Ringling Bros. Circus Train

The flat above is the last car on the train. Each year when the show came into Venice, the train would go into around Tampa and head North, as Venice is South of Tampa, so that they could "back" over 50 miles into Venice. One year something happened,( there are varying stories about "what" happened) and the train came straight into Venice from Tampa. Nothing could be unloaded as the train was headed the wrong direction. The train had to go all the way back to Tampa, turn around and back into Venice the right direction. The train unloading and animal walk was delayed by over 18 hours. The train is a form of transportation that defies description when used to transport a circus. As Marco wrote, there were a number of show's in Europe that used rails for many years. Given the small size of the countries, and the ease of using a tent, it is like comparing apples and oranges to what Ringling Bros. faces today. You can't just pull off a siding and set up your tent on an empty lot. Most of the big buildings, which used to be in the heart of the down town, are now moved and constructed many miles from the major rail network. All the equipment has to be transported to the building once the train is finally spotted, many times in 3 or 4 different locations/sidings. The animal walks are a number of miles, and in Lake George New York, it used to be over 25 miles. Folks who park their semi with the elephants or horses beside the building, or pull onto a grass lot where the tent is and unload, have no comprehension of what is is like trekking the animals through the city streets from the train to the building. It takes skilled individuals, and a coordinated effort.