CIRCUS TIME: More Wagon Pics From Baraboo, Wisconsin 1991 - Pt 2

Here's another batch of photos taken back in 1991 at the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Enjoy! Opa Fritz

Cole Bros. Circus Asia Tableau Wagon

Cole Bros. Circus Air Calliope

Cole Bros. Circus America Tableau Calliope

Cole Bros. Circus No. 29 Dining Department Wagon

Cole Bros. Circus Seal Den

Apparently, according to the fb groups, this wagon is still in need of restoration!

 

CIRCUS TIME, TRAIN TIME: April 1st 2022 Circus Parade in Deer Crest on the Edge of Town Layout - Another Look

 Got a few more photos to share of this year's circus set-up on my Edge of Town layout. Enjoy! Opa Fritz

Below is a good shot showing the placement of the repo Coca-Cola cut-out circus in the upper left corner. This illustrates that you don't need a lot of toy train real estate to at least suggest a circus!

Calliope music. I bought a cheap blue-tooth speaker from Wal-Mart. The advantage to the speaker was that it had accommodations for a USB hook-up and I was able to plug in a flash drive with calliope music on it. The speaker itself was placed underneath the layout and the sound appeared to be all around me

Just Grazin' in The Grass

CIRCUS TIME, TRAIN TIME: K-Line by Lionel 6-22238 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Majestic Musical Work Caboose (2008)

This Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Work caboose is a nice departure from the wagon hauling flat cars in that it's carrying the most popular type of musical wagon the circuses had in their inventory: the calliope. There have been other types musical wagons but the calliope is the fan favorite. I bought this loose without any wagon so I provided my own calliope. However, in the photos posted earlier of it hitched up to the train, you'll notice I placed a baggage wagon on it because the calliope was already in place on the layout. Enjoy! Opa Fritz

CIRCUS TIME: K-Line K6900-01 Calliope Wagon - Yellow Sides with Red Scrollwork

Another of my early purchases was this K-Line K6900-01 Calliope Wagon. As I would learn later, these models were put out in a variety of colors by a variety of manufacturers dating back to the 1950s, with K-Line being the most recent at the time. This wagon appears to have been loosely based on the "Two Jesters" calliope which I believe is now displayed at the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, Florida.  These calliope's operated from the steam produced by an upright boiler in the back of the wagon and produced quite a loud sound. If you've ever been near one while it was belting out a tune you know the feeling - and feeling it was as the surrounding air reverberated with the sound of quintessential circus tunes!   Enjoy! Opa Fritz

Above three images culled from Internet

CIRCUS TIME: Quickie Snapshot - K-Line Calliope

 

CIRCUS TIME: Modified Calliope Circus Wagon O-scale - One of My Early Wagon Acquisitions

Calliope: Pronounces Kal-E-Ope with long E and O, not Ka-Ly-a-Pee. A keyboard musical instrument musical using either air or steam and a series of whistles to produce musical notes. (courtesy: circus and sideshows)

When it comes to the history of O-scale circus wagons I don't even know where to start. As I've been learning of late, there are a lot more players in this game than I thought. With that being said, the original maker of this wagon is unknown, but it did start out as a calliope which was modified to a tableau wagon by a previous owner. This was among my earliest purchases back in the '90s after switching from HO scale to O-scale trains and stuff.. When taking this out of the box for photos after many years in storage, the side inserts had to be re-glued. Fortunately the person who modified the wagon did not glue the roof down so access to the interior was easy. It's an okay modification - certainly not museum quality - but I enjoy this wagon just the  same. Enjoy! Opa Fritz