Virginia Museum of Transportation facts for kids
The entrance of the Virginia Museum of Transportation
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| Established | April 1986 |
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| Location | Roanoke, Virginia |
| Type | Transport museum |
The Virginia Museum of Transportation (VMT) is a cool museum in Downtown Roanoke, Virginia, that focuses on all kinds of transportation. It's a great place to learn about how people and goods have moved around over the years!
Discover the Museum's History
The Virginia Museum of Transportation started way back in 1963. It was first called the Roanoke Transportation Museum. It was located in Wasena Park in Roanoke, Virginia. The museum was set up in an old Norfolk & Western Railway freight depot right by the Roanoke River.
Some of the first things the museum collected were a United States Army Jupiter rocket. They also got the famous J class steam locomotive No. 611. The Norfolk & Western company gave it to the city of Roanoke. Many of their train engines were actually built right there in Roanoke. The museum soon added other rail equipment. This included a DC Transit PCC streetcar. They also had many horse-drawn vehicles, like a hearse, a covered wagon, and a Studebaker wagon.
In November 1985, a big flood hit the museum. It damaged many of its exhibits. But the museum didn't give up! In April 1986, it reopened in a new spot. This new home was the old Norfolk and Western Railway Freight Station in downtown Roanoke. That's when it officially became the Virginia Museum of Transportation. The state of Virginia recognized it as the official transportation museum.
The city of Roanoke used to own the famous steam locomotives No. 611 and No. 1218. But on April 2, 2012, during the museum's 50th birthday, the city gave ownership of these amazing trains to the museum.
The Norfolk & Western Railway Freight Station itself is very old and important. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. The building was finished in 1918. It has two main parts: a two-story freight station and a smaller brick office building. The railroad stopped using it for freight in 1964.
Explore the Galleries and Exhibits
Awesome Automobile Gallery
- Auto Gallery. This gallery shows off cars from the early 1900s to today. You can see many cool antique cars here. There's also an "oral history" display called "Driving Lessons." It shares stories from people who love cars. Sometimes, the museum even has special exhibits. One popular one was the Hollywood Star Cars exhibit. It featured cars from famous TV shows and movies!
Exciting Railroad Exhibits
These exhibits teach you all about railroad life in America, especially in Virginia:
- The Claytor Brothers - Virginians Building America's Railroad. This exhibit tells the story of two brothers, Graham and Robert Claytor. It shows how they helped merge two big railway companies.
- From Cotton to Silk: African American Railroad Workers. This exhibit highlights the important roles African-Americans played on the railroads. It includes pictures, old items, and recorded interviews.
- Big Lick. This exhibit looks like a small train station from the 1930s. You can see old freight scales and a telegraph office. There's even a special hand car that workers used to check the tracks.
The museum also has a super cool O scale train layout. It's modeled after the towns of Roanoke, Salem, and Lynchburg in Virginia.
Amazing Aviation Gallery
- Wings Over Virginia. This exhibit explores the history of flying, especially in Virginia. The "Flight Talk" exhibit shares stories from pilots and other aviation experts. They talk about everything from early planes to space travel. You can learn how planes fly and even walk through part of a private jet! The gallery also covers helicopters, women in aviation, and careers in flying.
Check Out the Collection
The museum has a huge collection of vehicles! From January to May 2011, the museum even hosted the Chesapeake and Ohio 614 steam engine.
Other cool items include a 1913 Metz car and a 1920 Buick touring car. There's also a special armored car. This car was used to show the United States Bill of Rights around the country in 1991.
Rolling Stock (Trains!)
The museum has more than 50 pieces of train equipment! Some are being fixed up, so they might not always be on display.
Steam Locomotives
- Norfolk & Western J Class #611. This famous engine has been running again since May 9, 2015!
- Norfolk & Western Class A #1218. Built in 1943, it's the very last 2-6-6-4 type engine left.
- Virginian Railway SA class #4. Built in 1910, it's the last steam engine from the Virginian Railway.
- Norfolk & Western Class G-1 #6. Built in 1897, it's the museum's oldest piece of equipment.
Electric Locomotives
- Virginian Railway EL-C #135.
- Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 #4919. This classic electric engine is painted in a special green color.
Diesel-Electric Locomotives
- Wheeling & Lake Erie Switcher EMD NW2 #D3.
- Southern GM EMD FTB Unit.
- Norfolk & Western EMD SD-45 #1776. This engine has a cool patriotic number!
- Wabash E8A #1009.
Freight Cars
- Amoco Oil ARA 111 tank car AMOX #9465.
- Depressed center flatcar APWX #1002.
- Southern Railway Big John hopper #8638.
- Three Norfolk & Western hopper cars.
- VMTX 200298, VMTX 200340, VMTX 66538. These are special coal cars used with the #611 locomotive.
Passenger Cars
- Illinois Terminal "President One" business car.
- Southern Railway Pullman sleeping car "Lake Pearl" #2422.
- VMTX (RF&P) passenger car #514. This one is an "Open window car."
Cabooses
- Norfolk and Western Class CF #518302. You can even rent this one for birthday parties!
- Virginian Class C-10 #321.
Other Unique Rolling Stock
- Norfolk & Western Dynamometer Car #514780. This car was used to test how powerful engines were.
- Norfolk & Western Safety Instruction Car #418. This car is like a theater on wheels! It shows a documentary about fixing up the N&W 611.
Awesome Automobile Collection
Cars
- Oldsmobile Curved Dash (1904). A very early car!
- Ford Model T Depot Hack (1925).
- Cadillac Fleetwood Coupe (1936).
- Studebaker President Speedster (1955).
- DMC DeLorean (1981). Just like the car from "Back to the Future"!
- DuPont Chevrolet Monte Carlo (1993). This was a Jeff Gordon race car from a movie!
Trucks
- Ford Pickup Truck (1929).
- Overnite B-Model Mack Tractor (1960) and Fruehauf Trailer.
- Concord Fire Department Oren Fire Truck.
Other Road Vehicles
- Studebaker Half-Platform Wagon (1870).
- James Cunningham, Son and Company Hearse (1895).
- Freight Wagon "Prairie Schooner" (1900-1915). This is like the wagons pioneers used!
- F-20 McCormick-Deering Farmall Tractor (1936).
- Federal Aviation Administration Tucker Sno-Cat. A vehicle for snow!
Aviation Collection
After a big storm in 2006, the aviation gallery was rebuilt. Now it has cool interviews and displays, including:
- How a plane flies.
- A walk-through of a private jet's passenger area and cockpit.
- Information about helicopters and emergency transport.
- Stories about women in aviation.
- Different jobs you can have in aviation.
- New research and developments in flying.
- Virginia's military air bases.
- Stories about early pilots from Roanoke.
