America's Greatest Circus Train - Hardcover

Bruce N Nelson

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0911581642 ISBN 13: 9780911581645

Publisher: Heimburger House Publishing Co. (US), 2013

Synopsis

This book brings back the days when the popular Great Circus Train ran from the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin, through Wisconsin and Illinois, delighting thousands of trackside spectators. In detailed text and 335 photographs, this volume captures the colour and excitement of the Great Circus Train, its origins, contents, loading and unloading of wagons, rail routes and planning, and finally, how it faded away. 'Railfans, circus enthusiasts, former spectators at the Great Circus Parades and children of all ages will appreciate the detailed documentation this volume presents', says Don Heimburger, publisher. The train was the source of the historic circus wagons used in the Milwaukee and Chicago circus parades that drew millions of spectators between 1965 and 2003. Over the years, the train consisted of as many as 29 vintage cars and nearly 90 historic horse-drawn wagons. Pulled by restored steam locomotives or by modern diesels, the train operated over six railroads including the Milwaukee Road, the Chicago & North Western, the Wisconsin Central, the Canadian Pacific, the Canadian National and the Wisconsin & Southern. The book contains a foreword by Fred Dahlinger Jr, one-time director of collections and facilities at the Circus World Museum, and a well-known circus historian.

About this title

About the Author

Bruce Nelson has worked in the transportation industry since graduating from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. Following more than 25 years of service with the Chicago Transit Authority, where he worked his way up through the ranks to the position of general manager, he is now employed by Parsons Brinckerhoff, an international engineering consulting firm. His interests include photography, music performance and the study of American history. He has authored many articles on transportation-related subjects for a variety of publications, and his photographs have appeared in numerous newspapers, magazines and history books. A lifelong resident of northeastern Illinois, Bruce lives in Chicago with his wife, Jennifer.

Bruce Nelson has worked in the transportation industry since graduating from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. Following more than 25 years of service with the Chicago Transit Authority, where he worked his way up through the ranks to the position of general manager, he is now employed by Parsons Brinckerhoff, an international engineering consulting firm. His interests include photography, music performance and the study of American history. He has authored many articles on transportation-related subjects for a variety of publications, and his photographs have appeared in numerous newspapers, magazines and history books. A lifelong resident of northeastern Illinois, Bruce lives in Chicago with his wife, Jennifer.

From the Inside Flap

Circus trains once were common in the United States, and the state of Wisconsin boasted nearly three dozen communities which served as the point of origin or winter quarters for all types of circus troupes between the 1840s and the 1960s. A Coup and Costello circus train pulled out of Delavan, Wisconsin in 1870 which served as the basis for the P.T. Barnum overland circus, and in 1890 the Ringling Brothers United Monster Railroad Circus, Museum and Menagerie, Roman Hippodrome and Universal World's Exposition left Baraboo for a road trip. Thus over time, Wisconsin became America's circus capital state. At Baraboo, home of the Circus World Museum, the tradition of commemorating and preserving circus memorabilia and colorful circus train equipment has become legend. In 1965, the museum began operating a circus train that, except for one year, ran through 2003. With different routes and different consists, these Circus Parade Limiteds, Old Milwaukee Specials and Great Circus Trains thrilled children and adults as it brought big smiles to hundreds of thousands of on-lookers.In these pages, the Circus Train is brought back to life again through text and photographs that capture the thrill and excitement of these rail journeys that made both the Milwaukee and Chicago circus parades successful. The trials and tribulations, fun and adventure of these exotic trains is all brought back to life here in this volume.All Aboard the Circus Train is coming down the track! Don Heimburger

Edition details

• Publisher: Heimburger House Publishing Co. (US)
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0911581642
• ISBN 13: 9780911581645
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 208