James E. Strates Shows carnival train scheduled for Aug. 1 trip to western New York fair

By Bill Stephens | July 26, 2024

The Strates equipment is currently shuffling off to Buffalo, N.Y., via CSX, which will hand the train to short line Buffalo Southern for the trip to the Erie County Fair



On May 3, 2016, The James E. Strates Shows train P-922 rolls eastbound on CSX’s Philadelphia Subdivision in Elk Mills, Md. Michael S. Murray

HAMBURG, N.Y. — The James E. Strates Shows carnival train, the last of its kind, is scheduled to run to the Erie County Fairgrounds south of Buffalo, N.Y., on Thursday, Aug. 1. … The train, which has been sidelined since the pandemic, is currently en route to Buffalo, N.Y., in regular merchandise service on CSX. Once there, it will be interchanged with short line Buffalo Southern for the trip to Hamburg.

The Erie County Fair will host Train Day at the former Erie Railroad depot at 4 Scott St. in the Village of Hamburg. The event will kick off at 9 a.m. with an anticipated train arrival between 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., the fair announced today.

The return of the Strates train coincides with the 100th anniversary of the partnership between the family-run carnival company and the Erie County Fair. It is considered the longest continuous run of any one carnival midway and a fair in the U.S.

Strates rail cars have been mechanically overhauled and cosmetically restored for its return, including the application of retro-inspired color schemes and lettering.

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