According to Joe Bradbury’s very excellent series of WHITE TOPS articles on the 1948 RBBB season, the show moved on 90 railroad cars. In 1948, the train’s color scheme was silver (or aluminum) with red lettering. |
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
1948 RBBB (Set 1) #2
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According to Joe Bradbury, having the train painted all in silver was JRN’s idea. Years earlier, he’d seen one of the new diesel-powered streamliner passenger trains go racing by, looking like a silver streak, and decided that was the color he wanted for all of the cars in his show train. (Under Robert Ringling, the flats and stocks had been painted yellow, and the coaches red.)
It was indeed a phenomenon when they changed the coaches from red to silver. We were all astounded ourselves when we went looking for the train at nite to find out that the silver coaches were much harder to locate in unfamiliar fright yards. The red reflected the lights on the coaches in a distintive redish color. The silver refected just like any old baggage frieght car in the frieght yards. Finding the coaches,(sleepers)after coming home from down town or some party after the show at night was a chore. The cars were moved around quite a bit during loading and often we would have to consult with the police, even in small towns to, "Where in the heck did they put the circus train?" The change from red to silver did not make it easier. Jackie LeClaire
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