Derailment and Rerailing of FEC Ringling Brothers Circus Train - Part II 01.16.2017

While retrieving the last cut of RBBX circus cars, FEC 714 and one of the axles on the first car unfortunately went on the ground just 200 feet from where I was. The fact that it was a 6 axle engine with all that weight on a dated industrial spur gave in to weak track which ultimately twisted as the engine negotiated a tight curve with the pax. This tied up the entire circus operation as the cars were stuck on a dead end spur.
What this video is about is the quick and efficient efforts the railroad made to rerail the engine. Seeing a crane lift the 300k pound locomotive was definitely a highlight. Of course, was nice shooting the bull with Colin Dell, Dylan Scott, and Trainmanrisko.
At the end is a look back at five years of railfanning the Circus Train. Godspeed to the men and women working for the circus as they move on from their time with Ringling.
Shoutout to Chad Ridge of Supersize Orlando who I met as the train stopped.
Highlights:
1:18 train rounds curve
2:45 manual activation of NW 70 Ave
4:50 train comes to a stop
5:47 derailment confirmed
9:20 boom crane navigates to position
11:24 process of joining crane to locomotive
14:30 train drops to ground... again
15:20 train finally rerailed
16:33 track being cut up for immediate repair
Bittersweet Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
creativecommons...

[@parkerellis4785]

RIP circus it truly was the greatest show on earth

[@richardbrobeck2384]

Sad to see that they are gone glad I got to see them as a kid

[@parkerellis4785]

Same

[@loriestevenson3201]

Kudos to the crane crew who finessed the engine into place. Absolutely love this video. Great job! I subscribed.

[@TolgaEastCoast]

Thanks!

[@JawTooth]

Awesome video! I just filmed the Red Circus train a few days ago and posted that and the blue train that I filmed last year. You did an excellent video and this video will be part of history for many people to enjoy years from now! Think about it

[@TolgaEastCoast]

Thanks man!

[@jacobdubielak2699]

Are you guys friends or something

[@WhiteRiverRails]

Amazing video and footage! I wish I could have caught this train before it was gone. Also like the footage of the plane!

[@Nacho-Mamma]

Early summer, 1972, the Ringling Circus train broke down on the tracks only 100 yards or so away from our house. I was 8, and it was THE GREATEST memory of my life to date! We already knew it would be passing through about 9:30 that morning. So, we were standing out there waiting for it. The train slowed down, blew their whistle & the folks onboard waved, and we were giddy. There was a problem and engine broke down. So, the train was stuck along our set of tracks for almost 9 hours that day. We were given our own private circus show along that set of tracks. I even got to ride an elephant. It was such a magical day, and the world was so much different back then. We were much too poor to afford to ever go to the circus. So, this was almost like a religious experience, you might say. And is a memory I will forever hold near and dear to my heart. Sadly, RBB&BC closed their tent in 2017. So, there will be generations who will never know what the circus is, and most will probably never hear of them at all. When I came across your video, I had to share a special memory from my childhood.

[@TolgaEastCoast]

Thanks for the excellent story! Flattered that this catch brought back those memories

[@webstercat]

Great childhood story. Thanks for sharing…

[@brakie44820]

The 6 axle unit had nothing to do with the rail it was due to lack of proper track maintenance on industrial leads and that song of woe dates back for years. When I worked on the PRR we put a SW1200 on the ground because the rail rolled on a old and worn out track on a industrial lead.

[@hifijohn]

rotted ties???

[@eoinpkav152]

We do have to consider that a 6 motor engine weighs more than a switcher

[@bryan2523]

Looks like a lot of heavy train cars on a rotten set of tracks.

[@MrEkg98]

I am not a railroader. I am in aviation but I could almost guarantee 95% of the time its because of the track.

[@AllanLoveJr]

AS I WAS WATCHING THIS. I SAID THE SAME THING.

[@kevinkirk-hailey8762]

those rails are a disgrace. great job all round getting the loco back on track

[@Muggar62]

Lucky the locomotive was running at speed. May have been one almighty mess!!!

[@dannyholt105]

Nice footage of the re-rail! Also, a great look back. Love the blue colors of FEC. How long did this all take, 4-5 hrs.?? Thanks. Cheers, Dan

[@TolgaEastCoast]

Thanks! Yes it was a 4-5 hour cleanup. The tracks weren't fully done until after midnight.

[@tamamman]

Great video, talk about being at the right place at the right time! Very sad though.

[@salfordladcraigedeane2356]

Not really been in to trains, but now I am, love watching the train vids, ,,, very interesting to watch, ,

[@jackdurbin4324]

Nice train like the colors red and yellow jack🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️

[@gatortrainchaser2080]

Excellent Video Tolga! Great TRIBUTE at the end!

[@gosportjamie]

Those double deck aircraft may be much more efficient and environmentally appropriate, but by God they're ugly. They look like Gerard Depardieu's nose...

[@SteamCrane]

Excellent video! I hope the cars will be saved.

[@Hawkeye6936]

Another piece of Americana, RBBB Circus fades into the sunset. Shame. I always enjoyed the circus coming to town, railroad arrival and march thru the street. Shame to see RBBB Circus come to an end.

[@bubbabubba2013]

Yep, SJW's and Democrats destroy EVERYTHING.

[@organbuilder272]

You can thank TV, Animal rights activists ( Mostly) and a lack of attendance owing to interest in other amusements, Drugs, drinking not to mention apathy. Yes, it is a shame the circus will not longer come to town. From the look of the rails as they loco approached the crossing it is little wonder that the engine went off. The rains were crooked and humped, there is little doubt that the ties and roadbed where in horrible condition. A roll over is likely caused by the tracks spreading or the spikes not being tight. Either way it is maintenance. Nice video. Keep posting.

[@MusicLoverPearson]

BLAME IT ON THOSE DAMN ANIMAL CONTROL PEOPLE

[@SportDogg2008]

Thanks to those who should just eat the grass! They just want to take away american history! what do they teach their kids nothing!

[@beritnielsen3215]

@@bubbabubba2013 YOu must be very stupid don't you even think on this abuse to the animals !!!!!

[@chandlerbranchrailfanprodu5928]

Chuggington: Chug Patrol Wilson to the Rescue (2013 Colorized)

[@Thegam4rpro]

Nice plane catch those A380s are big as heck

[@BanditFlashpoint]

Thank you for bringing memories for the Barnum and Bailer Circus Train. Will never forget the memories we've seen here on youtube. May these memories....live on!

[@applesucks2633]

Prior to 2008 we had Oldsmobiles, Pontiacs, Space Shuttles, Circus Train’s and a whole host of American icons. By 2016 they were all gone. Eight of the most destructive years to our modern culture

[@carrieslantern9224]

Nice to know I'm not alone in that thought process.

[@w.r.adams-cooley8096]

Now we have a collapsed economy, unemployment rates not seen since World War 1, Covid-19, tear gassing citizens at will for photo ops, 105,000 dead from lack of testing and resources and climbing by 1,000 per day, police on a murdering rampage, racism, sexism, and the highest infection rate of transmittable disease in the entire world. The most destructive last 8 years to our modern culture.

[@teamidris]

The crane was a beast :o Must have been built just for re-railing trains? I’m guessing by the rope falls it would have a go at 70 ton.

[@TolgaEastCoast]

teamidris yep they're heavy lifters

[@barbatloosenutproductions2027]

Oh, thank you for sharing this video with us! 👍Watching the crew rerail that huge & heavy locomotive, had me biting my nails!😬 May you and yours be blessed. 🙏

[@brucedavidson2004]

Xx xx.

[@rickbedard5758]

i was with cp for 28 years and it was the same thing there ,50 white hats doing nothing and two or three workers trying not to trip over all the white hats. I don't miss it at all

[@mrk1075]

Wow, I never have that problem on my HO Layout.

[@davidbritton1802]

AWSOME VIDEO!!!!! {☆☆☆☆☆}-&-《♡♡♡♡♡》-!!!!!!! DJB@NEPA.....DJB43................U.S.A.!!!

[@MoneyMarcMes]

This is the best footage ever! Nice job!

[@SportDogg2008]

Would of love to see these guys and go to a show espically the train! still have the song from the early days from the show

[@douglaskirk2543]

Thanks for recording all that you did, great record of how it Was . . .

[@scottpool4777]

Yes that was the greatest show on 🌍

[@kimbofthejungle4443]

Please just say "earth".

[@ocsrc]

I think they ripped out this line. Most of the FEC is gone for good. I know they have 1 line remaining, but I think that's all they have. Used to be a lot of industrial businesses serviced by rail, but as businesses went out of business they no longer could afford to pay for upkeep of the tracks Most of them are hiking trails now, except for the ones that are contaminated

[@StevesAmericanTrucking]

Great footage of the plane as well.

[@gosportjamie]

Talk about planes, trains and automobiles in the first clip. That's a great spot to film from...

[@jamillasim104]

Pancing.sungai

[@jamillasim104]

Atau laut

[@geried.]

Too lengthy, practice the cut.

[@acts2211]

The strength of that crane is incredible that locomotive weighs 368000 pounds

[@Everywhere2]

So that's where John Candy went! Ran off and joined the circus!

[@MrBnsftrain]

2:47 so the crew member has to activate the crossing manually! 5:50 this couldn't have come at a worse time! The RBBX trains are on their last runs as a whole! 6:50 at least you got to do some air-fanning! 7:25 what type of horn is that? is sounds weak and worn, which is fitting for a cab car! 7:55 at least the mix of styles of cars isn't as weird as it is on Metrolink! It's neat that you got to go up close towards the re-railing process!

[@dancujo5591]

I wonder if FEC is hiring. I am a professional tailgate sitter, gum chewer. Excellent video. Kind of surprised they didn't tell you to move back at least 50 yards.

[@ocsrc]

This is a really good example of poor upkeep, or no upkeep of the tracks This line needed new rails, new tracks and new ballast the FEC has been in a downward spiral for the past decade Very sad I like the fact that they use old locomotives and I love the paint scheme, but they use what they can afford and what they have We used to be a rail country For those of us who remember trolleys EVERYWHERE and people riding them to work and play, and in my town and many others in the Northeast the trolley tracks crossed the railroad tracks and there were 4 or more diamonds at the crossings because there were 4 or more main Tracks All if our towns had rail yards and maintenance shops and we had coal companies serviced by the rail lines The would push cars over the shutes and manually dump 100s of tons of coal that slid down the concrete and they would sell by the truck load of pail load Poor people who couldn't afford to pay would go under the chutes and collect pieces of coal The downtown had a huge yard and 6 tracks that ran to the next yard and to the passenger station So many memories and it is all gone I really miss my youth Now I am old and sick and it is depressing Hard to not be bitter Life rolled over me I worked hard, but in this life, that doesn't mean anything

[@catdieselpower193]

great vid man nice catches!!

[@richardbrobeck2384]

there America lost more of our history thanks for making this great video We need to get our country to help restore and update our railroads

[@TolgaEastCoast]

Thanks, I agree.

[@drewjl0]

0:02 "COUGH"

[@vitissubrailfan2540]

welp I found the comment

[@TolgaEastCoast]

Dry Miami industrial air lol.

[@vitissubrailfan2540]

TolgaEastCoast lol

[@lindaterrell6104]

Once upon a time, we were driving along towards Phoenix. We noted the Ringling train. I think it was the Blue Train. And we got a call on our CB. From the Clown Car. We had a great chat until the train turned away.

[@buminbeer2]

That is the blue unit and you call that a derail? I was on the tour from 1990-91 and my car and about 14 others went upside down at 50 miles an hour! This was outside of Denver I believe. my car was about 3 feet underground. When I felt it going woke me up, I stood up and did an X with arms and legs. I don't think there were any serious injuries I remember. It certainly made it hard to sleep on the next few runs. No, we did not miss the next show!

[@Rtzee]

Oh no. Elephants, acrobats, lions, snakes, monkeys...how bazaar! Good vid man!!

[@ireland1953]

Enjoyed the video! How long did it take from the time the track bent to the train finally being able to move. Looked like quite awhile.

[@austinyingst5902]

GREAT STUFF!!! Marvelous stuff. Nicely done. Pity you couldn't get continuing commentary. And, how the big hook has changed; diesel has displaced steam even here. Thanks.

[@xhetoomni8134]

Derailment of circus trains: Isn't their anything sacred anymore? The Lion probably saying AH shit! Knocking off my sleeping schedule. Somebody is going to get eaten for this. A relative of mine was on one of these planes. To deplane it takes 45 minutes to 60 minutes. There is 500 to 800 people on this behemoth. Fun fact it takes as much work to go over these planes for maintenance (hard work, costs) as the SST. Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Why did they axe the SST? Isn't that hypocritical? One is less than size than the other but you stop the other from flying which is smaller.

[@Chuck59ish]

Sadly, another piece of railroad history will fade into the memory. Good thing there are a lot video of the trains on KZbin to keep the memory alive.

[@georgeferrer23]

Charles Damery what do you mean? don't tell me that their retiring this engine do to bad tracks.

[@Chuck59ish]

Not the engine, the train and the circus itself.

[@georgeferrer23]

Charles Damery oh ok, I thought it was the engine lol

[@AAPRCO]

Well, an SD40-2 is becoming a thing of the past too.

[@Chuck59ish]

Not in Canada, CN has over 170 still on their roster and a lot of short lines like our New Brunswick Southern Railway are leasing and buying them replacing the GP38s.

[@Goldarr1900]

I don’t know why they still put spikes on railroad ties. They should put steel plates on each side. In the inner rail and outer rail. This old method has been used for over 200 years.or at least put the steel plates every five feet. Something different. Like the saying goes: “ there’s more than one way to skin a cat”.

[@ashevilletrainman6989]

Now how does a guy like supersize Orlando get on a train like this one

[@TolgaEastCoast]

Asheville Trainman he is likely doing attractions reporting for his blog.

[@kathylynne2011]

Oh my gosh. The Florida East Coast Railroad. Well, what do you expect? People ain't breaken down the doors to use them. And now you can see one of the reasons why.

[@emx500]

I don't know which is best here? The circus train or the SD40-2 running long hood forward? Excellent work, Tolga.

[@christopherdibble5872]

The engineers don't wave from the trains anymore, not like they BACK in 1954

[@t.s.railfanning]

Were the tracks that the train was running on rated to support the weight of the sd40-2? I know 6 axle power is generally very heavy.

[@bobbobless522]

Makes sense to inspect the track of what looks disused for a long time. A derailment waiting to happen.

[@jjaagg5050]

Man, this is sad...

[@jamesdavis5096]

why this is legal is beyond me. So much control on so much shit, but toxic dangerous shit can travel over shitty track.

[@nationwiderailfanproductio9593]

They need a 8 axle engine never 12 axle too heavy they tend to bend the track

[@jijokoshyksjijo3989]

8 axle or 8 wheel??

[@nonyourbuz5805]

soooo....Who would route a Historic Train into such a quagmire ?......

[@webstercat]

Cometary about what is taking g place would be nice…. Still enjoy this video…..

[@RajaRhodes]

It's rare to hear an SD40-2 idle at this low of an RPM (when it was being rerailed)

[@stuartfarrell2067]

must be a government job 2 guys working 10 standing around lol

[@cup_and_cone]

And this is why you don't run big 12 axle locos on old, ratty industrial lines.

[@frostyorca]

great video. you got to see the derailment better than I did and I was on that train lol.

[@Honestware]

Very nice, Tolga!

[@cameronblair5403]

Special appearance by luthansha a380.what a treat to see that thing.

[@melted_cheetah]

Alot of useless yellow vested FEC employees just standing (or sitting) around. Financial dead weight.

[@w.r.adams-cooley8096]

I agree. I went into a Bank of America recently and the computers were down. There were a lot of jacketed sharply dressed bank tellers and other employees just sitting (or standing) around. Financial dead weight.

[@brandon-fl]

Thanks 4 the education / entertainment. A lot going on here!

[@jonmarnix4835]

Good sound affects the price is right

[@richardsylvanus2717]

I loved that also...round two!

[@Croco140]

Why a CoCo bogie on these cars ? How much do it weigh?

[@bobf3598]

Near the start, Planes Trains and Automobiles.... all we need is Steve Martin and John Candy.

[@TolgaEastCoast]

bob f correct

[@bryan2523]

Great video. You must have been there all day. I have never seen this before. Looks like these people have done this before. Keep them coming.

[@peterf.229]

with the condition of their rails, yeah Im sure they have experience.

[@williamschlenger1518]

Good job.A lot of track maintenance now.

[@stephaniesinger1159]

GREAT video guys !!!

[@foxyfoxy2034]

If I were them I would try and get another train on the other end to pull the circus cars to the location so they wouldn't have to wait long before ridding the rails again

[@TolgaEastCoast]

Impossible given the track layout, and where those cars were pulled from.

[@PaulCashman]

What a great video, and a moving tribute at the end. First-class work here.

[@PaulCashman]

@snarley shark that was an ignorant comment. You clearly have NO idea how well RBBB treated their animals. But please, DO continue to spew fake news.

[@PaulCashman]

@snarley shark sorry, you're incorrect. They shut down due to declining ticket revenue. Why did the revenue decline? Because they had already dropped the animals from their performances due to ginned-up outrage from activists who had NO idea how well RBBB treated their animals: Everything from having the animals' cars right behind the locomotives to provide the smoothest ride, to scheduling regular exercise break stops for the animals while en route, etc.

[@jeffrichman4298]

Hey I got fed 714 in Ho scale

[@PowerTrain611]

What kind of damn hand signal is that finger motion?? No engineer can see that in the cab. I was taught BIG, EXAGGERATED motions, not that bullshit... everything looks smaller from the cab.

[@stephensmith4480]

I was a member of a Re-railing crew in the UK. It was very interesting to see the way these boys did it. I know one thing, it`s pure hard graft.

[@TolgaEastCoast]

Yep, it's such a difficult and challenging task. One has to get everything right - no room for error.

[@stephensmith4480]

@@TolgaEastCoast On a job of that sort, we would have used hydraulic jacks with a remote control desk. The stretcher system that you used to pull the rail back into gauge was similar to ours only ours was a solid bar that had claws that went under the bottom of the rail and hooked onto the foot, so you had to dig out first and then adjust accordingly to pull the rail in. Nice piece of kit that crane you used, I would have loved for us to have one.👍☝

[@TolgaEastCoast]

Stephen Smith cool, thanks lol but the RR crews should take all the credit

[@tommythomason6187]

I never worked for a railroad, so what do I know, but seems all the big roads are using these big, six-axle locomotives on branch and industrial track, and that type of track isn't meant for such weight. Why do they do it? The four-axle units aren't around like they used to be?

[@jackdurbin4324]

I wood like to.be a train driver going down the rails Jack 👽🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️

[@TolgaEastCoast]

Jack Durbin cool

[@alejandromotaguevara5655]

ME GUSTO MUCHO EL VIDEO DERALIMENT AND RERALING

[@TolgaEastCoast]

Gracias amigo

[@pedrogarcia2653]

O que foi feito?

[@KSparks80]

How many FEC guys does it take to........awww, never mind. Be here all night counting!

[@MrAustruck]

i live in melbourne Australia ,and i like the unkown areas around the rail corridors , theres so much land and places that no ones about unless you explore these places , i like to see these same places in USA on you tube ,show me more

[@grumpyg9350]

Good job👍👍👍👍

[@iancanuckistan2244]

That's the first time I've seen three axles on the truck of a car. Nice job documenting it all.

[@haroldreardon8070]

The guy on the ground with the white hard hat, does he have a booger on his fingers or what ?? That is the sorriest hand signals to an engineer I have ever seen. And VERY hard to see for someone 50 ft away.

[@fuCKYeahckyrules]

hope each of the RBBX cars will not be just simply scrapped for parts. hopefully, they will find a loving home at a rail park or museums

[@rubedogg6969]

Nice footage, especially now that Ringling and Barnum have called it quits!

[@waltertomaszewski1083]

Ruben Delgadillo When did that happen?

[@RavenTheLabrador]

The circus never quit the company who owned the name and ran the circus they no longer wanted to do it and shut them down a few years ago.

[@altestic9436]

That was Choi!

[@samhouston1673]

Why would people not want to stop and look at this American Treasure?

[@robk1310]

I'm guessing the wood ties rotted in that location, causing the rails to fold over due to lack of support from underneath?

[@johntorres9941]

I wonder what the yard master thinking off. Sending 6axle unit on that track as an old fec employee that track never had good maint

[@spoiler539]

0:58 Anyone notice that American Boeing 757? (Atleast I think it’s a 757)

[@ahgfl007]

Maybe they should have replaced the old track a while ago since it tends to twist at the drop of some weight on it. Heavier the train the heavier the better the rails that are needed. As I looked at the track it seemed that the ties were not up to the standard that they ought to be and could have been a contributing factor to the derailment.

[@Dob.7749]

Kudos to the train driver who stuck to the speed limit it could have been worst if it were a trotle happy driver.

[@fastcsx1412]

Wow so cool and great catch very very lucky and great video.

[@MachenLand]

aww the union would be proud! all them boys standin around like that... 9:15

[@armankordi]

Ha, saw them at Philips Arena yesterday, then went down to Tilford Yard and saw the entire train.