I am wondering if at any time the circus train was ever hauled by a UP GTEL? Could be the original RBBX train or the modern incarnation.

Robert

No.

All the animals would have been deafened.

Or exficiated. Turbines had to keep forward speed above 20 in tunnels or exhaust glasses would flame the turbine out for lack of oxygen. Must have been a nightmare for the crews and could not imagine passengers behind that.

The crew is well ahead of the turbine exhaust so should not be a problem for them.

UP normally used either GP's or SD's they had steam generators in to haul the circus trains on their tracks. They had SDP35's plus multiple fleets of GP9's that had steam generation equipment on them. Plus once the passenger trains started to come off they could have used F's or E's also to cover them. The only GE's that were ever delivered prior Amtrak getting the P30's in the 70's where the Santa Fe that had U28CG's and U30CG's. The circus trains required the signal lines and the steam connections and GETL's never had them installed at all.