John Ringling owned a private railroad observation passenger car and used it from 1905 until 1917 to travel with his circus, take vacations, and conduct business trips.
It was built by the George Mortimer Pullman Company in Pullman, Illinois.
It was made of wood.
It weighed 65 tons, was 79 feet long, 14 feet tall and 10 feet wide.
It cost $11,325.23, this was only about half the price of a comparable Pullman car of the time, because it was outfitted with walls taken from other railroad cars.
He named it for his home state of Wisconsin, and because that is where his circus was quartered.

The car was divided into an observation room, three staterooms, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, and servants’ quarters.
The interior was made of mahogany and other woods, intricate moldings, gold-leaf stencils, and stained glass.
The 10-foot high ceilings were painted viva gold, baize green, and fiery brown.
When New York City banned wooden cars from its city’s tunnels, John Ringling decided to sell the Wisconsin.
Later, the car was purchased by the Norfolk Southern Railroad, which renamed it the Virginia, it used it as a business car for its railroad officials.
Then it was sold to the Atlantic & East Carolina Railway, which adapted it into a fishing lodge, renamed it the Carolina, and placed it in Morehead City, North Carolina.

It was acquired by the North Carolina Transportation Museum which kept it in covered storage on its grounds in Spencer.
A $417,240 federal grant awarded to the Florida Department of Transportation helped pay for the restoration of the Wisconsin's exterior, carried out by the Edwards Rail Car Co. in Montgomery, Ala. The next stop for the railcar was The John and Mable Ringling Museum in Sarasota Florida.
An anonymous donation of $100,000 then brought the Wisconsin's interiors back to its Gilded Age sheen, work which was done right at the museum.
The Sarasota County Parks and Recreation Department donated railroad tracks for the train car.
The tracks became available as part of the Rails to Trails project.
The rails were laid by volunteers from the Florida Railroad Museum located in Parrish, Florida.
John Ringling owned a private railroad observation passenger car and used it from 1905 until 1917 to travel with his circus, take vacations, and conduct business trips. It was built by the George Mortimer Pullman Company in Pullman, Illinois. It was made of wood. It weighed 65 tons, was 79 feet long, 14 feet tall and 10 feet wide. It cost $11,325.23, this was only about half the price of a comparable Pullman car of the time, because it was outfitted with walls taken from other railroad cars. He named it for his home state of Wisconsin, and because that is where his circus was quartered.
The car was divided into an observation room, three staterooms, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, and servants’ quarters. The interior was made of mahogany and other woods, intricate moldings, gold-leaf stencils, and stained glass. The 10-foot high ceilings were painted viva gold, baize green, and fiery brown. When New York City banned wooden cars from its city’s tunnels, John Ringling decided to sell the Wisconsin. Later, the car was purchased by the Norfolk Southern Railroad, which renamed it the Virginia, it used it as a business car for its railroad officials. Then it was sold to the Atlantic & East Carolina Railway, which adapted it into a fishing lodge, renamed it the Carolina, and placed it in Morehead City, North Carolina. 
It was acquired by the North Carolina Transportation Museum which kept it in covered storage on its grounds in Spencer. A $417,240 federal grant awarded to the Florida Department of Transportation helped pay for the restoration of the Wisconsin's exterior, carried out by the Edwards Rail Car Co. in Montgomery, Ala. The next stop for the railcar was The John and Mable Ringling Museum in Sarasota Florida. An anonymous donation of $100,000 then brought the Wisconsin's interiors back to its Gilded Age sheen, work which was done right at the museum. The Sarasota County Parks and Recreation Department donated railroad tracks for the train car. The tracks became available as part of the Rails to Trails project. The rails were laid by volunteers from the Florida Railroad Museum located in Parrish, Florida.
John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art