Monday, November 20, 2006

Circus train sleeping car. Chicago Illinois USA. November 2006.

Seen here parked for a lenghty annual visit, is the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus train. The train is parked on former Milwaukee Road trackage adjacent to the Metra station known as Hanson Park, just below the Central Avenue overpass bridge near Grand Avenue. This passenger car appears to be a secondhand Amtrak Heritage Fleet sleeping car. Until they were replaced by new equipment in recent years, these cars worked for other Pre Amtrak carriers prior to 1971. These cars once hauled passengers on such trains as -The Pennsylvania Railroad's "Broadway Limited" -The Southern Pacific Railroad's -San Joaquin Daylight -The Northern Pacific Railroad's -North Coast Limited -The Santa Fe Superchief -or any number of famous and non famous pre Amtrak passenger trains. Amtrak used these cars from their 1971 start up -
well into the 1990's and beyond. They now carry the circus performers and support crews.

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