Thursday, August 12, 2010

Thursday Thirteen 165: Circus Train 2


In Sunday's Wisconsin State Journal, there was an article about the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, WI. CWM loaned 15 circus wagons as well as other Circus memorabelia and research materials to the production crew of the upcoming "Water For Elephants." Based on the novel by Sara Gruen, the film stars Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson, and will hit theaters sometime in 2011. I posted thirteen refurbished circus wagons in a previous post in which I shared a bit of info about the Great Circus Train. Here are thirteen more pictures taken during the train's stop in Madison, July 2000.


























Yes, they had elephants on the train in 2000, which they deboarded during the stop so people could see them, and to give the animals a bit of fresh air.


LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)
Jennifer Leeland * Elise Logan * Colleen * Maddy Barone
Stephanie Bennett * Adelle Laudan * Alice Audrey
Shelley Munro * Anne * Kristen * Pamela * Darla M Sands
Paige Tyler * Robin Rotham * CountryDew * GrayWolfie
A. Catherine Noon * Tatiana Caldwell * Janice Seagraves
K.S. Manning * Jill Conyers


More Thursday Thirteen participants




26 comments:

Unknown said...

I would love to see something like that. Thanks so much for sharing the pics for us to enjoy.
Happy T13!

Alice Audrey said...

I hadn't realized how small they are the first time. They're so cute.

Shelley Munro said...

These are fun. I bet lots of kids, both big and small, have great memories of these and the circus.

Anne said...

So cute! I can't find any circus train here. =(

colleen said...

They're as cool as the old carousels and very worth preserving.

Stephanie Bennett said...

That is so awesome! I would LOVE to see something like that. :) Happy Thursday!

Kristen said...

That is such a cool piece of Americana. I kinda wish there still were circus trains that came to town.

Jennifer Leeland said...

Oh SWEET! Fantastic pictures. Those elephants are gorgeous.

Anonymous said...

Boy, I wish I could have seen something like that! Some of those cars are more ornate than the president's simo!

Pamela said...

These wagons are amazing.

Darla M Sands said...

Great pictures! Thank you for sharing.

Heather said...

Adelle: Stunning, aren't they? They're even better close up!

Alice: Small? I guess some of them are, but others are pretty huge. Some of the wagons were designed to hold an entire band.

Shelley: I believe you are right. I know I think of my last trip to the circus - which was in Norway! - quite fondly. *g*

Anne: Sadly, the circus train no longer runs every summer as it did for decades, the economy being what it is these days, but many of these wagons are on display daily at Circus World Museum in Baraboo.

Paige Tyler said...

Those are great pics!

*hugs*
Paige

My TT is at http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com/

Robin L. Rotham said...

I actually dislike the circus--I only go, very grudgingly, for the kids on the rare occasions when one comes to town. But the circus train looks pretty cool. I'd probably enjoy seeing it. Thanks for sharing those!

Heather said...

Colleen: I agree! Carousel horses are just an important and beautiful part of our heritage worth preserving.

Stephanie: Thank you! It was a pretty awesome experience, and I got to see the train on three different occasions when it passed through Madison. *g*

Kristen: I also wish they still had circus trains and parades. Now the circus arrives in anonymous big trucks that aren't worth noticing. Where's the fun and excitement in that?

Heather said...

Jennifer: Aren't the elephants cute? I had to include my pic of them to tie back to the book, Water for Elephants. Just wish I'd had a better camera back then!

Maddy: The amount of detail in some of these cars is indeed amazing. But then, they are from a bygone era, when the circus train or parade was meant to entice an audience.

Pamela: Aren't they? *g*

Darla: Thank you, and thanks for coming to view them!

CountryDew said...

Wow. I would love to see something like that up close and personal.

Graywolfie said...

Wow..I've never been to a circus before..
Thanks for the pictures

Elise Logan said...

What a great piece of history. Thanks for sharing the fab pics!

A. Catherine Noon said...

Holy elephants, Batman! That is awesome! Thanks for sharing these; those are some really ornate carriages!

Heather said...

Paige: Thank you! They did turn out pretty good, considering the camera I owned at the time, but the world was only just starting to go digital then.

Robin: You would definitely enjoy viewing the train more than you do the actual circus. all that ornate detail and nostalgia!

Anita: It is indeed a sight worth seeing!

Heather said...

Graywolfie: Never been to one at all? I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures!

Elise: A very great piece of history, especially considering how few wagons are left these days--only a few hundred when once there were thousands.

Noony: Thank you, I'm glad you like! *vbg*

JCB said...

HOW COOL!

Heather said...

Thank you! *VBG*

jillconyers said...

What a great kodak moment.

Heather said...

Jill: It was indeed!