Going to St. Louis next month. Any good layouts / MR museums to see?

[Anonymous]

I know there is a permanent display in Union Station, which I plan to visit. Other than that, I haven't seen anything on the web. Just wondering. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

If your interested in seeing a nice collection of prototype locomotives, I would suggest visiting the National Transportation Museum while you are there.
This site may help http://www.gatewaynmra.org/map-mot.htm

[n2mopac]

The museum of transportation is a must see. Dozens of real locomotives and rail cars including a number of steam engines and some unique early diesels. High attractions inlude a Big Boy and a DD40AX nose to tail and an aerotrain. It is a little way from downtown out near Kirkwood (20-30 minutes from downtown), but it is more than worth the trip.
Ron

[jrbarney]

Chadnark,
Here's the URL for the Museum of Transportation:
http://www.museumoftransport.org/
The museum isn't limited to railroads, so other members of you family may find something that appeals to them.
Bob
NMRA Life 0543

[nfmisso]

We always stop in Tinker Town in Clayton, and the hobbystore in Kirkwood, a couple blocks south of the Amtrak station.

[Anonymous]

Check out the "whispering arch" in St. Louis Union Station. Anyone know what I mean?

[simon1966]

The MOT is fantastic. You can tour passenger cars, have a ride on one of the restored trollys and see the recently restored CB&Q E unit. With a UP Big Boy, a Q Shovel nose set, there is a lot to see.

If you have a car and can make it over the river, come and visit K-10 model trains http://www.k-10smodeltrains.com/ It is in Maryville, Il about 18 miles from Downtown just of I55
On the first Sunday of each month Ken has an open house public operating session on the 60' x 80' HO scale layout. The hobby shop, is small but very well stocked and has excellent prices (Usually 20% down from Walthers Catalog). Even if the layout is not running, you can go in and look during store hours. You won't see many better layouts. I am really happy it is only 3 miles from my house.

Have fun

[leighant]

Lemme tell you a story about my visit to St Louis Union Station. Went several years ago and my wife's family decided to take us there because they knew I liked trains. The trainshed concourse has been turned into what I call an "entertainment mall" with T-shirt shops, posters, records, video games, fast foot places, etc. etc ad nauseum. I looked it over a while and said I wanted to see the station. The guy who lived in St. Louis and went to the place often said that's all there was. Somewhere there was "just a hotel." I said I wanted to look and they discouraged me. I live 1000 miles away and I decided I was going to check it out, I might never get another chance. So I went around a corner in the hall and up an unmarked stairway.
Came back downstairs to the group half a minute later. "Nothing there, right?" "Come on and take a look, just a few steps." Reluctantly they went up the unmarked staircase away from the gaudy lights and came into the huge vaulted space like the size of a stadium and the opulence of a sultan's treasure palace. Acres of oriental carpet, arches at each end with the larger than life size goddess, seven goddesses of the seven continents at one end and seven goddesses of the seven seas at the other. I told him that was what I just had to see. "I didn't know they had that!" he said.

Watching trains climb up to the bridges over the Mississippi was exciting. In one neighborhood, we found a neat building where an old time series of wiondow openings had been bricked over, but someone painted the reflections of the windows that used to be there with a full size painting of a red Santa Fe Shock Control boxcar.

There used to be a quaint little Forest Park suburban station and overpass, built in the style of the "Meet Me in Saint Louie" International Exhibition of a century ago.

Lots to see. And of course, when you go to Saint Louis, don't miss the pyramids on the Illinois side..

[orsonroy]

Definitely go and see the Museum of Transportation. Union Station has been nicely restored, and what's left of the tracks are used by Amtrack and a dinner train. If you have a whole day to kill on your own, dig around in the real railroading scene. As a major crossing point ojn the Mississippi River, there's always trains moving. Just watch out if you venture into East St. Louis!

[rogerhensley]

A check of the NMRA web site shows the Gateway Division in St. Louis at http://www.gatewaynmra.org/

Since they held a national convention there a couple of years ago, they should be able to help you find some good layouts.