Hoppers allow unloading by gravity; covered top protects load from moisture and keeps fine materials from blowing away.

Bunkers at each end of car carried 5 tons of ice to cool produce in summer, or heaters to keep load from freezing in winter; has insulated wood body on steel frame. It was constructed with 4 inches of horse-hair insulation on the sides and end walls and 4½ inches in the roof and floor.  The #52461 was donated in 1958 by the American Refrigerator Transit Company.

Pioneer car in nationwide piggyback service; carried two 36-foot trailers; built for Pennsylvania Railroad.

Extended-vision (width) cupola design; caboose built for Northern Pacific Railway.

All-steel car, built as Northern Pacific #1082; oil heat, electric generator for lights.

Composite construction, with steel under and body framing with wood plank walls; drop doors speed unloading.

Wood body on steel frame; survivor of five accidents and rebuildings.

Cooled by diesel-powered refrigeration system.

60,000-gallon, fully loaded weight 272,700 lb.; welded experimental car; 97-foot length would not clear curves, and 89-foot limit now applies. World’s largest tank car. Built to transport anhydrous ammonia. Donated to Museum in 1971 by General American Transportation Corporation. Hear more here.

In this car, the small sliding door above the side entry door was used for the milk loading hose.  To keep the interior as clean as possible, the entry doors were kept closed once the piping was hooked up except when a worker was going in or out.  The tanks were emptied from the bottom using pipes routed out the large door.  The tanks are canted slightly toward the center to make it easier to drain them.  The car had electric agitation motors that were plugged in and their propellers stirred the milk in the tanks while it was being loader, or when waiting to be emptied.  This distributed the butterfat in the milk and prevented the residue from sticking to the tank walls, making cleaning easier.  The motion of the car was expected to do this while the milk was being transported. The 6,000 gallon tanks in the car were made of stainless steel insulated with two inches of cork, not "glass lined" steel.  No ice was used as the insulation in the cars was sufficient to keep the milk from warming too much. The large quantity of pre-cooled milk also did not change the temperature quickly.  The cars ran in express trains. In one test milk was shipped from Wisconsin to Florida and the temperature only raised one degree in a trip of 101 hours.  Once the tanks were emptied they were scrubbed clean by a worker who entered through the large oval door.  They were then sterilized using steam and resealed.  Regular inspections were made by local health authorities to insure cleanliness.

Built as boxcar, cut down to flatcar; wood frame car with truss rods; steel center sill added; 34 feet long; 30-ton capacity; part of Katy Flyer train.

34-foot wooden car; truss rods with steel center sill; 30-ton capacity; archbar trucks; part of Katy Flyer train.

30-ton capacity; wood frame and body; steel center sill.

Steel side-door car without cupola; used in branchline mixed-train service.

All-steel with extended-vision (width) cupola; late-model caboose; contains Missouri Pacific Historical Society archives.

Late-model caboose; short body with bay windows and large end platforms; used in main line service.

Tank car was designed to transport concentrated and highly corrosive nitric acid. Carried 8,000 gallons. A double hulled car with the inner hull constructed of aluminum alloy, which is protected by a cushion of air and a steel outer safety cover shell. Loads and unloads from top.

Coops built into car were used to carry live chickens to market; attendant fed and watered them en route from center of car. Also called the "Poultry Palace."

This car was built out of cypress and fir wood and holds 8,100 gallons of vinegar. The tank cars were painted silver to reflect sunlight and to help keep the vinegar cool. This type of car had a relatively short track life. Wood was used for these cars as vinegar is acidic and would have been very corrosive to early steel tank cars. Less than six wooden vinegar tank cars remain in existence.

First tri-level car for carrying 15 autos from factory to distributor.

Produced in 1904 by the St. Louis Refrigerator Car Company, this was one of the first Anheuser-Busch cars designed to transport draught beer. Although it incorporates a steel frame, it is wood-bodied and is insulated with horsehair, shredded paper, and wood shavings. Pre-cooled beer was loaded into the car, whose insulation kept the A-B products cool in warm weather and from freezing in winter. It is one of the oldest surviving examples of "billboard" advertising on railroad freight cars. Number 3600 was donated to MOT in April 1958. Records indicate #3600 transported 6,277,500 gallons of beer between the St. Louis brewery and Texas distribution points before it was removed from service.

Built in Brainerd, Minnesota, by the Northern Pacific Railway, this all-steel caboose spent its career serving the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway (SP&S). The SP&S was jointly owned by the Northern Pacific and Great Northern Railways. When these railways merged with the Burlington Northern line, this caboose was renumbered BN 11436.

This "Front Runner" piggyback car was designed to carry truck trailers. It has four wheels instead of a pair 0f two-axle trucks, 28-inch diameter wheels rather than 33-inch diameter wheels which were standard on most freight cars. It did not have a continuous floor so it could not accommodate containers nor could a trailer be towed aboard by a tractor. The trailer could only be loaded by an overhead crane. The car is 53'10" in length, weighs 25,500 pounds empty, and has a capacity of 65,000 pounds.

This Union Refrigerator Transit Lines URTX # 37144 car was built in 1948 by General American Transportation Co. The 'X" in URTX indicates the car was privately owned while the Milwaukee Road Herald showed it was leased to that railroad. Number 37144 is 40' long & weights 61,500 lbs. The car is a steel bodied reefer with iced bunkers at each end. These ice bunkers hold 10,400 lbs. of chunk ice or 11,500 lbs. of crushed ice. Ice stations were located every 100-150 miles along the railroads main line to replace the melted ice. In the winter, charcoal heaters could be placed in the bunkers to keep the cargo from freezing. Fans are located in the floor at each end to circulate air and keep an even temperature throughout the car. Typical cargo would be fresh fruit, vegetables or eggs. This reefer car was donated in 1975 by the General American Transportation Corporation. Car #'s 37000, 37095, 37144, 37151, 37439, 37453, 37467, 65104, 67310, 67901, built 1948 - 1954. All steel but still ice-cooled.

3-dome (compartment) car with 6,000-gallon capacity for carrying petroleum products; tank-on-frame design was the standard for many years.

Has one-piece cast steel body from General Steel Castings; UP class F50-15; 50-ton capacity; last used in maintenance-of-way service.

Built by Union Tank Car Company, this 6,500 gallon petroleum car is an early attempt to build a tank car without a full length under frame. Short frames at each end attached the tank to the wheels and couplers. This style was called "Van Dyke" which is a patented, frameless tank car using the tank with extra stiffening plate on bottom in place of an under frame. This construction of heavy steel plate was to absorb the movement of the train. The stress caused by this movement made the tank flex, loosening the rivets and allowing the contents to leak. This design problem was eliminated by welding on modern cars. It was donated in 1952 by the Union Tank Company.

Heavy-duty flatcar with 6 axles for carrying tanks, other heavy equipment; weighs 35 tons; has 112-ton capacity.

Car #'s 370709, 460298, 570329 - Built with European-type couplers and brakes, were used to train soldier railroaders at Weldon Spring, MO; modular cars can be boxcar, gondola, or flatcar.

The "Big Boy" is considered to be the world's largest successful steam locomotive. The locomotive was used to haul the heavy freight trains over the mountains between Cheyenne WY and Ogden UT. The "Big Boy" is an "articulated" engine that is 132 feet 9 1/4 inches long. It weighs 600 tons and could generate a speed of up to 80 mph. The Union Pacific railroad ordered 25 units and, of that number, seven are on static display and one has been restored and is fully operational. Hear more here.

The "Daniel Nason" is the oldest steam locomotive in the Museum's collection and one of the oldest surviving locomotives in the nation. With a 4-4-0 wheel arrangement, the locomotive is the only surviving "insider," a design popular with railroads before the Civil War, with cylinders and main driving rods between (rather than outside of ) the locomotive side frames. The locomotive had a top speed of 60 mph. Part of the Purdue Collection.

General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) locomotive #103 (FT 103) was a demonstrator with 1350 horsepower. First successful diesel electric locomotive. This locomotive proved the efficiency of diesel electric power, ending the steam locomotive era. National Engineering Landmark declared 1982.

This is the largest and heaviest rotary snowplow built. It is 56'2" long, 17' high and weighs 376,400 pounds. (That's the same as 62 African Elephants!) Its 12' diameter cutting wheel could throw snow far to either side of the track as it was pushed forward at four to six mph. Its hydraulically operated wings can open to permit a 14' wide cutting swath of snow. The cutting wheel can revolve up to 150 rpm. It is not self propelled and must be pushed by up to four locomotives.

The "Black Diamond" is the sole surviving steam inspection engine. It was used by the President of Philadelphia & Reading Coal and Iron Co. and other railroad executives on short business or inspection trips. The "Black Diamond" is 22'9" in length and weighs 26,300 pounds. It is believed the engine could attain a maximum speed of 60 mph.

This engine is one of only two large Mohawk type NYC steam engines to have survived being scrapped. It is the only locomotive donated for preservation by the NYC. It weighs 185 tons and has 67" drivers.

St. Louis-San Francisco Railway #1522 famous steam locomotive (Frisco). Locomotive has booster engine on trailing truck. The engine was used in freight/passenger service. Retired in 1955, it was donated to the Museum. #1522 led 2 lives, restored in 1988 to operating condition and returned to hauling passengers on Midwest excursions from 1988 to 2002.

Last coal-burner steam engine to operate in the St. Louis area. Primary function was to operate as a switch engine for different companies in the area. It was called a "fantail" because of its sloping tender's allowing for greater visibility for the crew. Various parts are colored coded for informational purposes.

#12 served the Alton & Southern Railroad for just 22 years, operating 622,626 miles for the industrial switching/transfer line in Illinois. The locomotive's rare 3-cylinder design saved on fuel. Unfortunately, maintenance and associated costs for the center cylinder outweighed the fuel economies. Only four North American 3-cylinder steam engines exist today. #12 weighs 242,000 pounds and has three 22" x 28" cylinders.

Arkansas & Missouri Railroad #22 for a time was the oldest operating diesel locomotive in regular mainline service. After being sold a number of times, it finally ended up with the Arkansas & Missouri, where for many years it served as a power unit for the railroad's excursion trains.

Built big for Santa Fe, this monster was equipped with 74 inch high driving wheels, largest on any 2-10-4. This steam engine was part of the old Pecos Division of Santa Fe.

The engine is designed for heavy freight use. It features an unusual center-cab "camel" design, with the cab place atop the boiler due to the size of the firebox at the rear.

Built as a freight locomotive to operate service between downtown St. Louis and Central Illinois, #1595 has a four-truck articulated design which allowed safe weight distribution on bridges which enabled it to negotiate tight curves on city streets. The locomotive is 52 feet in length and weighs 160,000 pounds. It has eight General Electric motors which received 600-volt DC power through a trolley pole from overhead wires. Number 1595 is the sole surviving class C locomotive of the Illinois Terminal Railroad.

The Boston and Albany was a railroad connecting Boston, MA, and Albany, NY. Number 39's a coal-burner called "Mamora" and was nicknamed "Eddy Clock" after the designer, Wilson Eddy. It received its nickname because it was said to run with clock-like precision. It has 63" drive wheels, link-and-pin couplers, a "domeless" boiler and weighs 67,150 pounds. Number 39 is the sole survivor of 100 similar engines built for the Boston and Albany.

Big and powerful Chesapeake & Ohio #2727 was a heavy freight locomotive. This 105-foot locomotive could generate 5000 horsepower, was fast and could pull heavy loads.

Chicago & Illinois Midland Railroad Steam Locomotive #551 Mikado with a 2-8-2 configuration was big and powerful. During WWII name was changed from Mikado to McArthur. This engine powered coal trains from Illinois Midland Coal Mines to Commonwealth Edison Electric Generating Plants.

These engines were originally built for the Imperial Russian State Railways as allied military aid during WWI. After the Bolshevik Revolution took Russia out of the war, #1621 was one of 200 undelivered Decapods. Because Russian railroads had a 5-foot gauge rail compared to the standard American gauge of 4 feet, 8 1/2 inches, the engine had to be modified for American use.

Originally used in mainline freight service, but was relegated to branch line service due to the weight of trains in later years. Approximately 21,000 units were built, more than any other type.

Massive freight hauler used until 1960 to haul heavy coal trains through the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia and West Virginia. This compound "articulated" locomotive was among the hardest working steam locomotives ever built. The articulated design allowed the locomotive to operate on tracks with tighter curves by allowing the two sets of drive wheels to split and turn independently.  Weighs 961,500 pounds; the engine and tender are 113'1/4" long and have have 58" drivers. Only compound locomotive in Museum's collection. After being loaned out for five years to the Virginia Museum of Transportation, the #2156 was returned to TNMOT on June 15, 2020.

Used in freight/passenger service. Has 73" drive wheels, weighs 867,000 pounds, and reached 110 mph. The 4460 pulled last steam-powered train on the SP in 1958. Southern Pacific #4460 is a beautiful streamlined locomotive with a 4-8-4 Northern Configuration. GS Class engine, where "GS" Stands for General Service. Southern Pacific #4460 is the only surviving GS-6 Class steam locomotive. It was built during World War II, but was never painted the famous Daylight paint scheme. Instead, it was painted black and silver, thus earning it the nicknames "War Baby" and "Black Daylight."

St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern #625, was a 4-6-0 10-Wheeler, also known as Missouri Pacific #2707, built in 1889 by Baldwin Locomotives. This was one beautiful workhorse. Engine #635 was used to haul iron ore from Iron Mountain, MO, to St. Louis. In 1917, due to a merger, the engine became part of the MOPAC Railroad. Weighs 147,300 pounds and has 61" drivers.

Wabash Locomotive #573 was originally #754. Built in 1899, it was rebuilt in 1915 to the #573 Locomotive 2-6-0 Mogul Class F5. The #573 was built to haul freight. It was used to carry freight across a bridge over the Illinois River at Bluffs, IL, that would not support the heavier diesel locomotives. It is one of only two surviving Wabash steam locomotives.

Winona & St. Peter #274 designated 4-4-0 American was Built by Baldwin Locomotives in 1873 with a 5 Ton Tender Capacity.

This engine is a narrow gauge coal burning tank engine. It has 24" drivers and weighs 24,000 pounds. The original owner sold the engine to the brick making company, Laclede-Christy Clay Products Company, who used it at their St. Louis, MO plant moving carloads of clay to the brick factory. It was retired in 1952.

The "South Park" is a fireless locomotive which differs from a steam locomotive. It has no way of producing its own steam. The boiler was filled two-thirds to capacity and then steam was piped in from the central power plant boiler. As the steam in the boiler diminished, the water in the fireless boiler turned into steam. The engine could operate two to two and one-half hours before it had to be refueled with water and steam. The South Park is believed to be one of the first fireless locomotives used in the United States. It is 24'8" in length and weighs 77,700 pounds.

St. Louis & San Francisco Locomotive 95/3695 "Frisco" was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works 1906 as a 0-6-0 configuration. This switch engine was built originally for the St. Louis - San Francisco Railroad as SL-SF 3695 and used as a railyard switcher. In 1937, it was sold to Scullin Steel Corp. as #95 and used as an industrial switcher.  Scullin Steel donated the engine donated to the Museum in March 1956. Note the unique tender trucks, a Scullin design. The total weight of this coal-fired switch engine is 229,100 lbs.

TRRA #146 Steam Locomotive was a tender-less locomotive with a saddle tank engine, equipped with a horizontal fire door. Museum has frame and running gear only. The cab and boiler were removed prior to #146 arriving at the Museum; the chassis artifact demonstrates gearing. The attached image is one of the engine at the time of its operating. For a photo of the frame that remains of #146 in the Museum's tunnel, click here.

Union Electric #1 Yard Locomotive, built as a 0-4-0 configuration in 1925 by Baldwin Locomotive Works. This engine helped build Missouri’s Bagnell Dam.  The engine weighs 63,000 lbs. Saddle tank switcher steam locomotive.

#2 is a "Thermos Bottle" or "Fireless" locomotive. The locomotive differs from a regular steam locomotive, because it is incapable of producing its own steam. Designed to be smokeless and safe, expelling no fire or sparks. The boiler is two-thirds filled with water and then steam is injected into the boiler from a central power plant boiler. As the steam dissipates, the water in the fireless boiler is turned into additional steam. The engine weighs 140,000 pounds. #2 was last used at Union Electric's power plant in Venice, Illinois.

American Steel Foundries #8 Granite City Works diesel locomotive. Built with four traction motors by Whitcomb in 1948. Diesel electric switcher with two 400 horsepower engines.

Used for baggage mail, express and baggage shipments, 70' long.

Baltimore & Ohio Oil Locomotive #1. Powered with a 4 Cycle 6 Cylinder "Oil Electric Engine." Built by American Locomotives, General Electric Company & Ingersoll Rand in Erie PA, 1925 as B&O 8000.

Built as a heavy freight locomotive, and powered by a 645E3 V-20 turbo-charged diesel engine. It was the first V20 engine ever made, overcoming two design challenges: making a very long crankshaft tough enough to take the torque it would endure when in service; and the firing order for 20 cylinders. The engine is 65'8" long, and weighs approximately 391,000 pounds.

Manufacturers Railway #211 ALCO RS-2 Locomotive built to produce 1000 horsepower by ALCO in 1948.

#4502 is one of twelve RS-3s Missouri Pacific bought from ALCO in early 1955. It weighs 229,000 pounds and is 55' 11" long. The engine was sold in 1975 and used as a short line freight engine and later as a switcher. #4502 ALCO RS-3 had a max speed of 65 mph; built by ALCO for heavy freight.

Sabine River & Northern Railway Locomotive painted in Bumble Bee colors; engine had 900 horsepower Winston Model 201-A engine, cast frame, with top speed of 50 mph. This Model NC diesel-electric switcher cost $91,500.00 and weighs 250,000 pounds.

Union Pacific #2804 Cutaway Locomotive--locomotive body is off showing locomotive's engine and equipment; engine is cut open showing engine functions and cylinder size. Built by General Electric, this model U28C freight locomotive has a 16-cylinder, 4-cycle turbo charged engine and produces 2,800 horsepower.  This engine is 67 feet 3 inches long, weighs 360,000 pounds and has a 2,900 gallows capacity fuel tank.  Union Pacific removed its protective hoods and partly cut-away the engine so it could be used as a mechanical training locomotive. A diesel-electric locomotive uses a diesel engine to turn an electrical generator.  This produces direct current electricity which runs electric traction motors.  The traction motors, located in the wheel assemblies, use gears on the axles to turn the wheels and pull the train.  While steam locomotive used numbers to describe wheel arrangements, diesel locomotives are described using letters for the powered axles in a group.  For example "A" equals 1 powered axle, B=2, C=3, D=4, etc.  Also any unpowered or "idler" axles are identified by numbers.  This C-C locomotive, number 2804, was donated to the museum in 1995 by the Union Pacific Railroad.

In 1914, to operate on the Panama Canal, 40 mules were built by GE. #662 is one the mules, named after the pack animals. Mules were used for side-to-side and braking control through the locks. Four mules were used per ship, one on each side and one on each end. They each cost $13,092 and were used on the Pacific side of the canal at the Pedro Miguel locks. They each weighed 86,300 pounds and were 32'-2 1/4" in length. The mule ran on 5' gauge rails.

Built at the Plymouth Locomotive Works of Plymouth, Ohio, #2003 is a propane-electric unit used in short line freight service on the Joplin-Pittsburg Railroad and later on the Kansas City Public Service Freight Operation as # 1. It weights 140,000 pounds, has a maximum speed of 35 mph, and contains four 110 horsepower Westinghouse motors. In 1964, #2003 was donated by James G. Ashley, Sr. of Kansas City Public Service Freight Operation.

One of two Class B locomotives preserved is #1575 used on an electric freight line, one of the last B's built which used a cast steel underframe. It operated in freight service across the Illinois Traction System, and later Illinois Terminal. The country's second largest interurban network was the Illinois Traction System - the McKinley lines - that stretched across much of the state of Illinois and lasted into the late 1950's. The ITS shops in Decatur were perhaps best known for the large fleet of boxcab locomotives that were designed and built entirely in-house. The earliest of these homebuilt units were the Class B's.

Baggage - mail heavyweight. Mail was retrieved, sorted and dropped off without the train having to stop.

Mechanical drive; clutch and four-speed transmission. The Whitcomb Locomotive Company of Rochelle, IL built this 15-ton, model SRD industrial switching locomotive. It was a gasoline-mechanical engine, but it was later given an 87 HP, 3 cylinder, GM diesel engine. It has a clutch and manual transmission that has four speeds in both directions. This drives the rear axle wheels via a double chain drive, with the front ones powered by the side rods ("B" classification). Mechanically driven locomotives never got much bigger than this one, capable of slowly moving a few cars in an industrial plant. The clutch and transmission could not handle the weights or speeds of long trains, even as a railroad switch engine. The diesel-electric locomotive, with electrical transmission of its power was developed for those jobs. This engine is 19 feet long and has 80-inch drive wheels. The "dome" on top of the engine hood is the sandbox. All locomotives carry sand to drop on the railheads when needed for extra traction. This locomotive was used at the St. Louis City's Howard Bend Water Plant. It was purchased in 1978.

#502 was designed for heavy freight operations on ore trains. It weighs 346,600 pounds and has 59" drivers. During the 1920s numerous upgrades were made to the engine including a larger tender which included a "dog house" for the brakeman. In 1937, #502 transferred to the Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range to haul ore trains from the Missabe Range to Lake Superior.

The nose of this Alco/GE diesel belies its multi-gauge trucks that are able to run on almost any tracks in the world. This Alco/GE diesel was built with multi-gauge trucks for service anywhere there are train tracks in the event of war. A total of 96 were built. Most of the locomotives produced were put into storage to await a worldwide need.

Chicago and Northwestern steam locomotive (1873) 4-4-0. It was donated by Purdue University in 1951.

Number 95589 was originally built as a "Vanderbilt" tender to a Rock Island 2-8-2 "Mikado" engine. It was rebuilt in the mid-1920s to a water tank car, and then in 1957 converted to a snow plow. One-third of the tank was removed and a fabricated wedge was attached to the tank. Remaining two-thirds of the tank was filled with ballast to add weight and stability to the plow. One or more engines pushed the plow through snow. Originally built for the Rock Island Line, it was conveyed to the St. Louis Southwestern when the former line was sold and broken up. Donated to TNMOT in 1995 by the Southern Pacific Railroad.

An experimental gas turbine engine powered by two Boeing 502-2E 150 horsepower jet engines. Developed for the Korean Conflict. This is the first successful gas-turbine-mechanical locomotive, built for the Army as an experimental by Davenport.

Terminal R. R. was incorporated in 1889 to rationalize the interchange of freight and passenger trains in the St. Louis MO area. This switcher was the first engine to be built with a one-piece frame and cylinder casting. A coal burner of 247,500 pounds, it has 51" drivers. It is the only TRRA steam locomotive to have survived.

End cupola restored over a four-year period by Vance C. Lischer, Jr. and then donated to TNMOT.

Mine ore engine; 2" gauge mining locomotive.

#4700 was built in 1931 as the prototype of the P-5 class electric locomotive. Originally designed for passenger service, the #4700 could attain a top speed of 95 mph. In 1939 it was re-geared to perform freight work, with a top speed of 70 mph. #2700 is 62 feet long and weighs 392,000 pounds. The locomotive operated off of 11,000 volt, single phase AC power collected from overhead wires. 64 units were built with the boxcab placing the engineer at the front of the engine which was very dangerous in the event of an accident. 28 units were later built with the cab in the center. Number 4700 is the sole surviving P-5 Pennsylvania Railroad electric engine.

Number 6944 is one of 47 engines built between 1969 and 1971 for the Union Pacific. This class of engine was called "Centennial" to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. This type of "double" engine was the most powerful diesel-electric locomotive model ever built on a single frame. It was actually two engines on one frame. #6944 was used to haul heavy freight over the Rocky Mountains. Number 6944 is 98'5" in length and weighs 543,432 pounds with a full load of fuel and fluids. The two engines generate 6,600 horsepower and can attain a top speed of 80-90 mph. Hear more here.

#2002 has an 800 hp, two-cycle diesel V-8 engine and is 44'5" in length. It weighs 230,000 pounds and has a maximum speed of 65 mph. The U.S. Army ordered 41 SW8 engines for service in Korea during the Korean Conflict. The #2002 served with the 724th Transportation Railway Operating Battalion in Korea. At the end of the war #2002 was returned to the United States and operated at the Red River (Texas) Army Depot and later at Fort Leonard Wood, MO.

Built by the Illinois Central Railroad at its' Burnside shops in Chicago with the instruments provided by the University of Illinois (the car jointly owned).  The dynamometer car is a rolling laboratory that tests the pulling power of locomotives.  The front coupler is attached to the frame by a hydraulic cylinder.  The pull of a locomotive moves a piston in the cylinder and measuring instruments in the car record the data.  The system is so sensitive it can detect the force of a person pulling on the coupler and so strong that it tested an engine pulling a 213 car coal train.  Number 30, a steel car,  is 60' long, weights 125,000 pounds. Test trips on the car could last for several days, and as a result, the car contains facilities to house and feed the test crew and a dining car cook: two staterooms for four people each; lockers, toilet, shower, and kitchen.  It also contains an operating compartment with recording table, instruments and tool bench. This car was last used behind a steam locomotive in 1952 and was only used once behind a diesel-electric in 1955.  It was donated in 1969 by the Illinois Central Railroad and the University of Illinois.

Boxcar was built in 1954. This 55-foot steel boxcar was rebuilt by Manufacturers Railway in 1979.

Missouri-Kansas-Texas #1 Caboose was built in 1882. Wood car; steel center sill added; side door and cupola removed; part of Katy Flyer train.

American Car and Foundry built this 60' long mail/express car for about $8,000. It weighs 80,000 pounds, has a wooden body and its underframe is also wood with a steel center sill.  The truss rods visible along the sides below the floor are bolted through the end sills and strengthen the underframe. The turnbuckles that join the two ends of each rod at the center of the car can be adjusted to keep the car's body straight and level. The railway post office markings show that the separate 15' long mail "apartment," as the post office called it, met the standards for handling U.S. mail. The mail catcher arm on its door could pick up sacks of first class mail at speeds of up to 80 miles per hour. Donated by the St. Louis - Southwestern Ry in 1952.

#430 St. Louis–San Francisco Railway Heavy Weight baggage car was also known as SLSF 109103.

A speeder (also known as railway motor car, putt-putt, track-maintenance car, crew car, jigger, trike, quad, trolley, inspection car) is a maintenance of way motorized vehicle formerly used on railroads by track inspectors and work crews to move quickly to and from work sites. Although it is slow compared to a train or car, it is called a speeder because it is faster than a human-powered vehicle such as a handcar.

Maintenance of way equipment - 18 ton crane. Built in 1984.

Built around 1910 by an Italian subsidiary of Westinghouse, this freight locomotive operated off a three-phase, 2,000-volt A.C. electrical system and developed 2,000 horsepower from its two motors. It had a top speed of 31 mph. The engine arrived at TNMOT in 1968.