our circus in HO scale

been working on our Ho circus again     first picture is our big top  and the second is the  midway with side show and menageri  

the Ringling A/C wagpms pf 1939 to 1942

 

Ringling had 8 of these wagons  from  1939 to 1942    in the front of the wagon was a ice bunker that a huge fan in the rear blew air over the ice and thru a tube that attached to two pipes in the top of the wagon     the tubes were also attached to the top of the big top    a interesting note is also in the rear was a heating unit so that in cold weather they could heat the tent  with the same units 

The wagons were numbered  160 to  167   and were  16 and 1/2 ft long 8 ft wide and 10 tall built by Southern Iron and Equipment Co .  Buffalo Fordge handled the design  and fitting of both the A/C and heating equipment.   The Fans were capable of handling 17,000 cu ft of air per  miniute and wer driven by GE 3 hp Electric motors   Each Ice bunker helt 6.000 lbs of ice  and operated  on much the same principle as todays evaporative cooling systems.