Southern Arizona Transportation Museum facts for kids
The Southern Arizona Transportation Museum is a cool railroad museum located in Tucson, Arizona. It's found in an old building that used to be a records vault at the Southern Pacific Depot. The City of Tucson fixed up this building in 2004, making it a great home for the museum.
You can visit the museum for free! If you want a special tour, you can book one for a small fee. The museum also hosts fun events for the community. They offer walking tours of historic downtown Tucson from October to March. You can also learn about railroad safety, listen to amazing stories from the past, and see many old items that show how people traveled in southern Arizona long ago.
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Explore the Museum's Cool Features
Meet Southern Pacific Locomotive 1673
One of the most exciting things to see at the museum is the huge Southern Pacific locomotive #1673. This amazing train engine is a special type called a 2-6-0 M-4b Mogul. It was built way back in November 1900 by the Schenectady Locomotive Works in Schenectady, New York, for the Southern Pacific Railroad. This historic locomotive is so important that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places!
The Historic Train Depot
The main lobby of the old train depot is still used today! It serves as a waiting room for people catching Amtrak trains. Other parts of the depot and nearby buildings are rented out to different businesses. It's neat how an old building can still be so useful!
Celebrate at the Silver Spike Festival
Every March, the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum hosts a special event called the Silver Spike Festival. This festival celebrates a big moment in Tucson's history: when the first train arrived in the city in March 1880!
At the 2014 festival, important guests like Mayor Jonathan Rothschild and newspaper writer David Leighton attended. There was even a fun play where people acted out the roles of early Tucson pioneers, like Estevan Ochoa and P.R. Tully. The 4th United States Cavalry Regiment Band also played music, making it a lively celebration of history!
More to Discover
- Old Pueblo Trolley
- List of heritage railroads in the United States
