Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Circus Trains #15


Circus Trains-15, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Posted by Buckles at 11/03/2010 05:53:00 AM

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

A Mike on the Milwaukee Road in south central Wisconsin. Which section?

03 November, 2010 10:02
Anonymous said...

The train is crossing the "mighty" Rock River about a mile south of Beloit, WI. and is about to cross hwy. 51.
Flint

03 November, 2010 11:59
Richard Reynolds said...

This is the first section - -easy to identify by the three elephant cars behind the locomotive. Up until 1939, the bull cars always rode the 4th. They were not needed on the lot or at the runs for any work which was done by draft horses.

There were four bull cars - -nos. 27, 28, 29 and 30. The herd, usually about 36 in those years, could ride in three of the cars.

The 4th car (no. 27) was outfitted with sleeping quarters for the elephant men. They took up one end and had doors in the side - -an odd looking car. The other half of the car carried extra equipment et al and occasionally a couple of bulls when the herd went up over 36.

With the addition of the Barnes bulls for 1939, the herd went up into the mid-40s. That meant that no. 27 had to be redone to haul 8 to 10 more bulls. The elephant men had to ride elsewhere.

By 1939 the draft horses were gone and ex-Barnes elephant boss Walter McClain had the herd. He was big on work elephants and put them to use unloading the train. That meant they had to go on the first section. So, three cars of them rode that train.

There was also need for pullover teams on the 2nd section so a single bull car ( no.27) rode that train.

It is little known but when the show went north for the two garden dates to start the tour (NYC and Boston) only three bull cars made those engagements. The 4th car stayed back in Sarasota to work the so-called canvas train that did not head north until the field show opened. This meant that New Yorkers and Bostonians did not see the full herd.

After 1942, the herd was smaller and could be handled in three cars - -28-29-30. No. 27 was left behind. The usual arrangement then changed.

I can testify that when the first section arrived in Atlanta in 1943, there was only one bull car on it. I was there. Presumably, the other three were on the second.

As best I can determine, the three bull cars rode the first section in 1944-45-46. Chappie’s photos confirm it for 1945 and we see it in this photo.

At various points in 1944 -1947, the show used horses to work the train. They rode in camel car no.26. The menagerie lead stock had so dwindled as to be down to nearly nothing, just a handful of camels, a llama or two and in 1944 (but that year only) two zebras.

Train loading orders for 1943-47 are missing from our data. Gordon Potter had gotten turned off by the switch to pneumatic wagon wheels and did not make train lists. We have to depend on ancillary material like photos.

04 November, 2010 14:40

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