Qualla: National Museum of Transportation

National Museum of Transportation: Introduction

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Hellbus, CC BY-SA 3.0. The first thing you notice is the scale. Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4006, one of the largest steam locomotives ever built, sits in the open Missouri air, its boiler stretching so far into the distance that it warps your sense of proportion. Beside it, a Norfolk & Western Y6a 2-8-8-2 -- the strongest-pulling steam locomotive in existence -- anchors another stretch of track. This is the National Museum of Transportation in Kirkwood, a 42-acre collection on the western edge of St. Louis that has been rescuing, restoring, and displaying the machines that moved America since 1944. The museum's secret weapon is a direct railway spur to the Union Pacific mainline, which means that when something enormous needs to come in, it can simply roll through the door.

Image: Hellbus | CC BY-SA 3.0

National Museum of Transportation: Through the First Tunnel West

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Kbh3rd, CC BY-SA 3.0. At the southwest corner of the museum property sits West Barretts Tunnel, a stone-lined bore built in 1853 that holds a distinction few structures can claim: it was one of the first railroad tunnels to operate west of the Mississippi River. Added to the National Register of Histo...

Image: Kbh3rd | CC BY-SA 3.0

National Museum of Transportation: Locomotives of Legend

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Kbh3rd, CC BY-SA 3.0. The railroad collection reads like a roll call of American industrial ambition. EMD FT No. 103 is here -- the first F-unit ever built and a National Engineering Landmark, the diesel locomotive that proved steam's days were numbered. The only surviving Milwaukee Road class EP-2 Bi...

Image: Kbh3rd | CC BY-SA 3.0

National Museum of Transportation: Dream Cars and Flying Machines

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Kbh3rd, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Earl C. Lindburg Automotive Center houses 25 vehicles that tell their own stories. A 1901 St. Louis Motor Carriage Company car represents the city's early automotive ambitions. A 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car, one of fewer than 50 ever built, embodies the jet-age optimism of midc...

Image: Kbh3rd | CC BY-SA 3.0

National Museum of Transportation: Volunteers Keeping History Alive

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Gcycaas, CC BY-SA 4.0. What distinguishes this museum from many of its peers is the dedication of its volunteer corps. The Museum of Transportation Trolley Volunteers have been restoring and operating vintage streetcars since the 1990s, beginning when they acquired St. Louis Public Service car No. 1743...

Image: Gcycaas | CC BY-SA 4.0