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Museum of the American Railroad in Fair Park in Dallas 12/30/06

After a wild night of weather and one of the worst hotel breakfasts in my travel history, we checked out of the Best Western Southland Inn in Arlington and headed east down Interstate 30 to the exit for Fair Park in Dallas. Following the signs that took us to Gate 3 we found the Museum of the American Railroad.

In May of 1963 what would become the "Age of Steam Museum" began. In 2006 the name was changed to the Museum of the American Railroad to bring it more into the modern world that we live in. I had always wanted to visit this unique museum and this morning I would finally get to visit it. We pulled into their parking lot and parked. With being there before the museum opened we would be able to walk around the outside of the museum and photograph the exhibits.

The east end of the museum near the main entrance

Houston & Texas Central Railroad, Dallas Depot built 1905.

Two views of Santa Fe F-7A 49, a former Canadian National F7A 9167.

Dallas Union Terminal Company 0-6-0 7 built in 1923.

Eagle-Pincher Mining Company 2-10-0 1625, a decapod locomotive built in 1918.

An outside braced wooden box car used for storage by the museum.

Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh Railway {B&O} Bobber Caboose built in 1896.

Santa Fe 1550, a Lunch Counter Car.

Amtrak Slumbercoach 2090 Loch Talbet, Northern Pacific 329 built as Missouri Pacific Southland.

Western Railroad Company VO-1000 1107 built in 1943 for the Colorado Fuel & Iron Works in Pueblo, Colorado.

TXI Industries RSD-1 8000 built by for the New York Susquehanna & Western Railway in 1942 and then used by the War Department shipped to Iran where it hauled war materials to Stalingrad during World War II. It was later bought by TXI Industries in Midlothian, Texas.

Pennsylvania Railroad GG-1 4903 built in 1940. It pulled the funeral train of Senator Robert Kennedy from New York to Washington, DC on June 8th, 1968.

Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Interlocking Tower 19.

Union Pacific Big Boy 4-8-8-4 4018 and Pennsylvania Railroad GG-1 4903.

Union Pacific Big Boy 4-8-8-4 4018.

Another view of Pennsylvania Railroad GG-1 4903.

Tower 19, UP 4018 and Pennsylvania Railroad 4903.

Two views of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway 4-8-4 4501 built in 1942.

Texas & Pacific Railway 916 RPO-Baggage Car built in 1916.

St. Louis-San Francisco Railway 759 Chair Car built in 1912. This is one of the few remaining Jim Crow cars still in existence. These cars were used during segregation in the South.

Pullman Sleeping Car Glengyle built in 1918 once provided 1st Class accommodations for family and dignitaries on Franklin Roosevelt's Funeral train in 1945.

Pullman Sleeping Car Goliad built in 1926.

St. Louis-Southwestern Railway {Cotton Belt} wooden Caboose 2332 built in 1920.

Santa Fe Railway 3231 Parlor Car built in 1914.

Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad Dining Car 438 built in 1937.

Another view of Dallas Union Terminal Company 0-6-0 7.

A small section house.

A unique wig wag crossing system.

I have now walked all the way around the Museum of the American Railroad and went back to the car to get out of the cold and wind. Right before 10:00 AM two workers of this museum showed up and went inside. About ten minutes later after I called out about being here to write a story did they open the museum. We checked in and after looking at the indoor exhibits, Chris Parker and I started to look outside. Mr. Jeff Phelps then came out to guide us around the museum and answer any questions that we would have. You pass through the station building to get access to the exhibits inside the museum's ground.

Outside the Santa Fe Railway M-160 Brill Diesel-Electric Motorcar built in 1931 and Santa Fe Railway Caboose 999311 built in 1949.

Santa Fe Railway M-160.

The Santa Fe emblem on the M-160.

Santa Fe Railway Caboose 999311.

Miniature train along side of Dallas Union Terminal Company 7.

Two views of Southwestern Portland Cement Company H12-44 115 built in 1956. We then toured the MKT Diner 438 and Santa Fe Parlor Car 3231.

Amtrak Sleeping Car Pine Ring 22297 built for the Santa Fe Railway as their 1642 in 1950.

Pullman Sleeping Car Glen Nevis built in 1925 but used in its later years by Freight Masters Industries of Fort Worth where it became a rolling laboratory for designing coupler cushioning devices.

Santa Fe Railway FP-45 97 built in 1967.

Union Pacific DD-40AX 6913, one of the largest diesels ever built in 1969.

Chris Parker and Jeff Phelp. We got to see both the cabs of the UP Big Boy 4018 and the Frisco 4501.

Mail Stand outside the Texas & Pacific 916 RPO Car.

Pennsylvania Railroad GG-1 4903.

A Railway Express Truck was the final exhibit that we saw at this fantastic museum. We thanked Jeff Phelps and the women inside for the fantastic visit to the Museum of the American Railroad in Fair Park in Dallas.

When we got off the freeway to come to the museum, we spotted some former Santa Fe Hi-level coaches which Amtrak had turned into Coach-Dorms. After our visit, we drove around plenty of construction but we finally got close enough for pictures.

A switcher which is located here.

Ex Amtrak F-40PH 343.

Two of the ex Santa Fe Hi-level cars that Amtrak had used as Coach-Dorms.

Ex Algoma Central car.

Ex Amtrak 39901.

Another switcher.

Another piece of unique railroad equipment.

Ex Amtrak 33934.

Another ex Amtrak car.

Ex Amtrak F-40PH 343 and ex Amtrak 39918. With that last picture we returned to the rental car and got back on Interstate 30 West which we took to Interstate 35 East.

The Skyline of Downtown Dallas. We took Texas 114 west to Grapevine where we exited and followed the signs to our next rail adventure, the Grapevine Vintage Train but that is yet another story.

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