Winterquarters/Car Shops for circus and showtrains


On this fine midweek day, let's visit the United States Bandwagon.

In 1903, preparing for their return from 5 seasons in Europe, James Bailey placed a large order for new wagons for their "homecoming" parades. The Ringling Bros felt compelled to pull out all the stops with new wagons of their own to keep up.

The Ringlings skipped their cousins, the Moellers, this time was the first time, and ordered four huge tableau wagons and a glass enclosed snake den, from Bode in Cincy, to the tune of $7650, a monumental sum in those days.

After the parades stopped in 1920, the wagons went to Bridgeport, Connecticut for storage. In 1928, the only three parade wagons kept by Ringling-Barnum, were the United States Bandwagon, the Five Graces Bandwagon and the Bell Wagon. All of the other many bandwagons, tableaux, and calliopes, owned by Ringling-Barnum had either been sold to Fred Buchanan, George W. Christy, Floyd and Howard King and others during the 20’s, or, even worse, had been deconstructed and destroyed between ’20 and ‘28 at the old Bridgeport quarters.

While it was saved from destruction or sale at Bridgeport it just sat out in the field and was moved about while rotting away, by 1950, it couldn’t be moved, the wheels had been sold to circus fans.

While some of the carvings made it to the Circus Hall of Fame, the rest was cleared out as debris in 1960.

Enter John Zweifel who bought the Circus Hall of Fame in Sarasota. He relocated it all to his warehouse in Orlando, Florida, then gave the ( one source says gave, one source says sold ) remaining carvings to the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin.

And, if you guessed this one is a recreation of the stupendous 1903 Bandwagon, you’re correct. In 1992, starting with a steel frame and some original carvings, she was reborn,

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I don't have a picture in my Circus World Museum folder.
 
There was a dealer of mules and horses located in Missouri in the early 1900's, William P. Hall.

As part of his leasing and selling of horses to small circuses, he had, on occasion, the opportunity to take ownership of equipment, animals, or even the entire show as payment for what was still due.

It didn't take long for him to become a dealer in show equipment as well.

A circus fan named Alex Irwin of Iowa, got wagon #20 and in 1972, his estate donated in to the Circus World Museum.

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While mine is blue, the most current picture from Circus World I've seen is red.
 
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This is the Circus World Museum baggage wagon #209.

Previously on the Hagenback Wallace, back when they had a contract with GM that was in regard to new cars that were displayed in the menagerie tent. This wagon is so gigantic that it would hold the new Pontiac, or Chevrolet, or what have you.

It now carries wardrobe, as does #203, which you met earlier, and #220, as well,

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Next up is a Dog Wagon. I'm guessing AL G Barnes, but no info where I normally find it. This is a wood kit with some metal attachments. Some nice metal screen as well. I'm guessing Circus Craft ( it looks very similar to an unbuilt kit pic I saw on that auction site ) or Simmons, but not sure. I believe Wardie Jay and Bathgate are both wood, but have never knowingly seen a kit from either one.

I wish I had one of those really nice LL conversions that Johnny did!

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The main Hobby Town in Lincoln, Ne. (where Hobby Town was founded, BTW) has a model railroad section I could fit in my closet! They have a good price on Atlas flex track, but there's very little else there!
 
I don't think I ever been in a Hobby Town. I do have fond memories of a very well stocked model train department in Ace Hardware many years ago. The owner had a HUGE basement empire that the "local kids" could visit, amazing.
 
For Fat Tuesday I'm happy to bring you the Cole Jungle Python Wagon ( CTM-30 ). I'm in the middle of a string of wagons I can't find any historical data on, any info you guys have?

I'm pretty sure the Cole wagon and the Ringling Bros Snake Den are NOT the same. And the one at CWM is a recreation of the Ringling wagon from 1903.

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Today we're featuring CTM-26, the Cole Hippo Wagon.

Starting life on the Robbins Bros Circus in Iowa in 1929, it paraded a couple of years showing off their hippo, Miss Iowa. In '31 it landed at the Hall farm in Missouri, where it sat in a field for 3 years until purchased, along with most of the rest of the Robbins show, for the new Cole Bros Circus.

When Cole opened in 1935, the wagon carried Sea Lions, in '36 it was back to a hippo, and was extended 3 feet in 1937.

The Cole Bros Circus expanded and put out a 2nd show, called, the Robbins Bros Circus. Unfortunately, Cole had a bad '38 because of the depression and sent the wagon over to the Robbins Bros. After finishing the season the wagon was never used again. In 1940 it went to the Bradly farm, rotting away there until CWM got the bits and pieces and used them for a recreation, mid '60's, I think.

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I can still remember seeing a "blood sweating hippo" at a state fair in the mid to late 1960's.

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The CWM recreation is of the "extended" version.
 
While the exact build date and location is unknown to me, there is a parade photo from 1921 showing it in the John Robinson Circus. Wearing different paint with different pictorials several times it rode with the Robinson through it’s last year in 1930.

It was then transferred to the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus, where its use was as a Grand Stand Ticket Wagon. It no longer wore pictorials, just lettering. This wagon got new paint in ’32, ’33, and ’34, often featuring “owner portraits”.

In 1935 it was once again new paint with the Forepaugh & Sells Bros. name added. Ringling thought that was a good way to stop others from using their various owned names.

In 1936 none of their shows left Peru, IN, and when it did ride the rails again in ’37, you guessed it, it wore new paint, as a seal wagon.

In ’38, the once again newly painted wagon featured an animal hypnotist. The show was closed on the west coast and went to the Al G Barnes winterquarters.

It was reorganized as the Great American Circus and hit the road, err, rails, and promptly failed.

When the H-W assets were liquidated by the Ringling’s, Louis Goebel acquired wagons and props, which were parked at the Jungle World location. That is until Wayne Arthur brokered a deal for leased wagons to mount the Arthur Bros. Circus for the 1945 season. When it closed at the end of the season, it was back to Jungle Land for the wagons.

The wagon was then used from time to time as a movie prop. It was in 1963 when Goebel donated the wagon to the Circus World Museum, where it was restored ( repainted ? ) several times.

In 1967 it was returned to the 1945 Arthur Bros. Charging Tiger paint scheme.

It my mind, this wagon will always be know to me as the most re-painted wagon in circus history, true or not...lol

Shown here is CTM-8.

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My Walthers version, left, with what may be a resin version.

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And the real deal in the CWM shop with the America.

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Notice the tiger is in a slightly different spot on the models, and "Circus" is longer on the models.
 
Today looks at one of the most important wagons, imho, the dining department wagon! This is the CTM version, I have a couple others we'll see later.

In the 1920's, Ringling operated a number of these wagons. Using photographs, CWM created two replicas, #223, and #205. I need to change my wagon numbers to match.

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I don't seem to have a pic from CWM.
 
This one is a little different. This is the #201 Stringer Wagon. It came from the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus, well, the running gear did. Universal had attached a Gypsy type body for it's use.

CWM removed the body and extended the platform to make a stringer wagon. These wagons would carry the 22 foot long stringers used for seat construction at the circus location.

Circus World had need of such a wagon for equipment at Milwaukee. And, following the lead of the 101 Ranch Real Wild West, used the wagon, after unloading, as a platform for dancing Indians to ride on.

My version came from the Silver Bros. Circus, and still needs to be re-lettered.

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This is how mine will look, hopefully, in the near future. Note this is painted Adam Forepaugh Shows. The picture in the "Horse Drawn Wagon Collection at The Circus World Museum Baraboo, Wisconsin", edited by Chappie Fox, shows it with 101 Ranch Wild West dress.

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I have 13 CTM wagons in various states of needed repairs before I'll photograph them, and 5 kits to build. So, I'm going to go ahead with three favorites I was holding until last.

Here is the magnificent Two Hemispheres wagon. This version is cast resin by an unknown to me maker, I have the CTM version in pewter, but it's in need of new under gear.

In 1902 the Sebastian Wagon Company in New York was chosen by Barnum and Bailey to build the wagon from a design by Harry Ogden of the Strobridge Lithographic Company of Cincinnati, Ohio. The huge wood carvings were done by the Spanjer Brothers of Newark, N.J. A new poster was created by Strobridge Lithographing Company featuring the 28-foot-long, 13,000-pound Two Hemispheres pulled by a 40 horse team.

While wild stories abound, it did NOT cost $40,000, it was $4200, still, a huge sum in 1902.

The wagon features coats of arms, on the Eastern Hemisphere there are exquisitely carved coats of arms of Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium and Italy. And, the Western Hemisphere features the coats of arms of Chili, the Argentine Republic, Brazil, Mexico, Canada and the United States.

The Germany medallion was replaced by one of Belgium. Austria was replaced by Spain during WW1.

The wagon's was first pulled by 40 horses, by 1920, when Ringling Bros. combined with Barnum & Bailey, just 10 horses were used.

As you recall, street parades were discontinued in 1921 and so the Two Hemispheres retired to the Winter Quarters, in Bridgeport, Conn.

The Two Hemispheres went to the Robbins Bros. Circus for a bit, then to the Circus Fans Association of Iowa. Next was the Cole Bros. Circus.

As the great size proved an issue for all involved for transport and parading, Cole Bros. parked in the wagon at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. Zach Taylor, owner of Cole Bros. Circus, later gave the wagon to Col. B.J. Palmer, a circus fan, under the agreement that he restore it and place it in a permanent building.

Early in WW2 it was used for the sale of War Bonds.

Col. Palmer’s exhibit of the Two Hemispheres in Iowa wasn’t a success so attempts were made to give the wagon away. Museums in Washington, D.C., Chicago and Detroit all turned him down because they didn’t have room for it. Fortunately in the early 1950s a business group in Sarasota, Fla. was developing a new circus museum to be called Circus Hall of Fame. Palmer sent the wagon to Florida by train. The Circus Hall of Fame opened its doors on Jan. 4, 1956 with more than 5,000 people lining up to get in. The Two Hemispheres was displayed in the large glass entrance building. You could walk in, view the wagon and browse the gift shop without even paying admission to see the rest of the museum.

Due to the changes in Florida's tourist industry, partly due to Disney opening in Orlando, on May 22, 1980 the sale of Circus Hall of Fame was announced. The collection was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. John Zweifel of Orlando.

It took about five years for a group of Indiana residents, businesses, and the state government to all contributed funds to complete the purchase. The price was reported as $410,000 and included the name, “Circus Hall of Fame,” approximately 20 circus wagons, costumes and other memorabilia.

Zweifel retained ownership of the Two Hemispheres and other circus memorabilia from the Hall of Fame.

The wagon did a brief stint at the Ringling Circus Museum, was at the Super Bowl in Tampa, and while I can't find the year it was loaned to the Circus World Museum, it was returned to Zweifel in 2016.

I was quite surprised to learn it went up for auction last year in May and fetched $250,000! ( In 1972 it was valued at $100,000 )

Fortunately for us, a model can be acquired for $50-$100, on, well you know where...

I still need to add the country names and flags to mine.

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