Circus train

Any news on the circus train?

It's coming in 2 weeks.

lirr415 wrote:It's coming in 2 weeks.

oh wow, I almost forgot about this.

Do you know the exact date its pulling in to Garden City?

lilbluefoxie wrote:

lirr415 wrote:It's coming in 2 weeks.

oh wow, I almost forgot about this.

Do you know the exact date its pulling in to Garden City?

March 19th(the Monday of that week) is when the train is due on the property. They are at Nassau Coliseum 3/21-3/26. Last year the train came in around 3PM the police usually close the roads off ahead of time so the earlier you get there, the better. This is all I know as of right now.

What route does the circus train take? Does it come through NYP out the mainline, or does it come from the Bushwick branch down from Hell's Gate and reverses at Fresh Pond?

Also, when do the LIRR engines take over (the three work engines that usually pull the train out the Hempstead Branch)

lirr42 wrote:What route does the circus train take? Does it come through NYP out the mainline, or does it come from the Bushwick branch down from Hell's Gate and reverses at Fresh Pond?

Also, when do the LIRR engines take over (the three work engines that usually pull the train out the Hempstead Branch)

It goes through Penn, as there is no economical connection from NJ to NY otherwise (and if it did, it would be on the Bay Ridge Branch, not the Bushwick Branch, which is a totally different line).

The LIRR engines (usually 4-5 engines pulling, and a chaser) take over in Harold Interlocking.


Justa suggestion, try to clean up your grammar and know what your saying before you write. It kind of doesn't make sence what your saying.

Justa suggestion, try to clean up your grammar and know what your saying before you write. It kind of doesn't make sence what your saying
Just a, Sense. Just saying

If it goes through NYP - what motive power do they use to regarding the restrictions on smoke producing engines in NYP and in the river tunnels? And if they can do this, then why was there the long tradition of landing the train at Hunter's Point and walking th elephants thorugh the Mid-Town tunnel?

"And if they can do this, then why was there the long tradition of landing the train at Hunter's Point and walking th elephants thorugh the Mid-Town tunnel?"

Because the elephants can't fit on the escalators.

railfan365 wrote:If it goes through NYP - what motive power do they use to regarding the restrictions on smoke producing engines in NYP and in the river tunnels? And if they can do this, then why was there the long tradition of landing the train at Hunter's Point and walking th elephants thorugh the Mid-Town tunnel?

Amtrak used to put a few HHP-8's on the circus train for it's trip through the tunnels and Penn Station. Back when the E60's were around, they used those. If no HHP-8's are around, they will tie on a bunch of AEM-7's.

About 7 or 8 years the idea was tossed around to send a few DM30AC's over into Jersey to pick up the circus train. It never panned out for a variety of reasons.

Two best places to watch the train:
- Railfans Commercial & Clinton ... where they break apart the train
- Kids Quentin Roosevelt Blvd & Commercial ... stand on the east side of the street & the elephants will walk right by you ... get there early before the cops won't let you walk to that spot.

If theirs no HHP's avaliable, why don't they just use MP15 from Amtrak to bring them through the tunnels and into Harold? I have seen Amtrak MP15's in Penn Station before and you would need less of them then using a bunch of AEM's.

peanut1 wrote:If theirs no HHP's avaliable, why don't they just use MP15 from Amtrak to bring them through the tunnels and into Harold? I have seen Amtrak MP15's in Penn Station before and you would need less of them then using a bunch of AEM's.

Amtrak MP15? Either way, a diesel operation is not allowed in NYP except for emergencies

Yes, Amtrak in fact did/does operate TWO distinctly different MP15 locomotives. The have/had both the EMD MP15DC and the MPI MP15D locomotive.

What is the difference between the 2 types of MP15?