|
When I think of transportation, my rather narrow view tends to focus on automobiles. As I drove onto the grounds of the 150 acre Museum of Transportation in Saint Louis, Missouri, I realized I was about to have my view expanded. Founded in 1944 with a single streetcar, the museum is located at the site of the first man-made railroad tunnels west of the Mississippi River. The two Barretts tunnels were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The museum site, located along the right-of-way of the Missouri Pacific railroad, features ten buildings and over four miles of switching and exhibition track. |
 When you visit the museum, you will be viewing exhibits as soon as you enter the driveway. The plane is a 1944 Douglas C47-A “Gooney Bird” used in the Normandy invasion. The 1933 H.T. Pott Tow Boat is the first all-welded steel hull tow boat on the Mississippi. |
 Entering the Automotive Exhibit Building you find a modest selection of vehicles, the most extreme being the Bobby Darin “Dream Car.” After seven years of construction, it was completed in 1960. The hand formed aluminum body is placed over a tube frame, and is 18 feet long, seven feet two inches wide with fins four feet tall. The rear turn signals in the fins move outward horizontally to be seen better. Dual headlights drop from the bodywork above the bumper and pivot to follow the steering. Hmm, unique turn signals; I wonder if the headlights are vacuum operated . . . |
 The interior of the “Dream Machine” utilizes four Buick bucket seats. The center dash levers control the Cadillac automatic transmission, choke (called “Air-Fuel Mixture”), wipers, heat and air conditioning. The car has a Cad engine, Chrysler windshield, Plexiglas roof and rear window. Pressing the small grill on the chrome pillar opens the foot thick doors, and the roof panels pivot up as the door opens. Accounting for inflation, the car would cost nearly $1.3 million to build today. |
 This 1931 Adolphus Land Yacht (motor home) is based on a Yellow Coach model Z-250 inter-city bus, used extensively by Greyhound. It sleeps eight on upper and lower railroad style berths, converting to seating for twelve in two lounge areas. Of course, it has a kitchen, toilet and shower as well as air conditioning. Today's cost would be $250,000, just the ticket for a touring NASCAR driver. |
 Big blocks, er, tanks forever! This 1923 Stanley "Steamer" Model 740 is a seven seat touring car that would cruise all day at 45 MPH, with a range of 2000 miles. The engine has 15 moving parts, 24 in the power plant and 37 moving parts in the entire car. It cost $2750 in 1923, about the price of a nice Cougar 44 years later. |
 General Motors built two of these “Aerotrains” in 1955 to test lightweight, low center of gravity concepts. Powered by 1200 horsepower locomotives, the trains were in service until 1965. They rode poorly at high speeds and were noisy . . . but they certainly look cool. |
 Designed and built by the Union Pacific Railroad in 1966, this rotary snowplow is the heaviest ever built, weighing 367,400 lbs. It is not self-propelled and must be pushed by three or four locomotives. The 12 foot rotary blades are powered by a 16 cylinder, 3000 horsepower turbocharged GM diesel, throwing snow far to either side of the tracks. I wonder how far it could throw that Honda that cut me off yesterday . . . |
 This is not a land whale, and the “Do Not Hump” text on the side of the engine is official railroad language about high centering this Wedge Snow Plow. It is pushed along by one or two locomotives, and could be stranded if the pushing locomotive was going up as the plow was headed down a grade, hence, “Do Not Hump.” |
 This 1939 Illinois Terminal Railbus started life as White Motor Company school bus. The Illinois Terminal adapted it to railroad life with a special rear axle, flanged wheels and four wheel front bogie truck. It was used to transport passengers until 1953. |
 Here's another art deco engine, the 1933 Silver Charger, built by the Budd Company and powered by a 1000 horsepower GM diesel. This one was the last shovel nosed “Zephyr” in service, arriving at the museum in 1966. It comes in at a svelte 202,000 lbs and is 80 feet long. |
 A very small part of the cavernous Roberts Building, housing all manner of engines, passenger cars, dining cars, tankers, you name it, from every age of trains. |
 Another view of the railroad history housed in the Roberts Building. Behind it is another off limits restoration facility, where some fascinating projects are underway.. |
| The Museum of Transportation is true to its name, with the land, sea and air covered. The pictures above are a small sampling of the 140 rail pieces, 200 automotive pieces and smaller collections of water and aircraft. The heavy rail iron is the attraction for most kids, of any age. You can climb into some locomotives, ring the bells, walk through a tanker and a caboose, enjoy guided tours through rail Passenger Cars from a variety of eras, and look into one of the tunnels. |
| The Museum of Transportation is operated by St. Louis County Parks. Admission is $4.00 for adults and $2.00 for seniors and children. There is a limited snack bar and a small gift shop. The museum is located off 270, Exit 8 at 3015 Barrett Station, St. Louis, Missouri 63122, with a sign on the freeway just before the exit. Museum hours vary with the seasons, so check by telephone (314.965.7998) or visit their web site http://www.museumoftransport.org/ for hours and dates of operation. |
| .Photographs by Gary Weisenberger |
| RETURN TO TCP FEATURES MENU |
 |
 |