Young giraffe, Brookfield Zoo, 2010. Photo by me!

I ran across this brief article recently, from the Bandwagon website:

Low Bridge and a Giraffe

(Reprinted from Chesapeake & Ohio Railway magazine “TRACKS” (April 1953). Bandwagon, Vol. 1, May-June, 1957, p. 3.)

An unusual problem in railroading occurred several years ago when a circus train was delayed by a low bridge and a giraffe. The animal’s head poking through the top of his special crate-car, was three inches too high for the bridge. Trainmen pondered the problem, while circus officials insisted that a headless giraffe would be worse than useless for exhibition purposes.

The next show town was fifty miles up the line, and something had to be done promptly or the performance would not open at the advertised time. The baffled conductor phoned headquarters. The freight clearance expert was called in. He thought the matter over for about thirty seconds, then advised, “Drop a carrot into the giraffe’s cage.”

The carrot was dropped.

The giraffe ducked down to get it.

The engineer jerked the throttle and the train went under the bridge.

The show opened on time.