National Transportation Museum - St. Louis

[eolafan]

Really tired from a four and a half hour drive back from St. Louis so this will be short and somewhat cryptic in style.

Visited National Transportation Museum in Kirkwood (St. Louis) today and spent about four hours there. They have a wonderful and quite large collection of steam, diesel and electric locomotives as well as many freight cars, way cars and passenger cars and all sorts of misc. equipment.

In my humble opinion some of the best and most historically important equipment are not in good spots for the visitor to see. Best example is that I had to almost crawl over junk and avoid poison ivy to get at the GG1 and EP5 electrics on "display" while a bunch of what I consider to be junk was "front and center" on display.

Some really cool stuff includes a UP Big Boy, a UP Centenial (in really bad shape but you do get to go up into the cab and wander around inside to your hearts content). They also have one of the first EMD FT units painted in green and gold GM colors. They have a really beautifully restored EL SD45 in spectacular paint. They have a former CB&Q E8 that went to BN for Metra Service and then to MARC and now in the museum...it is cosmetically restored and painted in CB&Q silver and looks really great but it is technically in back of the museum grounds and I was actually breakinig the rules by going back to see it. They also have old BN 9921, former Metra unit and former MARC (interesting note: The "restored" E is not operable but the other one which is really in bad cosmetic shape with lots of rust is operable...go figure!

There is a UP U28C that is partially dis-assembled for you to look at the mechanical systems which was very nice.

Other interesting pieces of equipment are one of the two Aerotrains from the Rock Island, a former MBTA RDC, etc, etc. The museum is along the UP St. Louis to K.C. main line and they have set up a small raised viewing stand so you can sit and watch the U.P. mainline freights and Amtrak come by (double tracked main)...nice touch.

The entrance price of $4 is well worth it and actually quite cheap for what you get to see. I would enthusiastically recommend this museum to anybody who can get there.

Sorry for rambling on but I am very tired and will stop now. More to come as my memory improves or if you have any questions.

Jim[zzz]

[jeaton]

Milwaukee Bi-Polar?

[nanaimo73]

You didn't miss the Bi-polar , did you ? You must go back .

[eolafan]

Yes, I did see the only remaining example of a Bi-Polar. It was outside and was very accessible. Sorry but my very tired and fuzzy mind last night caused me to forget seeing it.

[CShaveRR]

I missed the train-watching deck (?) when I was there last year--or maybe it's new?

Eolafan, did you get to Kirkwood while you were that close to it? That's still my favorite place for watching trains around St. Louis (same line).

[eolafan]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CShaveRR

I missed the train-watching deck (?) when I was there last year--or maybe it's new?

Eolafan, did you get to Kirkwood while you were that close to it? That's still my favorite place for watching trains around St. Louis (same line).

The "train watching deck" if you want to call it that, is easy to miss and is right up against the barbed wire fence seperating the museum grounds from the U.P. main line. You need to walk across the museum tracks (at least five or six sets of tracks) to get to the "deck". The "deck" is actually a raised (about five or six feet) platform with some steps up to it and it has two small park type benches on it facing the tracks, only room for about four people at a time up there and it is in the bright sun so I got a sun burn after sitting there with my wife for about twenty minutes and seeing one westbound U.P. empty coal drag with distributed power on the rear.

Yes, we did get into Kirkwood on Thursday and had dinner at Amici's Italian restaurant (one of my favorites in the area) and sat before dinner at the depot for about half an hour and saw no trains (unusual?). We also went back into Kirkwood for a McDonalds at the depot on Friday after the museum but before heading back to Chicago. The signals seemed to indicate a eastbounder but nothing appeared while we were there, a shame.

On our way back up north I expected to see the Texas Eagle southbound when we were about to Bloomington (if she was on time) but she was late running and we saw her a little south of Pontiac at about 4:45 or so and she was really moving and had exactly the same consist as we saw on Wed. night in Springfield when we caught her at the Springfield depot right on time (within less than five minutes of the advertised).

[mudchicken]

eola:

Plans have been assembled for a second and eventually a third turntable over there after they finagle more elbow room. One of the new turntables is for a diorama and won't really work. The stuff in the weeds out back and some stuff in hiding will come out into the open soon.

Go back in about three years. [;)] I would think some of the construction has started.

(our company has offices nearby in Webster Groves alongside the same UP/MoPac main line and as often as I have been there, I have not yet been able to visit the museum![:(])

[banghead][banghead][banghead]

[Anonymous]

Down in LA they keep a bigboy a centennial & a 4-12-2, all with cab accsess
Although I would still like to see the museum someday.

[tdmidget]

As I recall the FT is not "one of the first" but THE first FT. Green and gold is not GM colors but Southern who bought the entire demo set when it toured the country in 1939.
Scott

[eolafan]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tdmidget

As I recall the FT is not "one of the first" but THE first FT. Green and gold is not GM colors but Southern who bought the entire demo set when it toured the country in 1939.
Scott

The FT in question is painted in green and gold and lettered with an art deco GM logo on its nose. I believe this is the scheme it wore at the last (and I do mean LAST) anniversary celebration at EMD LaGrange.

[techguy57]

I went 2 years ago and am pretty sure the watching platform wasn't there then. They had restored some new equipment and the Centennial and the Bi-polar were incredible. The walkthrough consist is always a favorite as well. It was the first time I'd been there in almost 10 years but I still love it. But you're right some of the best stuff is a bit out of the way. Of course one could probably say the same about Union (Illinois Railway Museum for those not familiar)

Have they done any work on the AeroTrain?


Mike

[eolafan]

QUOTE: Originally posted by techguy57

I went 2 years ago and am pretty sure the watching platform wasn't there then. They had restored some new equipment and the Centennial and the Bi-polar were incredible. The walkthrough consist is always a favorite as well. It was the first time I'd been there in almost 10 years but I still love it. But you're right some of the best stuff is a bit out of the way. Of course one could probably say the same about Union (Illinois Railway Museum for those not familiar)

Have they done any work on the AeroTrain?


Mike

[xx(] Mike, no, they have not done any work on the Rock Island Aero Train. The first car has the windows all boarded up and the second car only some of the windows are boarded. The MBTA RDCis right behind Aero Train. The GG1 and EP5a are really hard to find if you don't know where they are (easily missed). Jim

[Paul3]

eolafan,
Did you by any chance see an ancient steam engine called the "Daniel Nason"? It's an inside connected (pistons inside the frame) 4-4-0 built for the Boston & Providence RR in 1863. The B&P is the line I live next to, and I'm modeling the line in the 20th Century when it was leased to the New Haven RR. The small engine is the only steam loco in existance that was owned by the New Haven (all others scrapped), and the only steam loco in existance that was owned by the Old Colony RR (the road that initially leased the B&P in 1888), not to mention the B&P.

IOW, I have a strong interest in both the road and this engine, and the odds of me getting to St. Louis are pretty slim.

So I was wondering if you recall it, and what kind of shape is it in, etc.? Thanks in advance...

Paul A. Cutler III
*****************
Weather Or No Go New Haven
*****************

[eolafan]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Paul3

eolafan,
Did you by any chance see an ancient steam engine called the "Daniel Nason"? It's an inside connected (pistons inside the frame) 4-4-0 built for the Boston & Providence RR in 1863. The B&P is the line I live next to, and I'm modeling the line in the 20th Century when it was leased to the New Haven RR. The small engine is the only steam loco in existance that was owned by the New Haven (all others scrapped), and the only steam loco in existance that was owned by the Old Colony RR (the road that initially leased the B&P in 1888), not to mention the B&P.

IOW, I have a strong interest in both the road and this engine, and the odds of me getting to St. Louis are pretty slim.

So I was wondering if you recall it, and what kind of shape is it in, etc.? Thanks in advance...

Paul A. Cutler III
*****************
Weather Or No Go New Haven
*****************

[:D] Paul, yes I believe I did see this engine and recall it being in pretty good shape and under cover at the museum, but was dissapointed that many other pieces of equipment at the museum were being neglected. I guess time and money are short. Jim