Circus Anniversary 4-6-0?

[Fred2179]

I've just been helping a friend set up a double-headed circus train with a pair of Emmett Kelly 4-6-0s. One was conventional (apart from all the xmas lights someone had fitted around the front which we had to rip out.) The other seems to be a 5th Gen Anniversary chassis [metal rods, crossheads, bump over gear and grease access.]
What's most curious is that it has some metal fittings - metal whistle on the steam dome, for example. It also has a BBT-style pilot mount.

I don't believe there ever were any Circus locos with Anniversary designations? Or were there?


Oh - the double header works. Revolution and battery in the rear tender, wired to the two engines in parallel.
https://youtu.be/xptO9z_gg18

[Loco Bill Canelos]

Hi Fred, 

I have no record of the Annie being done in the Emmet Kelly paint job.  Looking at what I see in the photo the arm on the front truck is not a Bachmann stock version so it must be either a homemade or a BBT add on.  There were Annie chassis with the red wheels so it would not be difficult to swap out the chassis.  Bachmann lost the Emmet Kelly rights in 2005 before the Version six Annie chassis came out so there doesn't seem to be possibility it could be a version six with the all metal gears.  It would be easy enough to add metal detail parts when the Annies first came out in 2000, because they were readily available at that time.  I picked up a metal whistle back then because a plastic one on my BH 4-6-0 broke.    Looking at the video the lead locomotive #49 it must have come from a Ringmaster Set if it is a version 5 .  Other EKJX 4-6-0's  had other numbers or were not version 5.  The second loco has been definitely modified and something was painted over where the number would be and I could not read the numberboards on the second loco.   Best I can do for now.

Anyway the video looked great and glad that you and your friend are having fun with it.

Merry Christmas!!

Bill

[Fred2179]

glad that you and your friend are having fun with it

Thanks Bill. That's pretty much what I thought. The front loco on the video is (was) stock so it is probably gen2 or 3, certainly not as fancy as the gen5 second loco!