Circus and Carnival Trains in Color

Dive into the world of carnivals and circuses and relive when they traveled by train car to get to their next destination. In Circus and Carnival Trains in Color, more than 200 images display circus trains and equipment and how they operated from 1946-2017. 

Each page displays unique images of Elephant Stock Cars, Pie Cars, Tunnel Cars, and repurposed passenger cars which were all used to move a circus from one town to the next. Images of stock cars that were braced by wood stock as well as ones that featured steel ends are shown. These cars helped carry animals safely between locations. Also featured are unsold Amtrak cars that became part of the circus and served as generator cars. 

Many of these circus cars featured unique designs to distinguish them from typical railway cars. Owners of these circuses were able to live in observation-sleeper cars as they were equipped with a toilet, shower, and a parlor. By walking through the images of all of these unique cars it is easy to imagine how important circuses and carnivals were back when they traveled by train.