, but that was all.

On steam excursions, the group who furnished the steam locomotive would furnish engineers qualified on steam, and we would provide a regular engineer who was qualified on the territory to ride behind the steam engineer.  I can tell you that spending a day in the cab behind Steve Lee was a treat.  / Ron

[Pete Pedigo]

Thanks Ron,


I had been aiming to ask you that for awhile.

I bet it was a treat be on one of those UP Steam Excursions.  I think Steve Stafford did that once too.  A dream come true.

Pete

[Ron Marquardt]

It really was Pete.  I rode several through the years.  Among others I road Clinchfield #1 on Howard Bakers campaign train from Nashville to Bruceton, Tn., and back when I was Trainmaster on the Windy, then while at Corbin I rode and ran the #2765 for four days on a NRHS excursion making turns between Knoxville, Tn. and Corbin, Ky., and best of all I spent four days on the UP #3985 when it was running around the Clinchfield for the Santa Claus special (during which we three times derailed, and I rerailed, that [not allowed]ed centipede tender on the wye at Kingsport, Tn.). 

I've also ridden the steam engine down at Chattanooga, had the opportunity to run the General down in Louisville and New Albany, and three years ago I was invited to ride in the cab of a V&T steam train between Virginia City and Carson City, NV.

I'm fortunate in that I've had the opportunity to do a lot of neat stuff on the railroad through the years.  / Ron