70' Circus cars now available from N Scale Kits

[prbharris]

For the first time kits of the 70' Circus cars from Warren and Mount Vernon manufacturers are available in metal as opposed to wood kits. The kits are now available at www.nscalekits.com

The cars were launched at the N Scale Enthusiasts Convention in Sacramento, and are now available direct from N Scale Kits. The cars include metal  chassis and sides and wooden decks. Snubbing posts are included if required.

In 1911 Buffalo Bill's Wild West show started to use flat cars for moving its show around the US in 60’ cars. However, circus owners realized that railroads charged by car load rather than car length so started to order 70’ cars.  By the 1920's the Warren Tank Car Company of Warren, Pennsylvania, and the Mt. Vernon Car Manufacturing Company of Mt. Vernon, Illinois, were the principle providers of the steel circus flat cars.

Every circus and carnival show that travelled used 70’ flat cars in their consists, and the cars were loaded ‘circus style’ - by pulling their circus wagons along the flat cars with temporary bridging or cross-over plates [of metal] laid down over the coupler ends. Often the pulling power was provided by animals including elephants but usually by tractors. The wagons descended down the end ramp by gravity with the wagons being controlled by ropes around the snagging posts on the cars.

Cars were being built until 1947, the last order being for five flat cars Ringling for Brothers Circus by Thrall Car Company of Chicago, similar in appearance to the Mt. Vernon style flat cars. However, there was a strong second hand market for the cars, and many cars were sold between circus and show units.

In the remaining travelling shows, the 70’ cars were gradually replaced by 89’ flat cars in the 1970’s. One Warren Car is still in service in 2015 in the James E Strates Show consist, where it is placed as the end car to help with circus style unloading, as the rear truck is removed for the process, and the car lowered to the ground by hydraulic jacks to give a more gentle slope.

Many of both styles of the cars are now preserved, most located at the Circus World Museum, Baraboo WI. Each has been painted into authentic paint schemes from the many shows. In the late 20th Century the Museum ran a number of spectacular ‘specials’ around the mid West using a mixture of Mt Vernon and Warren cars in their very varied paint schemes.

Peter

Peter Harris
N Scale Kits
www.nscalekits.com

[pjm20]

Sweet! When I get time to model a circus train, I'm going to need like 30 of these. 

[sirenwerks]

Me too.  Bulk discount?

[bbussey]

Nice!

[up1950s]

Cool but why the secret about the circus names available , what they look like ? Is it the same set that is already available from Baraboo ? Do you get the whole set , IIRC they were 3 buckeroos , or do you get only the name you choose from that set ? Can the decals , if different that Baraboo be bought without the cars ? IIRC . I have all wooden versions of the flats that came out with the elephant cars , all built but still unpainted .

[prbharris]

Is it the same set that is already available from Baraboo ? ... Can the decals , if different that Baraboo be bought without the cars ?

I was not aware that Circus World Museum had produced decals - that would have saved some work! Whilst I was in contact with them over the past two years, no-one mentioned that they might have decals. If anyone can enlighten me what they were [or are] please let me know by email or PM.

The decals that we have are not a particular secret, I have a pdf of those we have produced, and I will put this up on the website, loaded it here [below], and send it to any purchasers. We have not done a large run of the decals and will print to order, and the specific paint scheme requested, so as not to hace a large stock of unused decals [to reduce on costs]. I am happy to supply decals without the cars if required.

Peter

Peter Harris
N Scale Kits
www.nscalekits.com

[up1950s]

I was not aware that Circus World Museum had produced decals - that would have saved some work! Whilst I was in contact with them over the past two years, no-one mentioned that they might have decals. If anyone can enlighten me what they were [or are] please let me know by email or PM.

The decals that we have are not a particular secret, I have a pdf of those we have produced, and I will put this up on the website, loaded it here [below], and send it to any purchasers. We have not done a large run of the decals and will print to order, and the specific paint scheme requested, so as not to hace a large stock of unused decals [to reduce on costs]. I am happy to supply decals without the cars if required.

Peter

Peter Harris
N Scale Kits
www.nscalekits.com

Wow , what a terrific sheet of circus decals . I gotta get some cars and decals now . Thanks

I mentioned Baraboo not exactly CWM . While I was hot and heavy looking for circus decals in N , I also got some HO circus decals for whatever I can use from them . I thought this was the site in Baraboo that I got some N , but I see only HO now . http://www.gemcity-baraboo.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=n+scale+decals

There is another Baraboo decal source mainly HO , but has some N http://circusdecals.ecwid.com/#!/N-Scale/c/8816250/offset=0&sort=normal . IIRC I read that they will print up their HO decals in N upon request .

[prbharris]

Wow , what a terrific sheet of circus decals.

Thank you.

The Example sheet is now on the www.nscalekits.com website directly too.

http://www.nscalekits.co.uk/pdf107-D_and_108-D.html

some N http://circusdecals.ecwid.com/#!/N-Scale/c/8816250/offset=0&sort=normal . IIRC I read that they will print up their HO decals in N upon request.

A good link for the Ringling and Barnum paint scheme etc. - I will leave this to them - especially as these are readily available. I will concentrate on older circuses and shows + the James E States Warren car as shown earlier.

Thanks

Peter

Peter Harris
N Scale Kits
www.nscalekits.com