National Museum of Transportation

The National Museum of Transportation (TNMOT) is a private, 42-acre museum founded in 1944 on Barrett Station Road in west St. Louis County, on the edge of Kirkwood, Missouri. Its rail and transit collection has grown to more than 190 major exhibits and is recognized as one of the largest collections of transportation vehicles in the world. The grounds are served by a rail spur to a former Missouri Pacific main line, now Union Pacific, which over the decades let the museum take in large and unusual pieces of equipment.

At the southwest corner of the property sits West Barretts Tunnel, built in 1853 and one of a pair of tunnels that were the first to operate west of the Mississippi River; it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The site also features the Neil F. Norkaitis Demonstration Trolley Line, where restored streetcars such as PTC #2740 (St. Louis Car Company, 1947) run on a loop of former Union Pacific mainline.

Beyond rail, the collection spans the Earl C. Lindburg Automotive Center (including the 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car and Bobby Darin's DiDia 150 "Dream Car"), aircraft such as a C-47, a T-33, and the first production F/A-18E Super Hornet, plus a Missouri River towboat.

The open yard tracks let you photograph giants like Big Boy 4006 and N&W 2156 from ground level with few barriers, best in morning or late-afternoon side light. The covered train sheds protect equipment but are dimmer, so a higher ISO or a tripod (where permitted) helps. The cab of Big Boy 4006 is open for interior shots. For lineside railfanning beyond the museum, the 1893 Missouri Pacific depot in nearby Kirkwood and the Clay Street overpass make a classic backdrop for active Union Pacific and Amtrak traffic. The museum also runs ticketed evening photography events ("Pistons & Pixels").

The locomotive roster is the main draw: more than 70 locomotives, roughly half of them sole survivors or one-of-a-kind. The flagship is Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4006, a 4-8-8-4 built in 1941 and the largest steam locomotive in the collection — visitors can climb into its cab. Beside it stands Norfolk & Western Y6a No. 2156, a 2-8-8-2 and the only surviving Y6a, often billed as the strongest-pulling steam locomotive in existence.

Diesel and electric milestones are unusually deep here. EMD FT No. 103 — the first F-unit built and a National Engineering Landmark — sits alongside the only surviving Milwaukee Road class EP-2 "Bi-Polar" electric, a Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 No. 4918, the sole surviving PRR P5 No. 4700, and the Union Pacific Centennial (DDA40X) No. 6944. Steam highlights include Southern Pacific GS-6 "War Baby" No. 4460 (the only GS-6), the AT&SF 2-10-4 No. 5011, and St. Louis-San Francisco (Frisco) 4-8-2 No. 1522.

Oddities round out the visit: the Italian State Railways E550.025 — the only locomotive in the collection brought from outside the United States — a 1950s GM Aerotrain from the Rock Island, and the Hyperloop One XP-2 test pod.

This is primarily an outdoor museum spread across 42 acres, with most large locomotives displayed on extensive yard tracks and in open-sided train sheds; check the weather and wear comfortable shoes. Daily public tours start at 10 AM, and self-guided visits run throughout the day. Railfans and families regularly report spending the better part of a day here, with several hours needed to take in the full equipment roster.

Add-on activities include the Wm. F. Ross Special Miniature Train ($7 extra, weather and mechanicals permitting) and, in season, rides on the demonstration trolley (typically Thursday-Sunday, March through December). The Major Lee Berra Creation Station ($3 extra) offers hands-on activities for younger visitors.

Indoor space includes the Lindburg Automotive Center, the McDonnell model-airplane gallery, the Roberts building, a gift shop, and a research library, giving a rain-friendly fallback when the outdoor yards are wet.