Museum of Transportation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Museum of Transportation

Logo

Frisco and the Zephyr.jpg
A Burlington Zephyr and a Frisco 2-10-0 on display at the Museum of Transportation.
Reporting mark MOTX
Locale Greater St. Louis
Dates of operation 1944 (1944)–Present
Track gauge 4 ft 8 12 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters Kirkwood, Missouri

The Museum of Transportation (initialised MOT, reporting mark MOTX[1]) of the St. Louis County, Missouri, United States Parks Department is a museum located in the Greater St. Louis area. It was first founded in 1944 by a group of individuals dedicated to preserving the past and has a wide variety of vehicles from American history. The historic collection includes antique cars, boats, planes, and a sizable collection of locomotives and railroad equipment from a wide area of the United States. A miniature train operates around a loop of track near the parking lot, and occasionally a full-size trolley is operated.

Contents

[edit] Vehicles and equipment

[edit] Railroad

Barrets tunnel, one of the first railroad tunnels west of the Mississippi River, is located within the Museum of Transportation. Its often used for the storage of railroad equipment awaiting restoration.

The museum has its own railway spur to an active Union Pacific Railroad main line (formerly Missouri Pacific Railroad). This has allowed the museum to receive large and unusual pieces of railroad equipment into its collection:

At the corner of the property is the first railroad tunnel built west of the Mississippi River. Built in 1853, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

The museum also operates a miniature railroad and a full-size trolley on a seasonal schedule.

[edit] Automobiles

The engine compartment of a 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car displayed inside the museum.

The recently remodeled Earl C. Lindburg Automotive Center contains some unusual pieces:

[edit] Boats and Planes

There is a Missouri River towboat and two airplanes on display, a C-47 Skytrain at the main gate and a T-33 Shooting Star near the scale model railroad

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Railinc, Search MARKs, accessed September 2009

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 38°34′18″N 90°27′43″W / 38.571572°N 90.462048°W / 38.571572; -90.462048

Personal tools
Namespaces

Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export