Saturday, March 18, 2017

#1 RB 50's


14 comments:

Chic Silber said...


WOW what a terrific collection

I've never seen any of these

Another great morning event

Paul Gutheil said...

There's something about a train, AND a CIRCUS. Wonderful set. So much nicer than New Jersey. Many thanks for starting the weekend off in fine fashion.

Chic Silber said...


The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad

was the only dual track for the

entire East Coast from NY to Fla

They were merged in 67 with the

Seaboard Airline Railway to form

the Seaboard Coastline Railroad

The whole damn shebang became

Amtrak in 1971 & went to hell

Chic Silber said...


I've taken the Amtrak version

of the Silver Star from NY to

Tampa where Amtrak provides a

very nice dedicated motor coach

to Sarasota (as well as return

trips on other occasions) & in

a sleeping car has been a nice

alternative to flying

Chic Silber said...


The US has lost well over

half of it's rail trackage

Freight rail rules almost

all of what's left

Eric said...

Whenever my wife and I travel across country, we invariably book passage on an AMTRAK passenger train. Our favorite train is the SOUTHWEST CHIEF, which we use when traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago. (It follows the same route as the old SUPER CHIEF.) Going by train takes us a little longer to reach our destination, but it also provides us with an opportunity to see something of the country; its mountains, deserts, rivers, forests, farms, small towns, etc. Surprisingly, more and more people are now opting to travel by train, particularly during the peak summer vacation months when the many inconveniences and indignities associated with air travel are particularly acute.

4pawfan said...

Chic this is the Bradenton train station with the freshly painted MSG train going north. This train only carried what was needed in the Garden and why there is only cages and prop wagons loaded on it. Do you know if this station is still standing? I know the Sarasota Mission style Atlantic Coast line station was torn down 2 years after it was placed in the National Register of Historic Places. ( it was called the Tampa Southern Railroad when it was built if I remember right). Too bad it couldn't have been saved. This was in the mid 1980's when the Sarasota station was torn down.

The quarters had a Seaboard spur and a Atlantic Coast spur going into it. Besides the circus train, carloads of hay and feed came into quarters each winter. The 100's of draft horses came here a few years before they were shipped to Peru Indiana for the winter after the American Circus Corp. was purchased.

thank you Buckles for sharing these with us.
p.j.

Chic Silber said...


The Sarasota ACL station after

standing empty & forlorn for several

years was turned into a steakhouse

for several years before developers

bought the property for a high rise

medical office building "Kane Plaza"

that sits at the East end of Main

The Seaboard station on Lemon Avenue

was gone in the late 60s I believe

Bob Cline said...

I agree with the others. This was a terrific set of photos. Thank you for sharing them with us.
Bob


Chic Silber said...


The locomotives on both

the East Coast Champion

& West Coast Champion

had this color scheme

Bob Swaney said...

Current edition of "Trains" magazine has several articles and many photos of the Ringling Bros. trains. Definitely a keeper.

Roger Smith said...

Thank you, BOB. I'm looking for this issue of "Trains".

Chic Silber said...


Kenny tells me that the

Bradenton Stations were

torn down long ago also

Tampa is the closest to

the Southwest locations

It was nicely restored

some years back

Chic Silber said...


The Venice ACL Station

after years of neglect

has been somewhat done

over as a bus station

with the GG statue