St. Louis Museum of Transport 6/1/14

I have no plans to be in St. Louis, but this is the third or fourth thing I have read in the last few days about the place.  Obviously, when not there one does not know (me).  Now I do.  Very nice place to visit and appreciate your pics and links.

Dan

I have had the opportunity to visit the museum and enjoyed it. I took a LOT of pictures that day. Here is a couple to share with your post.

Larry

Agree with what others have said. Had the chance to go three years ago, while chasing UP 844 for a couple days in the St. Louis/Southern Illinois/Cape Girardeau area. Could easily have spent the whole day there. Lots of fun, wide variety of equipment.

I'll add a few more shots to the mix. Not sure I'm going to get the posting order right!

Cab interior ATSF 5011 - not what I originally wrote earlier. Sorry.

Part of the Chicago & Illinois Midland Mikado.

Out in the back area, with an Erie Lackawanna diesel and some passenger cars.

4-6-0 Camelback.

Well worth it.

David

Great photos. Love the aerotrain.

Larry, I see you got a shot of the Daniel Nason - the only surviving inside connecting rod locomotive in the U.S. - Nice

Robert

There were so many cool looking trains. I was clicking everything I was around. I'm very weak in real train knowledge.That's a interesting remark.

What a ride that thing would have given you.

Larry

Well, might as well flip a few more pictures.

All those images and not a single shot of the recently restored Reading Railroad Black Diamond steam powered inspection engine?   Now, you go back and get it!

Nice shots - always nice to pop in for a visit - even if virtually.

/Mitch

Hmm...  seem to be missing a shot of the NYC Mohawk, too. 

It was under a cosmetic restoration during my last visit.

Photos, anyone?

/Mitch

Mitch

Honestly I would. But you're asking a dummy to look for a Mohawk and Black Diamond. I have no idea what either looks like. Maybe Dan or David has some help?????

Larry

OK, we'll give you the benefit of the doubt on the Black Diamond but, I find it hard to believe that a member of LCCA as well as TCA, doesn't know what a Mohawk is.

I was there last year when the TCA convention was in town. I showed up a day late for the tour, so I went on my own. It was a really nice museum. The Big Boy was still a mess when I went, but it sounds like it is cleaned up now.

They were running a PCC trolley when I was there. The driver was a pretty entertaining fellow (while he wasn't driving of course) and IIRC he was a member of the American Flyer modular club that was at the convention. 

The car museum and the train running around the property were nice features too. 

J White

This is actually a pet peeve of mine in regards to many railroad museums in the country.  Some of us, and many non-railfans can visit a museum, and more then once, never taking note of some very interesting and important pieces. 

Perhaps museums should hand out cards with check boxes next to a list of all significant museum pieces. 

/Mitch

Yeah..send you on a "treasure hunt" and you don't get your car back until you've had all of your "boxes" checked off by the staff. 

Mitch - looked through my take, nothing of the Mohawk. I'm guessing it was either out of public view at the time I was there, or I didn't make it to wherever it was before closing time. That was three years ago. Sorry.

David

If memory serves me right I believe the Black Diamond is the only surviving orignal steam dummy/inspection engine.  There were a couple that had been preserved before WWII but they, like the last DSP&P Mason, and other obscure survivors were given over to the scrap drives.

Can't fault you - like a steam train chase, it helps when you know what your after before you arrive.  The Mohawk was likely tucked away under restoration while the Reading steam engine was either tucked in a visible museum deadline towards the tunnel wrapped in orange net, or, it was under a recent restoration, or... it was inside in near immaculate condition but away from the rest of the train displays.

/Mitch

PS - I have yet to see even a picture of it since being restored - anyone?

Just a couple of photos from my visit:

Inside of the Big Boy

And then there is this guy standing by the Zephyr:

I see in one of the photos the #9 steam engine.This is the only surviving steam engine from Chicago's elevated train system.I have to go to the museum sometime soon to see it in person.I want to see the Aerotrain too.

Dan

Mitch,

many of the items do have yellow informational cards attached that explains what the item is, when built, what it did.  The refrigerator car and tank car both have this as well as a special tank car to haul acid for the Monsanto Co. 

I can't locate the images from last years Family Day, but I did have a few more. Again, I may go one day by myself to explore.

As for the NYC Mohawk, I did not see it but it has been in the restoration building area for an extended time. I believe it is done and they move the Wabash Mogul into the shop as it's tender is outside the shop. Next time I go by on a train  I will see if it out near the back fence. They had to do a lot of switching to get the EMD 103 out to send to the big meet at Spencer, NC.

I expect them to do a bit of switching to get the N&W 2156 out and send it east also. The UP DD40X was already in position to leave the same day the EMD103 left, but it had air brake issues and was left behind.  

Dan

Those information tags are great but photos such as the one Dan posted really put context and perspective into place.  I've seen #9, but NOW that I've seen that picture, I want to go back and absorb it, lol.  Amazing!  If only they were to restore it and run it back in Chicago!   Again - without setting out to see it, engines as such can get overlooked - even when they are prominently on display.

Yes - the informative tags are there but many visitors likely do not realize the actual significance of some pieces, while others likely never venture back towards the tunnel or over to the oddly placed AeroTrain (I was told it's way over by the parking lot out of place looking next to a modern shed) so that folks riding the scale train ride had something to see.

I think I have some pics - let's see....

Yup - 2011, one year almost to the date.

NYC 2933 is probably looking MUCH better now (and not sinking into the ground) and

the Reading Inspection engine I heard was cosmetically restored and placed indoors.

/Mitch

To:Zephryr,

The CTA trucked the #9 steam engine back to Chicago in 1997 for the 100 year anniversary celebration of the CTA.They staged a photo shoot on their elevated track with an original passenger car the CTA still owns.My Dad has a photo of it.I will try to get the photo and post it.Here is a photo of the engine on display in downtown Chicago in 1997.

Dan

I'd call the "Black Diamond" a steam dummy, as is the "Hercules" on display in

Mammoth Cave Nat. Park.   I hope to kitbash an inspection engine.. which often look like part of a coach mounted over the smokebox or entire boiler of a steam loco.

Is the NYC Mohawk 2933 still there? I saw it a few years back during an LCAA convention.

Thanks,

Richard

Yep!  I was there a couple months ago.  She was in the middle of being repainted when I saw her.