Tuesday 4-22-25 The National Museum of Transportation

 

 

 The National Museum of Transportation

 

We had a gorgeous day. It started out with the temperature of 53 degrees and a lite wind. It was blue skies all day. The high was 79 degrees.

We woke up at 4:00 am because our small electric heater shorted out and it smelled. Larry crawled out of bed and checked it out. It was very hot. We have another one so he got it out of the cabinet and plugged it in. It worked great. Then we went back to sleep.

Larry got up at his normal time of 6:00 and did his morning routine of checking his e-mail and reading his news groups and other groups he follows. 

I got up at 7:30 and got dressed. Then I made oatmeal for breakfast. I didn't bake anything because we were going to go to town and it takes awhile for the oven to cool down.

After breakfast we put things down and secure for our trip to town. Larry had found that St. Louis had The National Museum of Transportation. It opens at 9:00 so we left our site at 9:00. The museum was about 15 miles away, due to traffic it took about a half hour to get there. 

The museum was a big place and had nine different points of interest. They offered a tour of the locomotive yard, unlimited rides on a miniature train around the park for an additional $7.00 and a ride on a trolley. We decided to do the whole bundle, which cost $42 dollars for the both of us. After paying for our admission and getting our waistband we had 15 minutes before the tour began. The lady, who checked us in told us where the tour began. We took a pathway that weaved through a small area with a bell from a train. Once in the area where we were told it was we weren't too sure where to go. A gentleman asked if we needed help and told us exactly where the tour began. The building where the tour was had a miniature train, that went through a small town. It was pretty cool to watch it. Our tour guide was Brain, he did an excellent job of telling us the history of the locomotives in the yard. He explained how trains changed our lives and how the trains changed things to help us. We walked through a few of the train cars. It was an hour long tour. We like tours because we get a lot more information from the guide then you would by reading the signs on each locomotive. 

 

The miniature town that the train went through

 

 The miniature train that entertained me while we waited for the tour to begin

 

 

Where people sat while riding on the train

 

Brain explaining the Big Boy steam engine

 

Union Pacific Rotary Snow Plow

 

Chicago & Illinois Midland Steam Locomotive

 

After the tour we got on the trolley and went for a ride around the yard a couple of times. Kathy was our conductor and she was dressed for the era and gave us some information about the trolley and museum. There is an old tunnel at the end of the tracks that the trains use to use. You could look at it but couldn't walk in it. When we finished our trolley ride we walked through the Automotive Museum. 

 

Where we got on the trolley

 

Boarding the trolley

 

 

Switching the power line of the trolley

 

Kathy our guide

The Automotive Museum was very small but nice. The automobiles on display were a mixture of manufactures. It was in a two-story building. The vehicles on display were on the first floor. The second floor was the history of the automobiles and models of some vehicles used for movies and shows. The workers were very friendly.

 

Model of cars used in movies and shows

 

1927 Model T

1965 Divco 300E

 

Produce Truck

 

1937 Chrysler

 

After walking through the Automobile Museum we had fifteen minutes to catch the miniature train. It was a beautiful train and very well maintained. The three gentlemen were very nice and friendly. As we were going around the park the engineer of the train talked about exhibits on the grounds. They had cute displays of peacocks, fox and other animals. They weren't real but they looked real. They had an old mining car and jet. It was a nice ride around the park.

 

Train we took around the park

We were hoping to eat at their restaurant but it wasn't much of a place, mainly hot dogs and chips so we decided to pass. We walked through the gift shop. Then we went back to the Minnie. They had a very cute picnic area with a sand box. In the sand box there were miniature trucks and tractors for kids to play with.

 

Sand box at the picnic area

 

The museum was manned by volunteers and they were all friendly. We were amazed how busy it was. While we were on our tour there were a couple of tours for kids. We had a fun time at The National Museum of Transportation. 

On the way home we stopped at Walmart to pick up a few things including a new heater. After going shopping we had a sandwich for lunch. Larry tried to find a place to eat where we could get in and out with the Minnie but it didn't work out. 

After lunch we went back to the park. Before going back to the site we drove around the park. We stopped at the memorial area for Dr. Edmund A. Babler. Then we drove around and looked at the picnic areas. As we were driving we discovered it was a CCC and had a statue of a CCC worker. I didn't take a picture if it. It was a very nice drive.

 

Dr. Edmund A. Babler

We got back to the Minnie by 3:00. I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and the event. The event today was Event: Solitaire World Tour of 30 games. I didn't finish two of the games because I ran out of time. I worked on the games for 3 hours, 17 minutes and 26 seconds, which put me in 10th place in my group. I played Angry Birds.

For dinner I barbecued hamburgers. After dinner I walked around for an hour and fifteen minutes for 3 miles. I ended up doing 15,300 steps.