Final Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Train With Amtrak Veterans Unit - May 23, 2017

A little diversion with a big jump to 2017 from 2010, when a historical event took place.
Here is a video of the last ever Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Train passing through New York Penn Station on May 23, 2017, heading south after the last performance of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus. After reaching Oak Island, the train ceased to exist, as the train cars would be split from each other, with some sold off to private owners, and others heading further south.

[@thomassmith5902]

They truly were the Greatest Show On Earth .

[@boomy776]

Thomas Smith they were the biggest circus ever

[@meeperfive]

Curse the people that care about animals (I care only about pet animals)

[@PanamaBob1942]

@@meeperfive What a stupid response. It's too bad the owners of RG&BB couldn't have evolved the show so that it was human entertainers only. Circus Vargas here in California does this and very well. Animal welfare is extremely important, but I have to admit I will miss this once-great show.

[@WesternOhioInterurbanHistory]

The abuse of animals was sad, but they could have changed.

[@jamesdavis5096]

Yes they were truly great. It is sad to see them go. When I was a kid I wanted to run off and join the circus. I wanted to become an elephant beater, then work my way up to assistant chief elephant beater, then all the way up to general manager of elephant beating. But now, my dreams are squashed.

[@PhantomDrums917]

Quietly and with no hurrah. One of the saddest sights I've ever seen. RIP Ringling. You weren't always about animal acts. The trapeze and human feats were brilliant and amazing.

[@SethMethCS]

RIP? Not if we #ReviveRBBB

[@mattvonwenden5405]

It's to late though to put this Humpty back together again, it's too late.

[@danivanon]

@@mattvonwenden5405 yeah but they sold their train :(

[@GateKeeper_Systems]

as announced by feld entertainment (the company that owns RBBB) as well as RBBB themselves, have announced the return of The Greatest Show on Earth in Fall 2023!

[@bigfrank1010]

another piece of my youth gone thks for all the years of thrills hugs🚓🇺🇸

[@PanamaBob1942]

A part of America died along with RB&BB. I got to see "Big Bertha" under canvas when I was a kid in 1952..truly amazing sight.

[@ThumperKJFK]

Such a sad moment in time. Thank you for getting this on video. This was a train That I used to watch pass through the Hollis station going East for the show, and going west from the show as a little kid. And as an adult, I would go to Sunny side yards to watch the unloading of all the rigs to be taken via the Mid Town tunnel to Madison sq. Garden for the big show. What a loss to all. Again Thank you so much.

[@WesternOhioInterurbanHistory]

They should have had a steam locomotive pull it's last run, with the "Casey Junior" song being played.

[@WesternOhioInterurbanHistory]

@Timothy O'Mara yes this is a joke

[@jamiejackson8530]

My family had a chance to ride on the blue unit as a part of the circus family it is a amazing train and a part of circus history I saw the blue unit for the first time in my life when I was 12 in peru Indiana witch has a strong circus connection with Ringling Brothers it makes me proud of my family s circus connection and the people who live the circus life

[@Little-Oshawott-2010]

The Ringling Bros. Circus Train was one of the last two remaining circus trains along with that carnival train which transports rides.

[@dickjohnson5979]

James E. Strates shows is the last carnival that travels by train.

[@DanielaAndBenny4ever]

This is legendary! Makes me want to ride the trains more

[@woodalexander]

What an incredible and unique move. The Red Unit at least has run under steam, diesel, and electric power!

[@mtattrain2]

Quite the history haha.

[@DeadlyGopher]

Why did thay stop the show?

[@S-CB-SL-Animations]

Deadly Gopher/rblx Because of Protesters, I'm not sure why.

[@mtattrain2]

Protesters who pressured for the retirement of the elephants (which were one of the most famed acts), plus high operating costs, and fewer tickets being sold, as according to many sources.

[@woodalexander]

The bottom line is that people aren't as interested in the circus anymore, and declining ticket sales combined with sky high costs meant it was not economically sustainable. People like to blame PETA and animal activists, but the reality is that it was on its way out well before the retirement of the elephants. If the elephants had stayed, it might have scraped by for a couple more years before ending.

[@noesalgado5038]

I spotted this train on 2016 passing through Columbus TX from Houston to San Antonio. At the time I found it really nice. I didn't know about a train traveling circus before.

[@LibertyRailfan]

Great catch and very sad to not see Ringling anymore...

[@lirrprodigy2810]

Good thing they chose the red 642 to lead.

[@vthome78]

Wow great catch. Awesome video aawww I miss the circus last time I saw them was in 2016

[@dmfinpa]

Great video capturing the final miles of the intact blue unit train, as you said. Had seen a video of the eastbound fully loaded run through Penn Station, and it was cool to see the performers and crew--the heart & soul of the circus--in the vestibules waving, saying hi as it rolled through. Depressing to say the least this run with most everyone now gone, the cars with no interior lights on and heading toward the final break up. I came out to see the purple ghost train travel through Bucks County PA 5/24. Surreal the fact The Greatest Show on Earth shall never pass this way again, a slice of Americana now relegated to history and our memories.

[@SethMethCS]

Only if we dont Revive RBBB. #ReviveRBBB

[@vijayanms5591]

dmfinpa

[@YoungNYCSubwayFan]

And the white Bus was not on there was well...so disappointing.

[@route66minion]

Thanks for sharing such a sad moment. Great video.

[@pedronewball1116]

thanks for posting

[@dickjohnson5979]

I hope that engineer felt honored to be driving that train. He probably did.

[@WestArkRailfan]

Dick Johnson, and he was driving the veterins loco, the only one in the world like that on that type of loco

[@tobor8115]

How the hell do you know who was driving the damn train?? Were you part of it?? were you there?? It would be nice if you let ppl know how you know, if you don't it's just another person spouting off on youtube, right???

[@DLouie21]

The only person spouting off is you

[@chaosdemonwolf1]

@@tobor8115 How the bloody hell would you know? Were YOU there? Were YOU part of it? Not ruddy likely

[@johnadams6535]

I hope he felt ashamed.

[@Dan-uv5lw]

Awesome catch, I agree, sad to see them go.

[@stampycatfan01lol]

To me the best part was that Amtrak 642 was leading.

[@topautos]

Great video !

[@allenyuphone]

Great catch you had

[@tjcassidy2694]

It's a pity no one made a video of the RBBX in Sunnyside Yard.

[@R3VStudios]

surprised it actually got through the station without derailing on a switch or something. seems to be happening a lot there lately

[@mtattrain2]

True, perhaps the repairs are working lol.

[@trainmanjosair]

3ƧЯ3V3Я | REVERSE Studios Yeah, you're Right. Especially since it Weighs WAY More than the Passenger Trains that go through there!

[@csx2002]

I was the 100K viewer

[@danielsmith4656]

I hope the animal lovers are happy what will be next

[@jackchen7003]

wow, freight train through Penn station huh

[@SpiritsoftheWolf]

it's LONG gone

[@canizlupuzcanizlupuz]

I like the part with the train.

[@allenyuphone]

Bye bye, "The Greatest Show on Earth Circus" Train! Bye-Bye!

[@johnpro2847]

Longest 'passenger train' I have ever seen. Had to play it at 2x as it was getting tedious. Sad to see a glorious era pass.

[@hurleyrebels]

I’ve never been and i think it’s not very nice to just stop making these wonderful shows , they should keep the tradition alive as Barnum and bailey would have wanted it to

[@bradyshifflett1136]

I missed it go through VA with the Virginian heritage :(

[@budbundy5021]

that looked like a subway

[@mtattrain2]

That and some regional rail stations in Philly look like subway stations lol.

[@robkrasinski6217]

It’s Penn Station in Manhattan I believe. It is underground. Diesels are banned into NY, so electric locomotives are used, or dual modes. SEPTA in Philly has two underground stations, Market East (Jefferson now) opened Nov 6, 1984 to replace the above ground Reading Terminal, and Penn Center Suburban Station (ex-PRR), also diesels are banned through the stations except for work trains.

[@CeruleanFilms]

Feld Entertainment also produces Disney On Ice, and if anyone has the cash to resurrect RBBB (provided they stay faithful to it), it's the Walt Disney Company. Considering how they've gobbled up Marvel, Lucasfilm and now Fox, it's a possibility we could see it return in some form eventually.

[@julianhudson7811]

Ooh, that would be a possibility. But i am questioning if it would be an animal free circus

[@djburland]

What a fantastic sight, how many carriages and low loaders in total?

[@mtattrain2]

I am not sure about the total number of carriages/low loaders, but there were enough for the train to be longer than a mile!

[@ArmandosAviation]

This is Madagascar 4

[@vovatrain5361]

Caisy Jr. coming down the trak.

[@fillup40]

Insane.

[@meeperfive]

In penn station???

[@mtattrain2]

Yes

[@meijer076]

An institution of American life is no more.

[@tech45]

To Animal rights groups I hope your happy,you brought down a AMERICAN TRADITION :(

[@robkrasinski6217]

Tech 45 No blame the Millennials and younger generations. They are the reason RBBB ended. The circus’ biggest demographic is kids and teens. Once you lose their interest it’s all over. The problem is that today’s young people have so many other entertainment options from video games to 500 channels to internet that they lost interest in the circus. So, after 100+ years, Feld Entertainment finally admitted defeat and decided to close the circus division.

[@PawsOfGrace]

ACTUALLY, the problem is that cruel methods such as bullhooks and whipping are used to train these animals into submission. This literally has nothing to do with the internet and other entertainment options. I'm proud that millennials like myself are standing up and creating change in the world. Seems like it's been up to us millennials to clean up the mess of our older generations ;)

[@tibbers3755]

fuck off, i know a guy who worked with them, he says there was never any cases of that in atleast 2 decades

[@somecallmeelvis]

Damn those animal rights activists ruining the fun such party poopers this is the last time we will see the show

[@danivanon]

@@robkrasinski6217 what? No it's not millennials at all. It's the parents of millennials who didn't take their kids to the circus.

[@stevenmartin3508]

Imagine all the frustrated drivers waiting for that train to pass, rofl.

[@KingdaToro]

Normally it runs at 60 MPH, so it would take a bit over a minute to pass a crossing. But on the Northeast Corridor, where you see it here, there are no crossings.

[@officialmcdeath]

That is surely way in excess of 2000 tons, anyone got the figures on that? How fast would they travel between sites and what sort of hp would normally be provided? \m/

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

I read that the carnies just packed up and drove away from the train. Where will they all go?

[@MrRailfan]

but can it wrong rail?

[@mtattrain2]

ofc

[@mikespillman3075]

my god....the logistics of transporting that show. gone. sad.

[@Blank53689]

Amtrak 642 Veterans Unit

[@allenyuphone]

Another Ford F-350 Super Duty Truck on a flatbed sobs and says "Bye-Bye!!!!!" as it heads for Florida.

[@Matthew44889]

What are they going to do with the cars and stuff?

[@aderiusscott2220]

Left abandoned

[@danielferstendig]

Goodbye cassey jr.

[@josephfrye8750]

If I want to bring it back, here are some new things to put in. The NEO Greatest Show on Earth! 1. It will be livestreamed. 2. It will a strict policy against animal torture> 3. it will have Animatronic, Holographic, and Real Hybrid Animals 4. Each performances will have a story. 5. Individual shows will be like a timeline (From it's origins to the end). 6. It will raise funds for Wildlife conservationists. 7. it'll have animals that can't survive in the wild. 8. Elephants will be back for other proposes besides tricks. 9. it will be educational. 10. It can be Non-Profitable.

[@julianhudson7811]

I love it. I think the animals could also be done through puppetry and some costumes.

[@manageable_f164]

what happened to the Ringling Brothers Circus trains?

[@mtattrain2]

They no longer run because the circus stopped doing performances after May 2017. Many of the cars have been sold off.

[@charlesdell2864]

I didn't see any end of train device did I miss it?

[@thomasboese3793]

Not a red flashing "FRED" insight... Nothing at all...

[@samanli-tw3id]

Gary Plastek It should have a caboose

[@trainboi6736]

Ok i have a million questions

[@sjtom57]

Very sad day. Another piece of Americana gone forever.

[@donaldmcauliffe7653]

It sad it a part of my childhood l saw the last show l was crying at the end. They never mistreated their animals it was a lie which destory the circus after 147 years

[@PanamaBob1942]

Sorry, Don...the ill treatment of animals on circuses is well documented, including RB&BB. Gebel-Williams changed a lot of that by using humane methods, but it was still taking living animals and forcing them to perform tricks for human amusement. RB&BB could have switched over to all human performers, but they waited too long. But I do agree...losing the institution was a sad day for America.

[@erintirpak4250]

i love the animals

[@eugenkramaric1173]

Holy shit !!! How many wagons have this train ?

[@Maunico0809]

Why do they always use ACS-64 642 as lead engine on the Circus Train

[@geoffreylee5199]

As tail enter tunnel on Long Island, nose appears in New Jersey.

[@BessemerLakeErie902]

Wow!

[@Little-Oshawott-2010]

What did you meant by going south?

[@mtattrain2]

Some of the cars in the train are heading as south as Florida, where they will be taken by collectors/museums.

[@emanuelcollier7284]

some of the cars heading south will be the 1 transporting the elephants cause theyre going to FL to sanctuaries into retirement

[@ChinkapinOak]

The elephants were retired in 2015.

[@emanuelcollier7284]

Could've sworn I'd heard there was some left in service up until the end.....

[@Little-Oshawott-2010]

Shannon Edwards actually they're retired in May of 2016.

[@KandiKlover]

What the heck is a freight train doing indoors by a subway platform?

[@mtattrain2]

This is a national railroad station, not a subway station.

[@KandiKlover]

@@mtattrain2may connect to the national network but it still a subway.

[@donaldmcauliffe7653]

I am 60 years old the first time l saw it l was ten the last time l saw it l was. 58 years old

[@moonspots01]

Well that's sad :(

[@SethMethCS]

We can get RBBB back #ReviveRBBB

[@mattvonwenden5405]

No, of all the Humpties we can put together again in this world, we can't put this one back together again.

[@divox9pqr]

Pulled by the new Siemens Chargers?

[@Technet9090]

No the chargers (SC-44) are diesel locomotives, the ones you saw in the videos are electric locomotives made by Siemens (ACS-64)!

[@julianhudson7811]

Where is oak island exactly?

[@mtattrain2]

I think somewhere in North Carolina.

[@julianhudson7811]

@@mtattrain2 I think you might be referring to oak island railyard in Newark, NJ

[@r62a7train2]

What station is this

[@Technet9090]

Penn station in NYC!

[@tanyahanna6523]

The end...

[@samuelreuter1996]

Why is it in the subway?

[@mtattrain2]

This is Penn Station, which is actually not a subway (as in a metro system) but an underground train station.

[@samuelreuter1996]

oh

[@gunsaway1]

Sad!

[@fhowland]

The saddest sight on earth

[@maryedelguzman2740]

Even if Ringling Brother's Barnum and Bailey Blue Circus have folded up, them and all circuses are cursed. The owners and stock holders of circuses will answer to God for all the abuses, cruelty and exploitation inflicted on the human and non-human animals that they employed in their circuses. People only see the funny part and gratification form watching the non-human animals but they are not aware of the pain and cruelty inflicted on them during training. And no amount of rehabilitation can repay or rectify the cruelty and abuse that have been inflicted on them.

[@WesternOhioInterurbanHistory]

They deserved to close. But the Circus Train itself should have kept running.

[@Selfishslinger]

amtrak dose this now

[@panthir6720]

#thelastgreatestshowonearth

[@cavallierbus7337]

😨😧😢

[@TracksideViews]

Seemed like a bunch of clowns ran that train

[@allenyuphone]

The Ford F-350 Super Duty Truck on a flatbed sobs and says "Bye-Bye!!!!!" as it heads for Florida.

[@MrCzechers]

RBBX ... The Greatest TRAIN on Earth.

[@modeltrainproductions3167]

how did u know it was coming into new york. love the veterans heritage unit 642 leading that train also

[@mtattrain2]

Heard through the grapevine aka social media. I agree, it was also pretty fitting to see 642 leading lol.

[@brandonconnelly6798]

4:41 how to move fords

[@S-CB-SL-Animations]

I'm so glad that I saw it two times in a row, both *_Ringling Bros. And Barnum and Bailey's Zing Zang Zoom,_* and *_Ringling Bros. And Barnum and Bailey's Out Of This World!_*

[@tibbers3755]

That is a legendary catch: 642 and the circus.

[@DanielaAndBenny4ever]

Dude this is like 2 miles of train!

[@samanli-tw3id]

Probably the longest train to pass through Penn Station.

[@FlexibleFlyer50]

My mom was a nurse in Hartford, CT and worked in the ER and OR when the big circus fire happened. My brothers and I weren't around (and neither was our dad), but when we were in high school she talked about the circus fire and what it was like to work in the hospital with all the burn victims and people flooding in. She said it was complete chaos. When she was telling us about her memories she began to cry and said she couldn't forget the smell of burned flesh or the parents looking for children who were either killed on the circus grounds or died in the hospital. That was truly the day that the clowns cried.

[@JaymeSplendid]

I was train hopping into Atlanta and we were chilling behind this old building that was overlooking the very end of the yard off property and I saw this all red old school looking circus train. It wasn't B&BC and I can't recall what it was but it wasn't short line. At that time I've been hopping for over 10 years and I NEVER seen that train before or since. PS Railfans really, REALLY hate train hoppers.

[@leftylou6070]

That was the last train for the blue unit, where's the last train for the red unit? Thanks for the vid!

[@sthpac69]

This is making me cry. I would have never thought in 2016 when I went to see this train in the yard in St Louis Mo. and watch them parade the animals down Chouteau to the arena. I "m much older now and didn't attend the shows any more but I loved the train. I can remember back in the 60s when it was much larger . They had what they called The Midway that was comprised of a lot of rides and live shows.

[@BLAMBERRY]

Thats not 10mph.....

[@C.Q_Wilkenson]

Love seeing the rolling stock perfectly flush with the platforms. Talk about structure guage!

[@transportationproductions1794]

I heard that the RBBX circus is coming back! Just imagine Big Boy 4014 pulling the circus train!

[@WatchingYouTube247]

They’re coming back next year with no animals or trains.

[@6484373]

I learned 2 things in this video. 1. Woah circus train in a Subway 2. Those amtrak locos can be powered by 3rd rail

[@Maunico0809]

First of all not a Subway it's Penn Station (specifically the LIRR, NJ TRANSIT, and AMTRAK platforms) Two: Amtrak does not run on thrid rail (with the exception of the New York (Penn Station) to Albany line).

[@capt.fuzzball8956]

I’ll find a way to save ringling.

[@lynneferencik1378]

miss it alot

[@BigNate5404]

So it’s been four years. I’m curious to know what happened to all of the circus equipment

[@josephfrye8750]

We can now have a circus theme park.

[@CONRAILFAN-oj7kr]

Wholly crap a 6 min train