The two and a half weeks I spend in Florida was good. It was great to get away from the cold weather and also have a change on scenery. Through out the duration of my stay, I was staying on a train. Yes, it was the circus train, that belonged to Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey. The train is 62 cars long and stretches for more than a mile. It has rooms and small apartments for all the staff, workers and every employee. It also houses all the animals. This was not my first time. I had stayed on the train many times before, but this time I got to do something more fun. The animals are usually kept near the train yard and are transported to a rail link closest to the arena where they perform. I got the chance to go along on one such trip where they were moving the elephants.
First the stock cars that carry the elephants are coupled together and assembled on a loop line. The pic above shows four stock cars that have been brought to a loop line next to an access path. By nightfall, the elephants are walked from the field to the train yard and loaded into the cars. In this case, there were six elephants being moved and each coach would carry two. Once they are loaded, they spend the night in the cars. Their care takers stay with them through the night. The inside of the coaches are well equipped with air conditioners and water sprinklers, so that the animals remain cool and in good health.
In the morning, an EMD SD40 locomotive belonging to CSX attaches its self to one end. A caboose is also attached to the other end. I jumped into the rear coach, which had two elephants. Even before the train started, the coach was swaying heavily due to the movement of the elephants. I was nervous at first and thought that if they moved any harder, we would tumble over. I kept reminding myself that this process has been happening every week for years and the people knew what they were doing. The EMD blows its horn and we start moving very gently. The journey time to downtown is 15 minutes and once we exited the yard and hit the straight stretch, the speed was maintained at close to 30mph.
In 15 minutes we reach the Amtrak terminal in Tampa and are put on a loop line. We wait there for close to an hour for the animal escorts to arrive and also for the police to clear the roads and form the convoy, that will lead the animals as they walk from the train to the arena which is a few short miles away. Before the doors open, the ramps are fixed to the doors. One by one the mighty beasts are let out into the open. They looked real excited to be outside after spending a whole night inside the coach. The trainers and masters soon lead them away from the train and towards the arena where they will perform. When it is time for the circus to leave town, the same process will happen in reverse. They are brought back to the same spot, loaded and taken back to the yard. This time they will not be taken off, but instead their coach will be attached to the rest of the train. Once all the 62 coaches have been coupled together, it's time for the circus to leave town and head out to a new city, where the same process repeats.
Living and travelling in the train can seem like fun, but I have heard that it starts getting to you after a year. For an occasional visitor like me, it can seem like fun. There are rooms of various sizes. Some rooms are real small, with just a bed and a cooking area. Some are slightly bigger with an attached bath. The biggest ones can occupy a full coach and has most of the things you would find in any normal apartment. The pic above is of the place I stayed in. We enter from the far left, which is the kitchen area, with the usual stove, dishwasher, microwave, fridge etc. Opposite that there is a small dining table. The couch and the TV shelf make up the living room. Towards the right of the pic, there is the bathroom and toilet and after that you find the bed room. The vestibule can be used as a small sit out. Once you are inside, you tend to forget that you are indeed inside a train. You feel like it is any other apartment. It is only when the train starts moving that you realize that you are inside a train
First the stock cars that carry the elephants are coupled together and assembled on a loop line. The pic above shows four stock cars that have been brought to a loop line next to an access path. By nightfall, the elephants are walked from the field to the train yard and loaded into the cars. In this case, there were six elephants being moved and each coach would carry two. Once they are loaded, they spend the night in the cars. Their care takers stay with them through the night. The inside of the coaches are well equipped with air conditioners and water sprinklers, so that the animals remain cool and in good health.
In 15 minutes we reach the Amtrak terminal in Tampa and are put on a loop line. We wait there for close to an hour for the animal escorts to arrive and also for the police to clear the roads and form the convoy, that will lead the animals as they walk from the train to the arena which is a few short miles away. Before the doors open, the ramps are fixed to the doors. One by one the mighty beasts are let out into the open. They looked real excited to be outside after spending a whole night inside the coach. The trainers and masters soon lead them away from the train and towards the arena where they will perform. When it is time for the circus to leave town, the same process will happen in reverse. They are brought back to the same spot, loaded and taken back to the yard. This time they will not be taken off, but instead their coach will be attached to the rest of the train. Once all the 62 coaches have been coupled together, it's time for the circus to leave town and head out to a new city, where the same process repeats.
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