Monday, October 20, 2008

Robert MacDougall


Scan10841, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Just received the sad news that Bob passed away this afternoon.

Posted by Buckles at 10/20/2008 06:21:00 PM

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

MAC- Engineer, Consultant, General Manager, Trainmaster, Author, Historian and Model Builder. But most of all a truly GREAT Friend. You will be missed!
Stephen T. Flint

20 October, 2008 23:22
Anonymous said...

BOB McDougal: Best said, Steve ..I had sent an earlier e-mail out to a number of my associates last evening and didn't name all of Bob's areas of the circus. First met Bob on the Blue Unit where he and Pauline were assigned in the Wardrobe Department. Bob was no doubt a man of vast knowledge. Maybe he will come up with another way to build a water wagon high above painted Ringling Red....Rest in Peace.

21 October, 2008 06:10
Anonymous said...

Well said Steve.....I couldn't add more.
Rest well friend
barb

21 October, 2008 08:57
Anonymous said...

I have fond memories of being the pin man for Bob on a couple of load outs when the Blue unit played the Rosemont Horizon (Chicago).He was one of the best and good friend of many years. My heart goes out to Pauline.

21 October, 2008 10:59
Anonymous said...

Bob rests! I will miss him. I recall the many times we visited him in his home in Van Nuys in the 50's and again on RBBB in Madison Square Garden. A life well lived.

21 October, 2008 14:44
Buckles said...

Bob MacDougall (who always singed his letters "Mac") was a great friend and first rate circus historian. He will be sorely missed.

He was 73 when he died yesterday (20th). I know because he is some five or six months younger than I and we used to talk about how close we were in age [I hit 74 last month - -good grief!]. I bragged to him that I saw my first RBBB show in 1937. But he topped that telling me saw his first one in Boston Garden in May 1935. When I looked skeptical, he said that his folks took him when he was only a month or so old.

Bob was much more than a trainmaster on RBBB. He was General Manager of both the Blue and later the Red shows in the 1970s and 1980s. He also was manager of Winter Quarter's Operations.

He was a first rate circus modeler, aided no doubt by his training in mechanical drawing and engineering design. And he was a fine photographer.

He also designed a lot of innovative RBBB show equipment. Some that come to my mind while I knew him included (1) the performing animal cage wagons with fold out exercise verandas; (2) the transport wagon for moving Flavio Togni's white rhino into the arena; (3) sleepers with vestibules and doors in the middle so that each could have four private sections; (3) pool wagons for sea lions; (3) container cars for hauling concession goods, much of which had once been hauled around in the pot bellies beneath the sleepers.

He knew the history of RBBB rail cars and wagons as well as anyone, nay he was a real expert on those subjects. His records of the comings and goings of RBBB railroad cars in the arena show era are equal to or surpass what the itself has.

Richard Reynolds

21 October, 2008 15:51
Anonymous said...

Mac,
You will always be remembered. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Pauline.
Adaline

21 October, 2008 18:07

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