New Orleans Mardi Gras parade floats around 1900-1910

http://www.massivefantastic.com/2016/05/great-stuff-bror-anders-wikstroms.html

http://www.massivefantastic.com/2016/04/great-stuff-breathtaking-float-designs.html

http://www.massivefantastic.com/2016/05/great-stuff-bror-anders-wikstroms.html

Original hand-drawn illustration of the Main Street Electrical Parade Elliot the dragon float from the 1977 movie Pete's Dragon

https://www.savacoolandsons.com/item-69810.html

the guys in the American Legion made some cool vehicles back in the day Americans were transported to the battle front in French box cars (Voiture) with a 40-8 denoting its capacity to hold 40 men or 8 horses,

The 37th annual state American Legion convention was held in Springfield the first weekend of September in 1955, bringing more than 5,300 people and a dozen or so trick cars. This one from the David Daniel American Legion Post 427 in Saybrook, reared up on its back wheels when commanded to delight those who stood along Sixth Street to watch the torchlight parade.

Lawrenceburg Indiana's American Legion wheelie car above

1934

and one was just pulled out of long term storage in Rices Landing 

Reminder that so many feature the numbers 40 - 8 because of the American soldiers in WW1 transported to the battle front in French box cars (Voiture) with a 40-8 denoting its capacity to hold 40 men or 8 horses, and the origin of the American Legion by US soldiers at the end of WW1 in Paris

https://users.usachoice.net/~americanlegionpost32pa/AMERICAN%20LEGION%20LOCOMOTIVE%20HISTORY.htm

https://www.weirduniverse.net/blog/comments/peggy_american_legion_flying_parade_car

https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2021/04/a-harley-three-wheeler-with-carousel.html

https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2015/07/lawrenceburg-indianas-american-legion.html

 https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=2520254674793318&set=pcb.2520255051459947

https://www.samessenger.com/news/upbeat/the-historic-meaning-of-40-8/article_aa8ffeb6-7a9a-11ea-92f6-6b818783dd44.html

for another train, see https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-american-legion-used-to-have-parade.html

1958 Thanksgiving Day Parade - Men dressed as railroad conductors and attendants tug a large balloon float in the shape of a train ... that counts as a parade float, right?

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=745754345100108&set=pcb.745754365100106

a video of a Detroit parade of truckers pulling all sorts of floats, flatbed's, etc, with tractors, a yacht, a 1263 year old tree trunk section, steam calliope, cars, dumptrucks, stage coaches, delivery vans, etc... terrific variety, the most horrid editing I've ever seen though

 

damn shame there aren't cool parades like this anymore, or Worlds Fairs. 

Universal Studios now has a Mega Movie Parade series of floats for the most famous Universal theme park draws, like Ghost Busters, Jaws, Minions, Jurassic Park, and Back to the Future

skip to 10:30 for the parade to even start

https://ghostbustersnews.com/2024/07/03/first-look-at-universal-studios-mega-movie-parades-ghostbusters-float-includes-massive-stay-puft-marshmallow-man/

A better video at https://www.tumblr.com/armengoldira/755180303477293056?source=share