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Call Number
CWM Mss 73

Title 
Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus Transportation Department Papers, 1973-2012                   3 c.f. (2 boxes)

History
The Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus was created in 1919 when the surviving Ringling brothers consolidated their circus with the Barnum and Bailey Circus which they had acquired in 1908. The combined show has remained the largest, longest running and most successful circus operation in American history. The circus remained in Ringling family hands until 1967 when it was sold to Irvin Feld (1918-1984). Feld, who started his career as a producer of rock and roll acts, had been working for the circus for ten years as one of the national promoters for the show. 
Under Feld’s direction the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus which had been steadily declining through much of the 1950s and 1960s rebounded and steadily grew to an immense size. Upon Irvin Feld’s death in 1984 control of the circus was passed onto his son Kenneth. 

Kenneth J. Feld joined the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1970 and soon became a co-producer. Under his tenure Feld Inc. expanded its operations to include various ice shows including Disney on Ice!, Doodlebops Live, Monster Jam, and the AMA Supercross Championship. The circus remains a central piece of Feld Inc. which currently operates three independent circus units Red, Blue, and Gold. In 1979 Feld Inc. produced the Monte Carlo Circus which toured the United States with a 15 car train. The unit was dissolved in 1980. The Gold Unit, created in 2004, is a truck based one ring circus designed for smaller venues. 

Currently, the circus maintains two train based shows organized into two units, Red and Blue. Each train consists of approximately 40 passenger and 20 freight cars. The Blue and Red Units present a full three-ring production for two years each visiting alternating major cities each year. Both units take off the month of December. Each Unit presents a different "edition" of the show. The Blue Unit presents the even-numbered editions on a two-year tour (beginning each even-numbered year), and the Red Unit presents the odd-numbered editions on the same two-year tour (beginning each odd-numbered year). 


Scope and content
The collection contains an extensive assortment of documentation regarding the railroad transportation of the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus from 1973 through 2012. The files detail the various operational matters such as loading, unloading, arrival and departure times and locations, destination locations, the number and type cars on each train, and important personnel contact information. The records may also contain additional information such as the distance and routes between the rail years and the performance site, and specific instructions to train crews. 

The files consist of information of both the Red and Blue Unit as well as transportation orders for the Monte Carlo Circus from 1979. Several years are not represented in this collection most notably, 2004-2008. This collection does not contain any information in regards to the Gold Unit, which is transported by truck.  

The collection is primarily arranged alphabetically, however, within the specific file types such as Engagement Synopses and Transportation Orders the files are arranged chronologically.  There is also a variation in that some of the years the Red and Blue Units were interfiled together in one cumulative record. 


Presented to Circus World Museum by Joe DeMike and Peggy Williams


Container List 
Box       Folder

Box 1     Folder 1          Barnum’s Kaleidoscape Rolling Stock Master List, 1999
Box 1     Folder 2          Circus train information and operations booklet, 1995-2003
                                     Engagement synopses
Box 1     Folder 3                 Red Unit, 1973-1999
Box 1     Folder 4                 Blue Unit, 1973-1999
Box 1     Folder 5                 Red Unit, 2000
Box 1     Folder 6                 Blue Unit, 2000
Box 1     Folder 7                 Red Unit, 2001
Box 1     Folder 8                 Blue Unit, 2001
Box 1     Folder 9                 Red Unit, 2002
Box 1     Folder 10               Blue Unit, 2002
Box 1     Folder 11        Inter-office memo, unloading trains, Long Beach, California, 1983
Box 1     Folder 12        Rail movement reports, 1985
Box 1     Folder 13        Route sheets, 1992-1996
                                     Train consist and storage information 
Box 1     Folder 14               Red Unit, 1991-200
Box 1     Folder 15               Blue Unit, 1991-2000
Box 1     Folder 16        Train information and operations, 1995
Box 1     Folder 17-19   Train rules and safety regulations, 1997, 1998, undated 
                                     Transportation Orders
Box 1     Folder 20               Red Unit, 1977-1979
Box 1     Folder 21               Blue Unit, 1977-1979
Box 1     Folder 22               Monte Carlo Unit, 1979
Box 1     Folder 23               Red Unit, 1980-1982
Box 1     Folder 24               Blue Unit, 1980-1982
Box 1     Folder 25               Red Unit, 1983-1985
Box 2     Folder 1                 Blue Unit, 1983-1985
Box 2     Folder 2                 Red Unit, 1984-1999
Box 2     Folder 3                 Blue Unit, 1984-1999
                                            Red and Blue Units, 1986-1988
Box 2     Folder 4                       A-I
Box 2     Folder 5                       J-P
Box 2     Folder 6                       Q-Z
                                           Red and Blue Units, 1989-1993
Box 2     Folder 7                       A-C
Box 2     Folder 8                       D-K
Box 2     Folder 9                       L-P
Box 2     Folder 10                     Q-Z
Box 2     Folder 11              Red and Blue Units, 1992
Box 2     Folder 12-13         Red and Blue Units, 1996-1997
Box 2     Folder 14              Red and Blue Units, 1998
Box 3     Folder 1                Red Unit, 2000
Box 3     Folder 2                Blue Unit, 2000
Box 3     Folder 3                Red Unit, 2001
Box 3     Folder 4                Blue Unit, 2001
Box 3     Folder 5                Red Unit, 2002
Box 3     Folder 6                Blue Unit, 2002 
Box 3     Folder 7                Red Unit, 2003 
Box 3     Folder 8                Blue Unit, 2003
Box 3     Folder 9                Red Unit, 2009
Box 3     Folder 10              Blue Unit, 2009
Box 3     Folder 11              Red Unit, 2010
Box 3     Folder 12              Blue Unit, 2010
Box 3     Folder 13              Red Unit, 2011
Box 3     Folder 14              Blue Unit, 2011
Box 3     Folder 15              Red Unit, 2012
Box 3     Folder 16              Blue Unit, 2012