I didn’t really believe it. We went to the local model train show and one seller had a table full of circus train stuff. Said he was selling it for his brother-in-law’s wife as her husband had died. He claimed 57 circus wagons, 24 railroad cars, and there were a couple of locos (see my thread under Motive Power.)
Se we were good, and left without buying anything (not that there was much in large scale anyway!) But my pal went back and bought the whole circus train kit. Here it is (most of it) on his living room table and hearth.
It is a mixture of Bachmann Emmet Kelly and a lot of scratchbuilding and plastic kits. There’s the Wild West Show cars, including a stage coach (plastic kit) and a covered wagon ( looks scratch built.) Gladiator chariots, calliope wagons, etc. (No horses to pull them.)
The prior owner had also chopped some B’mann flats to make longer cars (photo below) and made some very long flats suitable for 4 wagons. Definitely won’t go around an R1 curve - display only, we think. Plus the long cars have trucks from some regular flat cars, so he needs some more B’mann freight trucks.
Anyone have a few Bmann freight archbars lying around they can part with? Wheels not important.
I added this close-up to ask if anyone recognises any of this as kit or otherwise? The flatcar is an extended one that seems to have lost an extension - I’m sure we can fix that! The Show Dogs wagon looks like a shortened Bachmman circus wagon. There’s a curved pink wagon behind which may have been scratchbuilt or a kit? And the Giraffe car shows up in a video from ECLSTS of Craig Weaver’s circus trains. I recall seeing the layout in 2013 - there’s video on YT from 2013-2016.
Does anyone know anything about Craig Weaver or his present whereabouts? Anyone recognise any of the kits/wagons/etc. ? And the Circus is called “Crandalls”, plus the loco has a Ron Crandall decal on it. Anyone heard of Ron?
