Carny

Ever dream of running away and joining the circus carnival? 

Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey is well known for it's circus trains. But did you know that Strates Shows is America's only railroad carnival? With 50 flat cars, 10 sleeping cars and a generator car the Strates train is not as diverse as Ringling Brothers but isn't any smaller. In their heyday dozens of circuses and carnivals traveled by rail, most based out of Florida for a winter quarters. In 1911 there were 32 different circus trains. The Great Depression dealt a near death blow to the circus train with only three remaining by 1939. Post-war prosperity briefly boosted the number to six but advances in trucks and the development of the Interstate Highway System quickly dwindled the shows to two and then only the Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey show.* Numbers separating Carnival from Circus trains have been difficult to ascertain. But another carnival is worth mentioning here. The Royal America Shows which at it's pinnacle in the late 60's was moved on nearly 100 cars. Now only two remain. Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey (with two consists) and Strates Shows.

Co-founder David Bonetti recently filmed the Strates Carnival train in Pennsylvania;





For an in depth documentary done about thirteen years ago follow watch Folkstreams.net "Carnival Train" a nearly two hour long video on the Strates Show. About twenty minutes is exclusively rail related. The rest goes into the history, the culture and the lifestyle of the carnival and the people who make it happen. The carny's.

*Figures and dates from http://www.trainweb.org/circus/golden_years.htm

Train Spotting (Rail Fanning) Amsterdam Centraal 24 Oct 12

In Europe it's called "Train Spotting" in the US it's "Rail Fanning" When searching YouTube for videos of trains before traveling abroad it's helpful to know the right terms.Co-creator David Bonetti brings you today's helpful hint. Co-creator Matthew Picciotto demonstrates his mediocre handheld iPad video skills in this short video shot in The Netherlands last autumn.

Welcome to The Hobo Proletariat

Welcome to The Hobo Proletariat; Not just a blog but a community of Vagabonds with a common interest in honest affordable rail travel experiences. The owners of The Hobo Proletariat aren't looking for followers we are looking to create a community.

Fellow Vagabonds are you looking for stories, videos and insights into rail travel for the masses? Do you dream of crossing Russia on the Trans-Siberian and wonder whether to travel by 3^rd or 2^nd class? Then you’ve come to the right place. We don’t have anything to offer the bourgeois with their first class lounges and private sleeping compartments. But we can tell you which waffles out of the vending machines in a Netherlands train station taste the best. Come aboard as we discover and then share with you tips for negotiating the Moscow subway, a translation guide for the Washington DC Metro conductors and many other adventures.

The videos and photographs we share are all taken with “semi-pro”, “Prosumer” or lesser equipment. After all we aren’t National Geographic or PBS. We don’t have a film crew to follow us around. But we are serious about photography. Some people like golf, some like to collect stamps, we like taking pictures. But as Vagabonds ourselves we don’t have $10,000 to spend on recording equipment.

Our goal when you view our work is to not think “I could never do that”. Our goal is for you to think “I could do that if I only (took a photography class at the community college, cleaned the lens on my phone, took my camera instead of my iPad with me the next time I rode the metro…)" So follow along and when you feel ready to join email us with guest posts or videos.