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.

Oldsmobile Fun Show

This past Sunday brought us 66 Oldsmobiles, sunny skies, and 83 degrees. Thanks again to Ron Anderson for the photographs.

Out with the old, in with the...old

It's gallery-changing time. To prepare for our upcoming Pistons and Pumpers exhibit in the Earl C. Lindburg Automobile Center, we've removed nearly every vehicle in the building except the Darin and Turbine cars, the Cadillac in the Coral Court exhibit, and a few of the trucks. And beginning last week, new vehicles (well, not "new" - all so far are nearly fifty years old or older) began to trickle into the building.

The rotation of exhibits and artifacts is vital, but it can also be a lengthy process when each vehicle is transported individually to or from our off-site storage facility, which is a fifteen-minute drive from the Museum on a good day. And few of our vehicles are maintained in operating condition, so we rely heavily upon trucks, trailers, wheel dollies, winches, and old-fashioned muscle.

Thanks again to Ron Anderson for the photographs.

All-Chevy Show

One of the largest- and perhaps the largest - single-make car shows ever at the Museum of Transportation was the All-Chevy Show hosted by the Fabulous Fifties Chevy Club on September 13th. With 148 cars, the show was a great success, and we were thrilled to host such a vast and varied gathering of Chevrolets. Thanks again to Ron Anderson for the photographs.

Don't forget our next show...the Oldsmobile Fun Show this Sunday, September 27th.

Sitting below an excavator...

As I write this, a very large Caterpillar track hoe is working away, some thirty feet above my head. It's not directly above my head; it's actually just behind the Museum's administration office, pulling fill from the hillside behind us to use as additional surcharge for the visitors' center site. While the sound of it hitting rock can be a little unsettling, any minor apprehension is more than offset by the fact this excavation will move the project of extending the streetcar line from the tunnel to the back of the Earl C. Lindburg Automobile Center forward.

Don't forget to mark your calendars for the Oldsmobile Fun Show this Sunday, September 27th. As with all car shows at the Museum, admission to the show itself is free! Regular Museum admission applies to the remainder of the Museum grounds.