The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus train Red unit rounds a bend near a Worcester, Mass., golf course on Monday, April 17.
Kevin Burkholder
BOSTON — Pan Am Railways added an extra touch of class to Monday’s Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Red Unit train as it moved from Worcester, Mass., to Manchester, N.H. Leading the special move was the railroad’s pair of business train FP9 cab units, PAR 1 and PAR 2, spliced by two SD40-2s and a GP40-2LW. The train ran over an all-Boston & Maine routing, using the Worcester Main Line to Ayer, Mass., the Freight Main Line from Ayer east to North Chelmsford, Mass., and the Northern Main Line to Manchester.
The motive power assignment was widely reported on websites, and many took advantage of a pleasant spring day and daylight running to see and photograph the train.
The Red Unit will perform in Manchester April 21 to 23, prior to moving on to Hartford, Conn., via a Pan Am/CSX Transportation/Connecticut Southern routing. From Hartford, the train will move to Providence, R.I., for the unit’s final appearances.
Sadly the trains are both to be sold off. In the years that I commuted into NYC on LIRR, I got used to seeing them a bit each year near Hunters Point Ave. station. And my wife, daughter and I did get to the final stand of the Red Train’s circus unit several days ago on Long Island.
The golf course is Worcester Country Club. The first official Ryder Cup was contested there in 1927.
That’s very impressive. I hope somebody steps forward to save this long running American institution.