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
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