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.
The Aug. 1 event will feature vendors selling 2024 Train Day t-shirts, and the U.S. Postal Service will be on hand with commemorative Fair Train Finale cancellation marks featuring Carnival Nights stamps. Artcraft Toy Trains will be taking pre-orders for Atlas O-scale officially licensed and authorized Strates Shows Carnival Show Train cars.
More information about the event is available online at the Erie County Fair website.
Future moves involving the Strates train are unclear.
“The Strates Family has yet to determine the long-term plan of its rail transportation program as it has successfully transitioned to using over the road trucks,” spokesman Marty Biniasz says. “The limited return to rails during the summer of 2024 coincides with the celebration of our 100-year partnership with the Erie County Fair in Hamburg, N.Y. This is the only planned use of the Fair Train during the 2024 season.”
Any idea of CSX route of the train and ETA to Buffalo?