Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Al G. Barnes Circus 1933/ Making a Sunday run


I like this picture looking backward from the flat cars to the coaches in the rear. It must have been a pretty good climb since they have placed a second locomotive in the middle of the train.
Living conditions on the train were quite cramped providing only a berth since the people were on the circus lot all day anyway. Consequently it was common for people on a Sunday run to leave the confinement of the coaches and ride the flat cars during the day. One such party took this picture.
My most plesant memories of the Ringling Show 45 years later was traveling across the country on the train. Times had changed tho, the show had provided us with half a railroad car for living
accomodations in the "Beverly Hills" section of the train with all the facilities of an apartment. Generators provided air conditioning or heat year around. On Sunday evening after the elephants had been loaded in the cars and fed, I would stroll down to the coaches, climb aboard, have dinner and watch TV before going to bed.
Charly and Araceli Baumann lived in the next coach and while enroute Barbara and I would drop in, have a beer and catch up on the gossip. Just like Fred and Ethel Mertz.
Buckles

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

Everyone should have a chance to take a train ride at least once. This picture looks like one i have while on the Narrow Gadge Rail Road out of Deriango Colorado. The train ride from Salt Lake City to Seattle Washington is something else again. You go 12 miles switch back to make 1 mile forward in some places. I think this is the Serria Mountains. Trains will soon be a thing of the past and it is a shame. We always got a sleeping car and had a blast. Scary going from one car to the next. Maybe thats why a bottle of wine was always in our room after breakfast. Eloise Berchtold and my Father both worked on the railroad.