| Years ago excited crowds would be thrilled by the appearance of circus and show trains. They knew a spectacle of grand proportions was coming to town. here's your chance to view the last two modern circus trains and the only carnival that still travels by rail.
Circus Word Museum at Baraboo, Wisconsin reenacts an old-fashioned circus train each year, the highly prized cargo of antique circus wagons from the museum's extensive collection is loaded aboard railroad cars by traditional methods and moved to Milwaukee to star in the Great Circus Parade.
Elegant passenger diesels from the past power the train across the state. Then the spectacular wagons are pulled in the grand parade by team of powerful draft horses called "baggage stock."
The James E. Strates Carnival travels the Eastern United States aboard a 61-car train, and many employees live aboard. Jimmy Strates, grandson of the founder, tells about growing up on the train and how traveling by rail gives the company an advantage over other methods of transportation.
This segment concludes with scenes of the carnival equipment in operation. These trains are shown while underway and as equipment and people work to load and unload them. You'll see the special methods used to handle heavy equipment, and an expert on circus history gives you additional background on great American circus and show trains, past and present.
105 Minutes
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