| A circus train is a method of conveyance for circus troupes. There were about 6,000 cities, town, and villages in the United States of sufficient size to interest one circus or another in a given year.
Beginning in the 1870s, specially built trains transported the circus to eager crowds across the US. In 1872 the P.T. Barnum Circus had grown so large that it was decided that they would only play at large venues, and that they would travel by train.
Railroads charged the show by the number of cars moved, not the length or weight so the shows’ ownership built longer car lengths of 50 feet, then 60 feet, and finally 72 feet. It cost the shows the same amount to move ten 40 foot cars as it did to move ten 60 foot ones. The last Ringling show used flats of 85 foot length.
The circus train always includes a "pie car," the restaurant to feed the crew and performers. The Pie Car is the closest thing the show train has to a railroad diner or club car. The Pie Car served as the social gathering place while the train was in route. The Pie Car offered short-order food and some had a bar.
As many as 300 people traveled with a circus at any given time. Many fell in love, got married, and have children. There's a nursery and a school. Many of the performers stayed on with the circus long after they left the spotlight to serve as crew members.
The circus train rolled across the country carrying hundreds of performers, stagehands and children in a mile-long train. It was often called it a "town without a ZIP code." |
