Tuesday, July 22, 2014

1956-57 #14


Posted by Buckles at 7/22/2014 05:35:00 AM

7 comments:

4pawfan said...

As had been mentioned before on the blog, this bear enclosure was built using the old truss rods from the wooden flats when the show upgrade to steel flats. I would bet that other parts of the old flat cars went into other buildings,etc.

22 July, 2014 19:02
Dick Flint said...

That would mean the bear enclosure was there quite early. The show went into its new winter quarters for the first time in 1927 on wooden flats and left in the spring of the next year on steel flat cars. I've never seen photographs of the old (wooden flats or the older stocks) rail equipment at Sarasota so I wonder how long any of that sat around. What's the source about the permanent bear cages?
Dick Flint
Baltimore

23 July, 2014 04:07
4pawfan said...

I have not seen many photos of the winter quarters in its early years. It isn't till the 30's do you start to see photos taken there.
Most of my information that I have about winter quarters came from my conversations over the years with Harold Dunn regarding Ringling wagon history, winter quarters,etc.

I do recall that Ringling after much pressure from the railroads went with new steel cars, starting in 1928 as you stated. I don't remember seeing any Billboard listings of rail cars for sale by Ringling, but that doesn't mean some were not sold to the local railroads for use in their maint.of way trains, as they move at much slower speeds.
p.j.

23 July, 2014 12:38
Chic Silber said...


Your mention of "slower speeds"

reminds me of the condition of

ALL the track in & around us

here in Sarasota under control

of Seminole Gulf that appears

more like a thrill ride track

All short bolted rail sections

none of which make a straight

line to the next

23 July, 2014 14:08
Chic Silber said...


The track up in Ellenton where

Feld's new joint is located is

still part of the Chessie (CSX)

system as is the track spur to

Palmetto where the old RB train

shop was (or is) located

Seminole Gulf was a determining

factor in giving up Venice

Sarasota still has intermittant

freight service about weekly

(very weakly)

23 July, 2014 14:13
4pawfan said...

Again, this is before my time, but at one time winter quarters was serviced by two different raillines from what I undestand. I don't know if these two lines were still around into the 50's or not. There is a book about the short line railroads of Florida that has a chapter or two about it.
p.j.

23 July, 2014 18:43
Chic Silber said...


Until they merged in 67 there

were 2 rail lines in operation

through Sarasota & on down the

West Coast although 1 was the

Atlantic Coast Line & the other

the Seaboard Airline Railway

Both lines had stations in town

& they both caried freight

After they merged the Seaboard

Coast Line RR continued service

until sometime in 71 or 72

Nowadays we only have Seminole

Gulf who bought the track from

CSX some years back (pisspoor)

with intermittant freight only

23 July, 2014 21:01

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