Today we have the wonderful opportunity of combining trains and circuses' with this K-Line No. K-69009 Circus Transport Railroad Flatcar with 3 Wagons offered in 1997.
Traditionally, circuses would travel from town to town by wagon. With the advent of railroads, they found a more expedient means of travel, however they kept the use of wagons for storing everything they needed while on location. One could argue these were among the first containers in use by a railroads' customer. Back in the '40s, '50, and '60s, companies like Wardie-Jay offered flat cars as wooden kits but you had to supply your own trucks and couplers and the finished product depended on the builders' skill as a modeler to have a nice looking show piece. To the best of my knowledge, K-Line was the first to offer a built-up flat car designed specifically to hold wagons and copying real life circus flat cars. I don't have the original box for this set but the star of the show is the car and wagons. Enjoy! Opa Fritz
When K-Line first offered this wagon it was the newest design of a plastic wagon offered in decades and all they had to do was design one new side. That side could have any artwork they wanted thus transforming it into a tableau wagon not unlike those that were popular during the circuses' heyday.
The artwork on this tableau wagon is reminiscent of the Schlitz wagon from 1971
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