Museum of Transportation facts for kids
A Burlington Zephyr and a Frisco 2-10-0 on display at the National Museum of Transportation.
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| Overview | |
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| Headquarters | Kirkwood, Missouri |
| Reporting mark | MOTX |
| Locale | Greater St. Louis |
| Dates of operation | 1944–Present |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The National Museum of Transportation (NMOT) is a private, 42-acre transportation museum in the Kirkwood suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1944, it restores, preserves, and displays a wide variety of vehicles spanning 15 decades of American history: cars, boats, aircraft, and in particular, locomotives and railroad equipment from around the United States. The museum is also home to a research library of transportation-related memorabilia and documents.
At the southwest corner of the property is West Barretts Tunnel. Built in 1853, it is one of a pair of tunnels that were the first to operate west of the Mississippi River. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
The museum has its own railway spur to an active main line formerly owned by the Missouri Pacific Railroad, now by the Union Pacific Railroad. This has allowed the museum to take possession of large and unusual pieces of railroad equipment. A miniature railroad operates around a loop of track near the parking lot and a full-sized restored trolley operates Thursday–Sunday from April through October.
Vehicles and equipment
Railroad
Among its railroad items are:
- Aerotrain No. 3
- The only surviving Milwaukee Road class EP-2 Bi-Polar Electric
- Union Pacific Big Boy #4006
- Norfolk & Western Y6a class 2-8-8-2 No. 2156 (Moved to the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Virginia, on a 5-year loan from May 2015 until June 2020)
- Union Pacific Centennial #6944 (sent to Altoona in 2014 for restoration and has returned)
- Southern Pacific class GS-6 "War Baby"" #4460
- The only surviving EMC 1800 hp B-B locomotive, the former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad #50
- EMD FT #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 and one of five Camelbacks in existence.
- Erie Lackawanna EMD SD45 #3607
- Missouri-Kansas-Texas 4-4-0 #311, the sole surviving M-K-T steam locomotive
- Chicago & Illinois Midland 2-8-2 #551, the sole surviving C&IM steam locomotive
- Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (Italian State Railroad) E550.025 electric locomotive
- New York Central 4-8-2 #2933, one of two surviving examples of large NYC steam power
- Wabash 2-6-0 #573, one of only two Wabash steam locomotives in existence
- Union Pacific 900081, a rotary snowplow
- The Whale, largest tank car ever built
- a PRR P5 electric locomotive #4700
- Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad #9908 Silver Charger, the locomotive of the General Pershing Zephyr
- Frisco 1522, used in excursion service from 1988 to 2002.
- Frisco 1621, a sister to 1630 at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois
- a PRR GG1 electric locomotive #4918
- Chicago and Northwestern 4-4-2 #1015, the only surviving Chicago and North Western class DAtlantic
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A 1950s GM Aerotrain from the Rock Island railroad.
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A 4-6-0 Camelback locomotive built by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in 1873.
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Only surviving Milwaukee Road class EP-2 electric locomotive.
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An Erie Lackawanna Railway EMD SD45 restored to its original condition.
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The 9908 Silver Charger, which drew the General Pershing Zephyr train.
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Norfolk & Western 2156, the strongest-pulling steam locomotive in existence.
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USRA Light Mikado steam locomotive with a 2-8-2 wheel arrangement.
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A Southern Pacific GS-6 War Baby steam locomotive 4-8-4 wheel arrangement.
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Budd-built CB&Q Zephyr diner Silver Spoon.
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Frisco Number 1621.
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Chicago & Illinois Midland 2-8-2, Number 551, the sole surviving C&IM steam locomotive.
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Union Pacific Big Boy Number 4006.
Automobiles
The Earl C. Lindburg Automotive Center contains:
- 1908 Galloway Express truck
- 1901 St. Louis Motor Carriage Company car
- 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car
- 1964½ Ford Mustang
- 1915 Ford Model T
- Bobby Darin's Dream Car a DiDia 150
- St. Louis-built Automobile Gallery.
Boats and aircraft
On display are a Missouri River towboat and two airplanes, a C-47 Skytrain at the main gate and a T-33 Shooting Star.
Images for kids
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Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków
