BNSF News

BNSF Transports the Circus

2010-06-28

Since its first show in 1871, Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus® (RBBBC) has frequently turned to BNSF and its predecessor railroads to transport its circus props and animals, including elephants, Ukrainian body benders, trampolines and motorcycles. Each year, BNSF locomotives pull the mile-long equipment consist a portion of its 32,000-mile, 78-city trip across the United States.

The circus has its own rail equipment, essentially a "rolling city" comprised of passenger cars, dining cars and a wide variety of freight cars. Circus items transported recently in a 61-car consist include:

• Approximately 270 circus personnel from 15 different countries, including performers, costume designers, translators, electrical engineers, tailors, animal trainers, musicians and more
• A railcar outfitted with a nursery, daycare and schools for younger performers and performers' children who are along for the ride
• 100,000 pounds of elephants
• Argentinean tigers
• African steer, also known as "watusi"
• More than 300 drum sticks
• A mile of power cables
• A two-story metal globe
• Hundreds of tight ropes
• More than 5 tons of speakers
• Hundreds of pairs of stilts that are more than 30 feet tall
• At least seven pythons

The animals always ride in four animal stock cars positioned toward the front of the consist because they reportedly provide the "smoothest ride" for the animals.

"The Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus crisscrosses the country by rail for a full two years, and then takes a six-week hiatus in Tampa, Fla., to design a new show," said Bill Misiura, director, Transportation, for Feld Entertainment, Inc., the parent company of the circus. "BNSF has been an integral part of the Ringling Bros Barnum and Bailey Circus family, providing the circus with the highest-quality and safest transportation service possible, year after year."

Before each tour, the RBBBC provides its show dates and locations to the industry, and each of the major Class Is -- BNSF, Union Pacific, CSX and Norfolk Southern -- bid on each leg of the tour, from its origin to its destination. From there, all railroads work together to interchange the circus train as it travels throughout the country.

The BNSF Passenger Services team facilitates the scheduling effort for the Marketing team, while the Operations team is responsible for the actual move.

"BNSF employees do a tremendous job providing the circus members and animals a comfortable and safe living arrangement as they travel and stay overnight in many of the cities where we operate," said Rich Wessler, director, BNSF Passenger Service. "In fact, whenever the train travels 800 miles or more from one destination to another, the train stops along the right-of-way so the animals get their exercise, and are fed and 'watered'."

Just last week on their travels across BNSF rail lines, the circus members, animals and props made a quick stop in Fort Worth, Texas, on the way to San Antonio, Texas, where they will perform through July 4. Check out the RBBBC website to see where it heads next!

About the photo: Circus train travels through Fort Worth on its way to San Antonio. Photo courtesy of Olivia Templeton, manager, Contracts and Joint Facilities.

BNSF Headquarters

BNSF Railway Company
2650 Lou Menk Dr. 2nd Floor
P.O. Box 961057
Fort Worth, TX 76161-0057
Phone: (817) 352-1000

For more information on the company and its transportation solutions, visit the BNSF Web site at www.bnsf.com