The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus train rolled into Spring Hope, North Carolina three years ago and never left. This little town of 1,300 people didn’t even know the greatest show on earth was in town until Carolina Journal got a tip. The NCDOT purchased the nine rail cars back in 2017 for $383,000 for a future project. NCDOT wasn’t able to store the cars in their rail facilities in Raleigh so they hid them on a state-owned stretch of track in Spring Hope.
After learning about this story I had to see it myself, so we made our way east from the Charlotte area to Spring Hope, NC. The rail cars can be seen in the west direction at the South Old Franklin Road railroad crossing. This branch is owned by the state and serviced by the Carolina Coastal Railway and provides freight service to what remains of the Nash County Railroad. Just west of where the cars are stored the line is abandoned between downtown Spring Hope to New Hope, NC.
Most of the rail coaches were built by the St Louis Car Company in 1964. These 44-seat passenger coaches were used by Union Pacific Railroad and were later purchased and used by Amtrak in 1971. Ringling Brothers acquired them in the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. Once Ringling Brothers took ownership of these coaches they were modified and completely reconfigured to accommodate their new purpose. Almost all of the coaches parked in Spring Hope were used to provide sleeping quarters for entertainers and staff of the circus. Each coach has what looks like mini-studio apartments. Some of the coaches would have nearly a dozen bedrooms. While photographing the exterior of the nine coach cars I was able to see the original RBBX coach numbers. With this information, I was able to determine how each coach car was used.
Cars listed in order from the street to the woods:
- RBBX 43008 | Red Unit | Residential Coach Car
- RBBX 43004 | Red Unit | Residential Coach Car
- RBBX 43002 | Red Unit | Residential 12 bedrooms [2 larger/10 small]
- RBBX 43005 | Red Unit | Residential Coach Car
- RBBX 43010 | Red Unit | Animal Dept Residential Coach Car
- RBBX 60001 | Blue Unit | Shop car
- RBBX 43012 | Blue Unit | Residential Coach Car
- RBBX 43001 | Red Unit | Residential Coach Car
- RBBX 43006 | Red Unit | Residential Coach Car
Although these coaches were “hidden” in the woods they have been vandalized on the exterior with graffiti, busted out windows, and broken or missing doors on the underbelly equipment compartments. All of the busted windows have been boarded up. I’m not sure if there is any interior damage.
My question is whats next for these nine historical Ringling Brother coaches?
It’s been nearly 3 years and nothing has been done with this $383,000 state of North Carolina investment. NCDOT’s plan was to convert these coaches back to 64 seat passenger cars. Has this project been tabled?
My question to NCDOT are you planning to continue with this project if so what is the timeline?
If not I think this would be a great addition to the collection at the North Carolina Transportation Museum. As I said these cars have quite a history and were custom modified to accommodate the circus needs. I think this would be an amazing museum exhibit even a rolling exhibit. Back in 2017, I was able to see 7 of the 9 of the cars pass me as I documented there final trip through Massachusetts. My worry is that the longer they stay in Spring Hope the less likely they will be repurposed or saved.
