CIRCUS KRONE BY RAIL

This morning I was telling Buckles about Circus Krone unloading the train off the side onto loading docks, so I thought I'd post these.
The red tractor you see here is a pre-war "Hanomag", I don't know about now but it was still in use in '96 when I took these pics. One of it's uses was as an anchor for the lead elephant on the walk to the lot. The ramp you see behind it is used to load & unload the hoof stock from the train, they were transported to the lot by semi.
The personel seen here are L to R, Frank Keller, Krone's Talent Scout & Booking Agent, next is retired Trick Rider
PeeWee Wentzle, he is actually the Saddlery Master but it is also his job to supervise unloading the train, the man in blue coveralls is Uve, who is one of Trudy's guys, when the Tigers go by train one man is required to help unload, next is Eva Mayerhofer, who is head of the Personel Office, and last, probably the most valuable person on Circus Krone, Klaus Lenart is "Mr. Logistics", he lays out the lot, supervises the presetting of the extra masts,(this & driving the stakes for the big top, elephant tent, & exotic tent), a couple days before the move. He also personally spots every one of the nearly 100 caravans as they arrive on the lot. Some of you may know Klaus' mother, who did a Bird Act on Ringling for years, & later was in the wardrobe Dept.


CIRCUS KRONE FIRE DEPT.
The sides you see here fold down & serve as a ramp between the flat car and the loading dock.

SOME KRONE TRAIN STATISTICS:
Sixty five flat cars, fourteen animal coaches, three personel coaches, the show no longer travels by rail except in isolated circumstances. I heard reports that the shortest of jumps had a cost in excess of 75,000 Marks.