Museum of the American Railroad Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Museum of the American Railroad
Two steam locomotives sit on display at the Museum of the American Railroad
Former name	Southwest Railroad Historical Society, Age Of Steam Railway Museum
Established	1963
Location	Frisco, Texas, United States
Type	501(C) Not For Profit
Collections	Railway Rolling Stock and Historic Railroad Buildings
Public transit access	Frisco Shuttle Busses
Nearest parking	Frisco Discovery Center

The Museum of the American Railroad is a super cool place in Frisco, Texas. It used to be known as the Age of Steam Railroad Museum. This museum has one of the biggest collections of historic trains in the United States!

You can see over 70 different types of trains here. These include powerful steam engines, modern diesel locomotives, comfy passenger cars, and even freight cars. The museum covers 15 acres, which is a lot of space to explore. You can even walk through some of the trains on special guided tours.

All About the Museum's History

The museum started small in 1963. It was first an exhibit at Fair Park in Dallas. For many years, it was a popular part of the annual State Fair of Texas.

In 1986, it officially became a museum. It stayed at Fair Park until November 2011. The museum then decided to move to Frisco, Texas. This big move was part of a plan to make the museum even better. The plan included new buildings and exciting new programs.

While the new main museum is still being built, some offices and exhibits are at the Frisco Heritage Museum. The new main location is just two blocks south.

In July 2018, a special exhibit called TrainTopia opened. It's a huge model train display inside the Frisco Discovery Center. This center is right next to the museum's future site. Another model train display, an O-scale layout, is also being put back together.

Amazing Train Collection

Frisco 4501 moving to Frisco, Texas

The Museum of the American Railroad in Frisco, Texas, in June 2019

The museum has many different kinds of trains. Here are some of the cool ones you can see:

Powerful Locomotives

Locomotives are the engines that pull the trains. The museum has both old and new ones!

Steam Locomotives

These are the classic trains that run on steam.

Union Pacific #4018: This is a giant Big Boy train. It was built in 1941 and is one of the largest steam locomotives ever made!
St. Louis-San Francisco Railway #4501: This train was famous for pulling the Meteor passenger train. It was built in 1942.
St. Louis-San Francisco Railway #1625: Built in 1918.
Dallas Union Terminal #7: Built in 1923.

Diesel Locomotives

These trains use diesel engines, like big trucks.

Southern Pacific #2379: Built in 1956, and it still works!
Colorado & Wyoming #1107: Built in 1943, and it also still works!
Union Pacific #6913: A very powerful EMD DDA40X train, built in 1969.
United States Army #8000: Built in 1942, and it's operational.
Santa Fe #49: Built in 1952. It's painted in the famous Santa Fe "Red Warbonnet" colors and is operational.
Santa Fe #M-160: This is a "Doodlebug," which is a special train car that carries both passengers and mail. It was built in 1931 and is operational.
Santa Fe #59L: An ALCO PA-1 built in 1948. It's currently being restored.

AT&SF #49 at the Museum of the American Railroad in Frisco, TX

Electric Locomotives

Pennsylvania Railroad class GG1: A very sleek and famous electric locomotive.

Passenger Cars

These are the cars where people rode on trains.

Sleeping Cars

Amtrak #2997: This car has both small rooms (roomettes) and larger bedrooms. It was built in 1950.
Pullman Company "Glengyle": This is a very old and special sleeping car. It was built in 1911 and is one of the earliest all-steel sleeping cars still around.
Pullman Company "Goliad": Built in 1926. It was one of the first cars to have air conditioning in the 1930s!

Coaches

Santa Fe #3197: A chair-observation car from 1940.
Texas and Pacific Railway #1143: A chair car from 1920.

Lounges and Diners

Santa Fe #3231: A parlor-club car from 1914.
Santa Fe #1550: A lunch counter diner from 1948.
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad #438: A dining car from 1937.

Other Cool Equipment

Transit Equipment

Metra Electric District (Ex-Illinois Central Railroad) "Stream-Liner": These are commuter train cars built in the 1970s. Many of them are still operational!

Freight Cars

These cars carried goods across the country.

Kansas City Southern #7460: A single sheathed boxcar.
Lone Star Producing Company #1817: A tank car.
Packers Car Line (Armour & Company) PCX 4063: An ice refrigerator car, used to keep food cold.

Cabooses

Cabooses are the cars at the very end of a freight train.

Santa Fe Caboose #999311: Built in 1949.
Cotton Belt #2332: A drover caboose from 1920.

Speeders and Handcars

These are small vehicles used by railroad workers to inspect tracks.

Union Pacific Railroad #MT14444M: A Fairmont Railway Motors Model M-14, built in 1977.
Gifford-Hill & Company #H109: An old-fashioned handcar from 1964.

Historic Structures

The museum also has some old railroad buildings.

Houston & Texas Central Railroad Depot: A train station building from around 1905.
Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railroad Interlocking Tower 19: A tower used to control train signals and tracks.

Tower 19 and Frisco 4501 at Fair Park Dallas, TX

Road Vehicles

Railway Express Agency Ford 1-ton box truck: A delivery truck from 1941.

TrainTopia: A Miniature Railroad World

TrainTopia is a super cool exhibit at the Frisco Discovery Center. It's a huge model train layout that covers 2,500 square feet! Imagine a whole world in miniature.

This amazing display was given to the museum by the Sanders family. A generous donation helped move it and set it up. The model scene shows places from Texas all the way to Arizona. You can see cool rock formations, a busy downtown Dallas street, and even a drive-in movie theater playing a tiny movie! There are also working sawmills and a West Texas refinery.

A special light show makes the exhibit change from day to night. You'll see hundreds of tiny trains and cars, mostly made by a German company called LGB. It's like stepping into a miniature railroad adventure!