I was on my way to the http://ojocalientespa.com/ and was lucky to see the Ringling bros. circus train. It's in Colorado springs. I have pics that I will post later, but you may want to head down there and do some train spotting. You can't miss it, it's right off the highway (i25), and there is a frontage road if you exit just north of the train. BTW-Ojo Caliente is not a train subject, but it seems like everyone who lives on the road there, down Hwy 285, has a old Rio grande or narrow gauge car sitting in their back yard. There is also a old water tower just off the highway in Tres Piedras. Lots of old depots on the Standard gauge line, along with grain elevators. Oh yeah, you have to turn right, right where the Cumbres and toltec terminates too. Lots of narrow gauge up there. Check out my link to the hot springs. They're awesome. A great place to visit. I was there one night and it felt like a week. Truly relaxing. Train pics forthcoming in a day or two. [ June 20, 2005, 02:35 PM: Message edited by: traingeekboy ]
One of the two Ringling Brother Barnum & Bailey trains came through Gulfport, MS about 3:30 CDT today (Monday, 6/20) on its way to New Orleans. The RBB&B schedule website lists shows in New Orleans on 6/22-6/26, back to Biloxi, MS on 6/30-7/3, then up to Jackson, MS on 7/7-7/10. I'll try to get some photos as it unloads in Biloxi, if I can get their schedule. There is a passing siding that they have used in the past for unloading that ends at the road leading to the Coliseum where the circus performs. This is handy because they position the elephant cars on that crossing and let the elephants walk the 100 or so yards to the Coliseum. Of course one or two people get upset, but they make a u-turn and leave. The rest are out of their cars and gawking. The police try to keep order, but they are spending half their time watching too. I would like to find out how they plan to get up to Jackson from Biloxi. They could use the KCS Orphan line (ex-G&SI) which is a 150 mile straight shot, but it's 25 mph the whole way. Also the interchange from CSX onto that line is a very tight radius...CSX puts one or two cars on the ground every few months, and those are only 50-footers, not 85 foot passenger cars. CN/IC has a line from Mobile to Hattiesburg, MS which merges with the KCS line from Gulfport, but I don't know its condition or speed restriction. They probably will go on the CSX main through Mobile up to Birmingham, then on the KCS main to Jackson. Anybody out there have some info?
Apparently the circus unit coming to Biloxi next week will be trucked in, so no train photos this year..... I'm told that the train that I saw on Monday was the Blue Unit on its way to New Orleans.
