BOSTON — Pan Am Railways added an extra touch of class to Monday’s Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Red Unit train as it moved from Worcester, Mass., to Manchester, N.H. Leading the special move was the railroad’s pair of business train FP9 cab units, PAR 1 and PAR 2, spliced by two SD40-2s and a GP40-2LW. The train ran over an all-Boston & Maine routing, using the Worcester Main Line to Ayer, Mass., the Freight Main Line from Ayer east to North Chelmsford, Mass., and the Northern Main Line to Manchester.
The motive power assignment was widely reported on websites, and many took advantage of a pleasant spring day and daylight running to see and photograph the train.
The Red Unit will perform in Manchester April 21 to 23, prior to moving on to Hartford, Conn., via a Pan Am/CSX Transportation/Connecticut Southern routing. From Hartford, the train will move to Providence, R.I., for the unit’s final appearances.