Todd, the train is usually divided when it gets to the show city, with the passenger and freight sections parked in different locations. Sometimes I think it may be broken into 3 or more sections. And, my reference to its being a "mile long" is actually accurate to within a few feet. As an aside, these circus moves were the first examples of "piggyback", in which truck trailers are carried on r.r. cars. Took the railroads years to pick up the idea, which had been right under their noses all along. The two Ringling trains each carry a different show, and criss-cross the country every year. When the train went thru Bucy, the Ringling trainmaster was on the radio asking the NS conductor how soon they would get to Columbus. The conductor assured him they would get there asap, with only one more posssible delay, that at the crossing with CSX in Marion. The conductor had called the Sandusky Line dispatcher, asking about a speed restriction at some location, hoping the train would not have to slow there, but the ds replied that the 25 mph limit there was still in effect. There is always a lot of pressure on to get these trains over the road, so that there is ample time for the setup before the show, and also because the animals have to be watered at specified intervals. Quite an intricate operation, and the last of its kind. See what you started, Rick?
