| The last of the real circus trains like mile-long Ringling circus train with thousands of tons of equipment has fadded into the past. The goal of the Kingman Canyon Railroad is to present a G Scale experience of what the circus and circus trains would have been.
Since the 1870s, circuses had been intimately tied to railroads. The trains were more than a mode of transportation for performers and crew traveled the country to put on their world-renowned acts, it was their home on the road. Performers, train crew members, porters, cooks, and stagehands lived year round on the train.
This rolling city included rooms with beds, kitchenettes and private bathrooms. Cars carries tanks of water so folks could flush toilets, shower and do laundry while rolling along. It was a kingdom on wheels, a city that folded itself up like an umbrella swiftly after the last performance to whisks them all miles away and setting them down before sunrise in a new place. It was an incredible lifestyle, every week it had a different backyard.
The trains eventually became one of the most iconic parts of the circus. They spent 11 months of the year traveling and presenting the circus while the cast and crew were meeting new people, and experiencing new things. Everything was on the trains from the animals to the clowns and trapeze acts equipment. There were the center rings, sequined costumes, stage equipment, ringmaster and his outfits, big cats, clowns and trapeze acts ... the stuff of nostalgia for generations. |
