From the James Staits shows website
AMERICA’S ONLY RAILROAD CARNIVAL
Strates Shows, Inc. is the only railroad carnival still traveling in the United States today. The Orlando, Florida based carnival company uses a 61-car train to transport the show’s equipment and employees to various locations throughout their seven-month season. In one season alone the train will visit 16 different locations and cover more than 6,500 miles.
In the early 1930s, traveling by railroad was the trend of the carnival industry. It was at that time James E. Strates, founder of James E. Strates Shows, purchased his first ten railroad cars. As the company grew and prospered, so did the need for additional transportation. While other carnivals eventually converted solely to highway transportation, Strates Shows continued to purchase additional railroad cars. This gradual expansion resulted in the unique 61-car train which currently travels the East Coast.
The brightly colored train is over one mile long and consists of 50 flat cars, 10 sleeping cars and a generator car. Each flat car is 89 feet in length and, when loaded with equipment, weighs in excess of 100,000 pounds, one of the heaviest cars traveling the rails today. Sleeping cars, better known as coaches, are home to over 100 employees.
The logistics involved in moving Strates Shows’ employees and equipment has developed into a precise science. A designated trainmaster and crew can load or unload the colorful train in under 18 hours. This timely and reliable method of transportation, combined with years of experience, has made railroad travel the most cost-effective and efficient way for the carnival to travel. Not only is train travel an efficient mode of transportation, it is an exciting part of the nostalgia and history of Strates Shows.
They will be here in Syracuse, NY in August with that train
