Museum of Transportation
Encyclopedia
The Museum of Transportation (initialised MOT, reporting mark
MOTX) 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.
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.
The recently remodeled Earl C. Lindburg Automotive Center contains some unusual pieces:
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
Reporting mark
A reporting mark is a two-, three-, or four-letter alphabetic code used to identify owners or lessees of rolling stock and other equipment used on the North American railroad network. The marks are stenciled on each piece of equipment, along with a one-to-six-digit number, which together uniquely...
MOTX) of the St. Louis County
St. Louis County, Missouri
St. Louis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. Its county seat is Clayton. St. Louis County is part of the St. Louis Metro Area wherein the independent City of St. Louis and its suburbs in St. Louis County, as well as the surrounding counties in both Missouri and Illinois all...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. A miniature train operates around a loop of track near the parking lot, and occasionally a full-size trolley is operated.
Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
main line (formerly Missouri Pacific Railroad
Missouri Pacific Railroad
The Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway , Texas and Pacific...
). This has allowed the museum to receive large and unusual pieces of railroad equipment into its collection:
- AerotrainAerotrain (GM)The Aerotrain was a streamlined trainset introduced by General Motors Electro-Motive Division in the mid-1950s. Like all of GM's body designs of this mid-century era, this train was first brought to life in GM's Styling Section. Chuck Jordan was in charge of designing the Aerotrain as Chief...
No. 3 - The only surviving Milwaukee Road class EP-2Milwaukee Road class EP-2The Milwaukee Road's class EP-2 comprised five electric locomotives built by General Electric in 1919. They were often known as Bipolars, which referred to the bipolar electric motors they used. Among the most distinctive and powerful electric locomotives of their time, they epitomized the...
Bi-Polar Electric - Union Pacific Big BoyUnion Pacific Big BoyBig Boy was the name of the Union Pacific Railroad's 4000-class 4-8-8-4 articulated steam locomotives, built between 1941 and 1944 by American Locomotive Company...
#4006 - Norfolk & Western Y6a class 2-8-8-22-8-8-2.A 2-8-8-2, in the Whyte notation for describing steam locomotive wheel arrangements, is an articulated locomotive with a two-wheel leading truck, two sets of eight driving wheels, and a two-wheel trailing truck. The equivalent UIC classification is, refined to Mallet locomotives, D1...
No. 2156Norfolk & Western 2156Norfolk & Western 2156 is the strongest-pulling extant steam locomotive in the world, although it is not operational. It is a four-cylinder compound articulated locomotive with a 2-8-8-2 wheel arrangement. The Norfolk & Western Railway built it in 1942 at its Roanoke Shops in Roanoke, Virginia,... - Union Pacific CentennialEMD DDA40XThe EMD DDA40X was a D-D diesel-electric locomotive built by the General Motors EMD division of La Grange, Illinois for the Union Pacific Railroad...
#6944 - Southern Pacific class GS-6Southern Pacific class GS-6The GS-6 is a semi-streamlined 4-8-4 Northern type steam locomotive that served the Southern Pacific Railroad from 1943 to 1958 and the Western Pacific Railroad from 1943 to 1953. They were built during World War II for the Southern Pacific Railroad by the Lima Locomotive Works and were numbered...
"War Baby"" #4460Southern Pacific 4460Southern Pacific 4460 is the only surviving GS-6 Class steam locomotive. The GS-6 is a semi-streamlined 4-8-4 Northern type steam locomotive. GS stands for "Golden State" or "General Service." The locomotive was built by the Lima Locomotive Works for the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1943... - The only surviving EMC 1800 hp B-B locomotive - former Baltimore and Ohio RailroadBaltimore and Ohio RailroadThe Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
#50 - EMD FTFTFT may refer to* Final Testament * The Financial Times* Fighting Talk, a British radio show* Fuzzy Tomato, or "FT" is a character in Return of the Killer Tomatoes, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: The Animated Series, Killer Tomatoes Strike Back and Killer Tomatoes Eat France.* Fairy Tale* The...
#103, the first F-unit built, a National Engineering Landmark - Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western 4-4-0C #952, one of two DL&W steam locomotives in existence.
- Erie Lackawanna EMD SD45EMD SD45The EMD SD45 is a six-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between December, 1965, and December, 1971. Power was provided by an EMD 645E3 twenty-cylinder engine which generated 3,600 HP. This locomotive shared the same common frame with the EMD SD38, EMD SD39, EMD...
#3607 - Chicago & Illinois Midland 2-8-22-8-2Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
#551, the sole survivng C&IM Steam locomotive - FDS (ITALIAN STATE RAILROAD) E550.025 Electric Locomotive
- New York Central 4-8-24-8-2Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
#2933, one of two surviving examples of Large NYC Steam Power - WabashWabashUsually refers to or is related to the Wabash River in the Midwestern United States. Wabash may also refer to:Geographical features:* Wabash, Indiana* Wabash County, Illinois* Wabash County, Indiana* Wabash Valley Seismic ZoneOther:...
EMD GP35 547, awaiting cosmetic restoration - Conrail GP7 5677 with Dual controls for commuter operation, built for the Central RR of New Jersey
- Union Pacific 900081, a rotary snowplowRotary snowplowA rotary snowplow is a piece of railroad snowfighting equipment. It is characterized by the large circular set of blades on its front end that rotate as a unit to cut through the snow on the track ahead of it.-History:...
- The Whale, largest tank carTank carA tank car is a type of railroad rolling stock designed to transport liquid and gaseous commodities.-Timeline:...
ever built - a PRR P5PRR P5The Pennsylvania Railroad's class P5 comprised 92 mixed-traffic electric locomotives constructed 1931–1935 by the PRR, Westinghouse and General Electric....
electric mixed traffic #4700 - Chicago, Burlington and Quincy RailroadChicago, Burlington and Quincy RailroadThe Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri,...
#9908 Silver Charger – the locomotive of the General Pershing ZephyrGeneral Pershing ZephyrThe General Pershing Zephyr was the ninth of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad's Zephyr streamliners, and the last built as an integrated streamliner rather than a train hauled by an EMD E-unit diesel locomotive... - Frisco 1522SLSF 1522SLSF 1522 is a two-cylinder, simple 4-8-2 Mountain-type steam locomotive built in 1926 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway. It was retired, and in May 1959 donated to the Museum of Transportation, St. Louis, Missouri, where it is currently on display.-History:The...
. 1522 was used in excursions from 1988-2002. - Frisco 1621. 1621 is a sister to 1630 in Union, IL
At the corner of the property is the first railroad tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
built west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. Built in 1853, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1978.
The museum also operates a miniature railroad and a full-size trolley
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
on a seasonal schedule.
Automobiles
- 1908 Galloway Express truck
- 1959 Ford gas turbineGas turbineA gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
truck - 1901 St. Louis Motor Carriage Company car
- 1963 Chrysler Turbine CarChrysler Turbine CarChrysler Turbine Cars were automobiles powered by gas turbine engines that the Chrysler Corporation assembled in a small plant in Detroit, Michigan, USA in 1963, for use in the only consumer test of gas turbine-powered cars...
- 1964½ Ford MustangFord MustangThe Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, as a "1964½" model, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A...
- 1915 Ford Model TFord Model TThe Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from September 1908 to May 1927...
- Bobby DarinBobby DarinBobby Darin , born Walden Robert Cassotto, was an American singer, actor and musician.Darin performed in a range of music genres, including pop, rock, jazz, folk and country...
's Dream Car a DiDia 150DiDia 150Detroit clothing designer Andy DiDia designed this unrestrained and unconventional automobile.From 1953 to 1960 the DiDia 150 was hand-built at a cost over $150,000....
Boats and Planes
There is a Missouri RiverMissouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
towboat
Towboat
Not to be confused with the historic boat type with the same name, also called horse-drawn boat.A towboat is a boat designed for pushing barges or car floats. Towboats are characterized by a square bow with steel knees for pushing and powerful engines...
and two airplanes on display, a C-47 Skytrain
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
at the main gate and a T-33 Shooting Star
T-33 Shooting Star
The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star is an American-built jet trainer aircraft. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948, piloted by Tony LeVier. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then designated T-33A. It was used by the...
near the scale model railroad
See also
External links
- Museum of Transportation – Official Website
- RailPictures.Net Photographs from the Museum of Transportation