Jim Peterson was kind enough to run these photos over the last couple years on his blog at http://poles2engine.blogspot.com/ They will give you a little idea of all the changes these cars went through on the Show Grounds.Saturday, January 17, 2009
Flatcars # 10 & 20
Jim Peterson was kind enough to run these photos over the last couple years on his blog at http://poles2engine.blogspot.com/ They will give you a little idea of all the changes these cars went through on the Show Grounds.
Flatcars # 10 & 20
This is from Jim Peterson's photos. You can see the RBBB lettering on a yellow car.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Wisconsin Historical Society newsletter
I subscribe to the newsletter and recieved this issue today. There is a lot more to it that I have not placed here but this all about the Circus World Museum. If you'll double click it , this will enlarge to read a lot better. I continued this into the next post.
Flatcar # 51
This is one of my Dad's photos taken in 1971. This flatcar was painted like this until 1997 when it was repainted like the photos below.
Flatcar # 51
This was one of the original group of railroad cars bought by the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Co. from the defunct World of Mirth Shows that became the Schlitz Circus Parade train.
Flatcar # 51
Note the electrical outlet. It is much lower in the frame than the # 64 car shown below.Flatcar # 51
The History of Flatcar # 51
This flatcar is a 70 ft. flatcar similar to a Mt. Vernon design. It was purchased from World of Mirth Shows on September 21, 1964 by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co. While on the World of Mirth Shows it was numbered # 81.
The actual origin of the car is only speculation. It is believed to have been built in the 1921 to 1927 time frame. The actual manufacturer is unknown. Fred Dahlinger has indicated that this was made of a different steel supplier and different dimensions than those of the Mt. Vernon variety thereby indicating a different manufacturer than the Mt. Vernon Car Manufacturing Company.
The original owners are unknown also. The car was on the World of Mirth Shows for many years but it is not clear as to when World of Mirth acquired it.
Upon its arrival at the Circus World Museum, the car was refurbished and re-painted a Dark Orange car with Black lettering titled Christy Bros. Big 5 Ring Wild Animal Show on both sides of the car. This was a run car used during the loading and unloading. This paint scheme was used from 1965 until 1996.
In 1997, the car was re-painted Orange with White Letters and a Red Outline titled Hagenbeck Wallace Circus on both sides. The car was still used as a run car for loading and unloading through the final parade in 2003.
As of September 2007, the car was resting on a siding beside the Train sheds located just west of the Circus World Museum.
This flatcar is a 70 ft. flatcar similar to a Mt. Vernon design. It was purchased from World of Mirth Shows on September 21, 1964 by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co. While on the World of Mirth Shows it was numbered # 81.
The actual origin of the car is only speculation. It is believed to have been built in the 1921 to 1927 time frame. The actual manufacturer is unknown. Fred Dahlinger has indicated that this was made of a different steel supplier and different dimensions than those of the Mt. Vernon variety thereby indicating a different manufacturer than the Mt. Vernon Car Manufacturing Company.
The original owners are unknown also. The car was on the World of Mirth Shows for many years but it is not clear as to when World of Mirth acquired it.
Upon its arrival at the Circus World Museum, the car was refurbished and re-painted a Dark Orange car with Black lettering titled Christy Bros. Big 5 Ring Wild Animal Show on both sides of the car. This was a run car used during the loading and unloading. This paint scheme was used from 1965 until 1996.
In 1997, the car was re-painted Orange with White Letters and a Red Outline titled Hagenbeck Wallace Circus on both sides. The car was still used as a run car for loading and unloading through the final parade in 2003.
As of September 2007, the car was resting on a siding beside the Train sheds located just west of the Circus World Museum.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Mt. Vernon Flatcar # 50
As you can see, this car was last repacked in 1990. That was the last year it was used in the Parade train.
Mt. Vernon Flatcar # 50
This was one of the original rail road cars bought by the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Co. from the defunct World of Mirth Carnival.
Mt. Vernon Flatcar # 50
Unlike all of the other Mt. Vernon flatcars, # 50 was painted and lettered the same on both sides.
Mt. Vernon Flatcar # 50
This was one of the original flatcars from the first train in 1965. It was last used in 1990. As you can see by the snup post brackets, this was one of the run cars.
Mt. Vernon Flatcar # 63
While many of the Schlitz Circus Parade train cars were bought in 1964, a few more were added in 1965. Four of those were Mt. Vernon flatcars. All four were used in the parade train over the years but in 1988, two of them # 62 and # 65 were disposed off as not being able to be repaired anymore.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Mt. Vernon Flatcar # 64
The Circus World Museum was fortunate enough to have two of the Mt. Vernon Flatcars donated by the Bill Hames Carnival. They are on the grounds and used for the loading and unloading demonstration. The Jos. Schlitz Brewing Co. bought 5 others from the World of Mirth Carnival after they folded in North Carolina. One other one (# 51 ) looks very much like a Mt. Vernon also. Unless there is one of these in a Railroad Museum somewhere, these are the only Mt. Vernon flatcars left in existance and they are all at the Circus World Museum in
Baraboo, Wisconsin.
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