Wind and Rain

Perhaps the MOT staff should consider taking up weather forecasting...

While we hadn't really planned for October to be cold and rainy, the October installation of both a rain garden next to the lake and a windmill-actuated aerator in the lake proved timely given the weather over the last month. The rain garden was installed by St. Louis County Department of Parks and Recreation horticultural staff and volunteers using grant funding from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and will utilize runoff from the parking lot for hydration.

While we want plants next to the lake, we don't really want them in the lake. An ongoing algae and plant issue will hopefully be at least partly addressed with the installation of an aerator run solely on wind power.

Pistons and Pumpers

The Pistons and Pumpers antique truck and fire truck show, held October 10th, was a great success. The foggy, chilly morning turned into a crisp, bright fall day, and the Gateway Fire Historical Society and Gateway Chapter of the Antique Truck Historical Society brought some outstanding vehicles - 34 all told - for visitors to enjoy. Attendance for the day was the second-highest of all our automotive events, and we're grateful to both clubs for their support and look forward to hosting them again next year.

Again, photos by Ron Anderson.

Brass and Nickel Show

The Horseless Carriage Club of Missouri hosted yet another fantastic Brass & Nickel Car Show on October 4th featuring cars from the brass and nickel radiator era up to 1931. Thanks again to Ron Anderson for the great photographs.

Owney's Paw-ty

When a mixed-breed dog with terrier tendencies wandered into the Albany, NY, post office in 1888 and fell asleep on the mail bags, a touching and unique story in American railroading heritage began. The dog followed the bags onto a railway post office (RPO) car and began traveling with the mail first across New York State and then across the country. Named Owney, the dog became a favorite of railroad employees, who took note of the fact that trains on which Owney rode were never involved in accidents - a relative rarity in those days.

Owney is the Museum of Transportation's mascot and paid a visit to Museum guests this fall for a paw-ty on October 3rd. More information about Owney can be found at the National Postal Museum's website.