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One of the most iconic pieces of Americana dating from the late 19th and 20th centuries is the traveling Carnival Show. Arriving in a town with a stream of brightly colored wagons and trucks. the traveling shows featured a menagerie of exotic animals. exciting rides. unique acts and performances and large Midways with games of skill (chance) and concessions that most small towns had never seen.
These shows (following an arrival of an advanced advertising and marketing team) set up tents and booths in local fields and would stay on average a week in one location. then move on to another town from Spring to Fall. returning to a “winter quarters” where the circuit for the next year would be planned and new attractions would be created. In 1932. the newly-renamed James E. Strates Shows (originally founded as Southern Tier Shows in Elmira. NY in 1923) rented two railroad boxcars to help move the rapidly growing carnival show.
By 1934. the Strates Show became a 5 railcar show. expanding to 10 before the end of that year. The switch to rail eventually included several passenger cars as well as over 60 flatcars moving wagons and rides. In 1970. the show was so large that two complete units (the Red and Blue trains) were fielded. The passenger cars in these Red and Blue trains received complimentary paint schemes. and the cars were individually named based on the fairs they would be attending.
The Atlas Premier Madison Passenger Cars in this run depict this scheme. which was the last to appear on the heavyweight cars used in the years surrounding the Strates 50th anniversary season.
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