Thursday, July 14, 2011

From Richard Reynolds #2

Then in 2001, I again rode the circus train in style. This time in "Northern Sky" a former Union Pacific dome, then privately owned by David Hoffman, a member of the Board of Circus World Museum. That ride was from Baraboo through Madison to Stoughton. Here is "Northern Sky" - -
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Posted by Buckles at 7/14/2011 06:05:00 AM

10 comments:

johnny said...

One year during parade days I was in MWKEE just to rgmtr. Tommy's circus, so we backtracked the train route and picked out known stops of the train along the way. We arrived earl not to miss the train as did hundreds of folks. At each stop a cry would say "here it comes" and then minutes later a couple of deisel locomotives would pull into the depot followed by at least two very modern coaches and still way back out in the booneys would be the circus tain. If you wanted to stumble back hundreds of yards on the main line you could see the circus train. What a disappointment. But the goofs riding in the fancy cars waved and acted like they were celebrities of some sort. The years I refer to were when the name STRONG FUNDS was those front cars and the name was peppered more than CWM. There is an old saying that the "tail should not wag the dog" How true. Good old corporate America taking charge. Strong even put on his own circus with circus acts from the parade grounds, i GUESS AT HIS OWN ESTATE. Didn't have to rub elbows with the commoners. true story from, Johnny

14 July, 2011 08:29
Dick Flint said...

"Strong Capital Management and its founder have agreed to pay $140 million and reduce fees to settle charges of improper mutual fund trading — a deal that also bars Richard Strong from the securities industry for life... The case involved a betrayal of investors and a suppression of evidence... The Strong settlement stands out in several ways. In addition to being barred from the industry, Richard Strong personally will pay $60 million in restitution and fines. Unlike most civil settlements, in which there is no admission of guilt, Strong admitted wrongdoing and apologized to investors." from USA Today, 5/21/2004.

14 July, 2011 11:20
Anonymous said...

Points well taken and well expressed.

Yet, one should remember that at least some of those "goofs" and "celebrities" were customers and clients of Strong Funds, which in turn financed the entire "circus" train operation. No happy hand wavers and other clients, no Great Circus Train.

Often as not, the host railroad's identification [C&NW, CMStP&P, CN, UPRR, WSOR] was more prominent than the sponsor's name, especially in the years of primarily WSOR operations. I doubt that few in the crowds, though, were unaware of the circus nature of the train and the orign and destination places and activities. It was "circus" that brought them out.

The absence of the parade and train the past few years is clear testimony to the absolutely essential need for a thriving national economy and the ability of sponsors to willingly fund such "quality of life" activity through charitable giving. The routine day to day operations of CWM or any similar institution alone cannot do it.

Dick and Donna Strong both rode the train at various times, visited the show grounds on the lakefront, usually multiple times, attended the shows [and surely enjoyed the expert and polished ringmastering and the entire performance] and other exhibits, and gave great attention to Chappie, and others. They caused displays of circus ephemera to be exhibited at the Strong corporate headquarters and also staged circus activity for family and friends, thereby broadening the audience and interest. Through it all, I never recall them once ever seeking or accepting the limelight, any camera, any microphone or any other publicity that would focus on them personally.

Yes, not having the "real" circus stuff at the beginning of the train was something of a change. Having the "passenger" cars at the head end of the train was a practical matter. Some of it related to switching and power cable connections.

Significantly, the brake air leakage in those old heavyweight cars provided by CWM was such that when the occupied cars were at the end of the train the brakes would not fully release, causing shoe dragging, excessive wheel wear, smoke, etc.

Placing them at the head end also reduced the slack issues attendant to starting and stopping. If you look at pre-1956, diesel-era pulled circus trains, you'll see the sleepers behind the cab units. It was no longer necessary to put the sleepers at the end, which gave time for the smoke from steam locomotives to dissipate.

14 July, 2011 11:38
Buckles said...

Back in those days I managed to make it to Milwaukee the day after the parade and ride the train back to Baraboo.
Can't remember the date or the circumstances that made this possible.
Chappie, Johnny and I had the observation car to ourselves, it was great.
At one point a wagon pushed the chalks aside went down between the flat cars.
The Colonel was summoned and he went right to work and with a few jacks and come-alongs got it back in position in no time.
I was impressed.

14 July, 2011 12:16
Anonymous said...

Strong's principal prosecutor was then New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who later, as Governor of the state, resigned in 2008,having been caught, more or less, with his pants down with women other than his wife. He later become co-host of a CNN television talk show that bombed and was cancelled this month.

14 July, 2011 17:04
Richard Reynolds said...

Strong was only faced civil charges. That is very much different from the convicted felon who founded the Circus World Museum.

He was "Honest" John Kelley who was indicted and went ot the hoosegow for cooking the RBBB books to avoid taxes.

14 July, 2011 23:50
Anonymous said...

To what degree did Kelley violate attorney-client privilege in the machinations that led to the ousting of John Ringling and the formation of RBBBCS, Inc.?

Since he was both John Ringling's personal attorney and also the circus's attorney [representing the personal equities of JR as well as Edith Ringling and Aubrey Ringling---since the show wasn't a corporation], wasn't that something of a conflict of interest?

15 July, 2011 09:26
Richard Reynolds said...

“Honest” John had a serious conflict of interest. But instead of stepping aside from the entire matter, as he should have done, he took the sides of Edith, Aubrey, and the new RBBB corporation and through it Sam Gumpertz.

Honest John figured his bread was better buttered on that side instead of the ailing, failing John Ringling whom he also represented when the show was a partnership.

Kelley’s sorry actions were outlined in detail in “ ‘Honest’ John Kelley vs John Ringling, in the May-June 2007 issue of Bandwagon.

15 July, 2011 14:00
johnny said...

I guess it would be proper [even tho I would ass ume, ICC, or whatever agency would be in charge of inspection for safety, etc. It seems that I recall the train at the CWM in Baraboo was in constant upgrading during my years there ans as "trainmaster" Those "passess" along tat route would be cause for alarm. I do no recall on the run back any situations. Maybe because of the "head wind" The detailede explanation seems like "Anonymous" had studied the situation and was prepared for the "alibi" Nevertheless I can assure you that in the times we stopped that there were many disappointed people and the train idea was to bring the train to the masses, which was Bob Uihlins main purpose as sponser. It seems corporate sponsers are like magic illusions. They appear and then disappear.In some cases it seems that a sponser that is too overwhelming in influence can cause other possible sponsers to back off.Seems there has always been bickering. We are seeing the demise of BAC and the great CP. Its a salvation for us in the industry that RBBB, Cole Bros, C&B KM among so many others out there are stable and always have been the backbone of the circus. I truly enjoyed those wonderful years in Baraboo when Chappie did a marvelous job of getting various people or companies to donate to CWM in so many unheralded ways with only a pkaque, etc. Schlitz was great. When Chap was gone and the funded left Baraboo for Milwaukee is when things got unpleasant to the point of no go. Too bad. John M. Kelly was one of us forever. He loved the circus and was the chief instigator for forming CWM and asked for nothing. He persuaded great Ringling horseman to take out a FAIR unit ENTITLED Johnny Agee's "Fun on the Farm" featuring the Green Bull from Old Vermont. I am proud to have known John in my early Baraboo years. He liked to gamble a little every aft. at Platts tavern on the Square in Baraboo.

15 July, 2011 14:47
johnny said...

Chappie was venement in reminding us that everthing in volved in operation at CWM were a recreation of circus history in every way. He would not allow even a plastic bucket to be on the grounds,and of course the loading and the "make up" of the train would be according to the one train operations of corporation shows, etc. he loved it when we had the stock car with our draft horses loaded "circus style" and then when we also hauled the elephants.He hated the Fing,Fing,Fing, Ferries From F. [Chaps terminology}.Naturally it was hard to keep it so pure, but it was nice to be part of that "look back". Non of us liked seeing Ernest Borgnine racing up and down the parade in a golf cart. Fact is, during my years at CWM there was never a golfcart on the property and Chap with bad leg and all always wlked around the museum. Just some observations. Johnny

16 July, 2011 07:01

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