Strates Circus Train Status in New York

Not because of losing that one job. Because overall the cost and logistics of handling the outfit by rail have to be getting worse, not better. Increasing regulation on equipment, capacity constraints as the rails move more crude, lots of factors. Moves like that involve way more PITA for a railroad than an ordinary freight move, and they price accordingly.

Having lost that one contract, they need to find another engagement to replace it, which will entail new routing and unloading needs - and it has to be rail accessible. Sooner or later one might expect the shrinking number of rail locations which can accommodate the train to become a factor.

Department of Agriculture & Markets announces that Wade Shows was selected as the new operator of midway at the NY State Fair...

http://www.nysfair.org/2014/03/dept-of- ... tate-fair/

...that's unfortunate but I hope they do a great job!

It will be interesting to see what they schedule for the time slot that used to be the NY State Fair. Usually, the tightest window of the show was packing up Erie County fair and the shuffle to Syracuse. It happened in less than 4 days. I don't know the schedule of the Strates show yet, but seems there will be no big rush to get it out after the Erie County show ends. The next big show is in Virginia after the state fair. Usually the train journeyed via CSX from Syracuse back to Buffalo to be handed to the NS.

One of the the things Strates has contemplated is finding "hub" locations to stage the train and then run as many smaller shows as possible trucking the equipment. Last year, the train spent much extra time in Middletown, NY and they did just that. As BR&P mentioned, times are a changing and the cost of moving such a show may out weigh the benefits. Many smaller shows survive (and profit I might add) by trucking the entire show. Even Ringling Brothers Circus has begun the same process..... Interesting to see what happens and I am glad to be a tiny part of it. To me, the train arrival/departure is half the fun of the fair!

Train was supposed to leave Orlando, FL today, with arrival in Middletown, NY on Saturday. There will be no coaches on the train this year, and fewer flatcars than in the past as some large equipment is staying in Florida. Cuts are related to the loss of the NY State Fair contract. It is possible this may be the last year for the train, so film and photograph as much as you can. Train will likely be parked in Port Jervis, NY once it has been unloaded, and will not move until after the Orange Co. Fair is over, when it will head to Hamburg, NY for the Erie Co. Fair. No announcements have been made for replacement fairs during the NY State Fair dates, so it remains to be seen where the train will go from Hamburg. More info if I can find any, when I find it.

lvrr325 wrote:Why would the train be on borrowed time because they lost one show? It's not the only show they do.

cnyrailfan wrote:There will be no coaches on the train this year, and fewer flatcars than in the past as some large equipment is staying in Florida. Cuts are related to the loss of the NY State Fair contract. It is possible this may be the last year for the train, so film and photograph as much as you can.

I know a guy who's worked for them, in Florida, and dealt with them for years. I'll believe what he tells me over someone else's internet speculation.

Some reports this morning showed the train still in Fla.-which would make it a day behind schedule....

terminalfanatic wrote:Department of Agriculture & Markets announces that Wade Shows was selected as the new operator of midway at the NY State Fair...

http://www.nysfair.org/2014/03/dept-of- ... tate-fair/

...that's unfortunate but I hope they do a great job!

Wade Shows trucks everything into the Tulsa State Fair which takes place in October and to the Oklahoma City State Fair so don't be expecting any trains never saw one in Cherokee Yard here in Tulsa and they often have plenty of room for one. Ringling Brothers was here in Tulsa Last Month they also had to evacuate the train on a weekend when there was a hazmat spill in the Yard.

chuxter26 wrote:Some reports this morning (April 24th) showed the train still in Fla.-which would make it a day behind schedule....

Well, this thread has had about 10 weeks to ferment. What's the latest on Strates? Did it ever get out of Florida? What, if anything, did they find to replace the NYS Fair?

BR&P wrote:

chuxter26 wrote:Some reports this morning (April 24th) showed the train still in Fla.-which would make it a day behind schedule....

Well, this thread has had about 10 weeks to ferment. What's the latest on Strates? Did it ever get out of Florida? What, if anything, did they find to replace the NYS Fair?

Wade Shows out of Michigan is now going to do the Midway at the NYS Fair.

Lo and behold Strates sold their train, per my guy, except for some flatcars which some of the larger pieces will still move on. Passenger cars are gone.

lvrr325 wrote:Lo and behold Strates sold their train, per my guy, except for some flatcars which some of the larger pieces will still move on. Passenger cars are gone.

How can losing one contract job caused them to sell off their train cars?? It's not only one job They got another contracts, such as one at hamburg prior to NYS Fair. I'm sure that they have another that they need train to bring their stuffs to...

sd80mac wrote:How can losing one contract job caused them to sell off their train cars?? It's not only one job They got another contracts, such as one at hamburg prior to NYS Fair. I'm sure that they have another that they need train to bring their stuffs to...

Interesting though it may be, it's a dinosaur. Today's railroads are less prepared to deal with stuff like this than 40 years ago. Extra sidings have been torn out, operations are set to work best when repetitive and predictable.

If Strates was unable to fill the time slot formerly spent at the NYS fair, what do they do with the train until the next stop? First they have to find someone willing to store it, and that costs $$$. Years ago there used to be many circus trains. There are good reasons why most of them have vanished. My guess is the operation was under scrutiny already, and the NYS Fair loss was just the last straw. As I understand it, the train in recent years was considerably smaller than what it used to be years ago.

There were other reasons for the selling of the train.

lvrr325 wrote:There were other reasons for the selling of the train.

Well, that tells us a lot. Are we supposed to guess?