Texas Transportation Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1964 |
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| Location | San Antonio, Texas |
| Type | Transportation Museum |
The Texas Transportation Museum (TTM) is a fun place in San Antonio, Texas. It's all about how people and things have moved around over time!
This museum started in 1964. Its main goal is to save old vehicles and information about San Antonio's history of travel. TTM lets you see many of its cool items in action. This includes railroad vehicles on its own special train line, called the Longhorn and Western Railroad. You can also see many model train setups and old cars. The museum wants to teach you how transportation has changed our daily lives. It's a place for both learning and having a great time!
The museum first opened in Downtown San Antonio. It used tracks from the Texas Transportation Company. In 1967, the museum moved to a bigger space. This new spot was about 40 acres in what is now McAllister Park. It's just north of the San Antonio International Airport.
The museum holds three big events each year. There's an Easter egg hunt in April. In October, they have "Spook-Track-Ula" for Halloween. And in December, it's "Santa's Railroad Wonderland" for Christmas. You can even rent parts of the museum for parties. This includes a special caboose, picnic tables, and a kids' play area. The play area has a wooden steam engine and a metal diesel engine model.
Contents
Riding the Longhorn and Western Railroad
The Longhorn and Western Railroad is the Texas Transportation Museum's very own train line. It runs only on the museum's property. It's about 5/8 of a mile long in total. The main line goes about 1/3 of a mile.
Visitors can ride a real, full-sized diesel train. These rides happen every hour on Saturdays and Sundays. During summer or holidays, you can ride on Fridays too. Once a month, there's a special "steam day." On this day, you can ride behind the museum's steam locomotive! It's a unique chance to experience history.
Trains You Can See and Ride
The museum has many cool trains and rail cars. Some of them still work and you can ride them! Others are on display for you to explore.
Trains That Work
- US Army 1954 Baldwin RS-4-TC 1A Switcher #4035
- US Air Force 1942 GE 45-ton switcher #7071
- Comal Power Plant 1925 Baldwin 0-4-0T #1
- Missouri Pacific Railroad Flat car #50043
- Missouri Pacific Railroad Caboose #13083
- US Marine Corps Fairmont motor car #256260
Trains on Display
- Moscow, Camden and San Augustine Railroad 1911 Baldwin 2-8-0 Steam locomotive #6
- Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Pullman business car #404
- Pullman Company 1924 Pullman McKeever sleeper car
- Union Pacific Railroad Caboose #25275
- Missouri Pacific Railroad Caboose #11919 (waiting to be fixed up)
- Missouri Pacific Railroad Caboose #13430 (now a birthday party room!)
- Different types of railroad speeders (small cars used on tracks)
Cool Old Vehicles
The museum also has a collection of old cars, trucks, and other vehicles. It's like stepping back in time to see how people used to get around!
Fire Trucks
- 1898 American LaFrance fire engine (a steam-powered one!)
- 1924 Buffalo Type 50 fire engine
- 1947 Mack Type 85
Tractors
- 1939 Case
- 1941 Cletrac DG-5
- 1948 Ford 8N
- 1946 John Deere Model H
Cars and Trucks
- 1929 Ford Model AA
- 1931 Ford Model A Tudor
- 1924 Ford Model TT
- 1903 Oldsmobile Curved Dash
- 1918 Oldsmobile Speedster
Carriages
- 1900 Doctor’s Carriage
- 1898 Victorian Brougham
- 1903 Studebaker
Amazing Model Trains
If you love miniature worlds, you'll enjoy the museum's model railroad displays. These tiny trains run through detailed landscapes.
- HO scale layout (run by the Alamo Model Railroad Engineers)
- G gauge outdoor layout (run by the San Antonio Garden Railroad Engineers Society)
- N scale layout (run by the San Antonio N-Trak Association)
- O scale layout (run by museum volunteers)
- Z scale layout
Images for kids
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Former US Army 1954 Baldwin RS-4-TC 1A Diesel-Electric Switcher #4035
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Former US Air Force 1942 GE 45-ton switcher #7071
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Former Moscow, Camden and San Augustine Railroad 1911 Baldwin 2-8-0 Steam Locomotive #6
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Former Comal Power Plant 1925 Baldwin 0-4-0T #1
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US Marine Corps Fairmont motor car #256260
