Jim, what do you know about this truck? It sure is an odd looking rig. Was it bought like this, or was it a custom job?
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
For Jim Stockley
Jim, what do you know about this truck? It sure is an odd looking rig. Was it bought like this, or was it a custom job?
Masterpieces On A Small Scale--Two Hemisphere Bandwagon Les Smout
1909 Two Hemisphere pulled by 40 horse hitch Ft. Dodge, Iowa
Detail of the real deal at Circus World Museum
For "Manual "Junior" Ruffin fan" Who Thinks He May Want To Start A Circus Collection
Wade,
Here are some pictures of my model wagons, and as you
can tell I am a wagon nut ! The red & white wagon is the Sparks Dolphin Tab
and the white with silver carvings is the Sea Serpent Tab. The models in the
pictures are built in O scale and are only the ones I have displayed
now. I have a complete 35 car rail circus from the 30`s era with about 60
wagons & trucks modeled from different circuses. I also have all
the tents, but do not have it all set up at this time because of lack of
room.
Hal Guyon
Manuel Junior Ruffian Fan,
When you were asking the folks on the "history channel" about starting a circus collection, and Ole Whitey suggested you might eventually have to add a room to your house, just to have some place to keep it, he wasn't lying.
Wade Burck
The Magicians That Are The Circus World Museum Restoration Staff--Sparks Serpent Wagon
Dear Wade-
I'm sending you a few photo's of the Sparks Serpent wagon
restoration. This will give you a little better idea of just what went
on in the CWM shop to restore the wagons.
The photo above shows the wagon
after the undergears have been removed. These will be stripped of ALL
paint to decide just what needs to be replaced. This is how the body
looked after the white fiber sheathing was taken off. The side door was
"discovered (along with the side vents) at this time.
The second photo is of the rear with the doors and floor removed.
Third photo is the front of the wagon being partially stripped of all paint.
The fourth photo shows the inside of the wagon with the cribbing in place to straighten out the body. It's hard to imagine just how badly racked out shape these wagons got over the years.
The Circus "NO SPIN ZONE": Circus Wagon History
The Circus "NO SPIN ZONE": Sparks Circus Dolphin Wagon
The Magicians That Are The Circus World Museum Restoration Staff
This photo shows the wagon still being stripped down. The front undergear is sitting to the left of the wagon.
This photo shows the new planking replacing the rotten stuff that was removed. This is done after the wagon has been straightened out.
This photo is a shot of the side door that was covered up for so many years. Quite the surprise I might add.
This photo is of some of the carvings that were reconditioned by Cap and Homer. To the lower right is what the old carvings look like after all the old paint, putty, concrete, etc. has been removed.
The Magicians That Are The Circus World Museum Restoration Staff
Number ten is more reconditioned carvings in primer.
Photo eleven shows more carvings. This is a good shot of just how many seperate pieces go to gether to makw what appears to be one carving on the wagon. These are applied by screwing them on from the inside of the wagon so there are no visible screw heads.
Photo twelve shows the completed wagon at Milwaukee. Note the new skyboards and mudboards (all historically correct) just as it was on the Sparks Circus.
Photo thirteen is the front.
Photo fourteen is the rear of the completed project.
Anyway, that's pretty much how most of the wagons were restored at
CWM. Some projects were a little more intense than others but the
process is always the same. Strip off the paint, get rid of the rot,
square it up, and rebuild it.
Hope you enjoy the pix.
FLINT
Flint,
I thank you so much for sharing these fabulous photo's of the intense, wonderful work carried out at Baraboo to give the world a look at the majesty that was the American Circus. I am grateful you have permitted me the opportunity to experience the restoration of one of these fabulous creations. So grateful in fact, that for the moment I am going to "call off the dogs" on that Hippo Tab deal. :)
Wade
Circus Wagon History--Hippo Tab
This is an interesting Hippo Tab as it appears to depict an Indian Rhino. Bobby Cline sent it via Ivan Henry's great blog. Ivan state's it is from Al. G. Barnes. Does anyone else know any more about the wagon? To think they ripped carving's off of these wagon's to rehash them someplace else, almost makes me ill. Such a shame.
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