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The Virginia Museum of Transportation is a museum devoted to the topic of transportation located in Downtown Roanoke, Virginia, US. children under two years do not to buy tickets and students can get a discounted $10.5 ticket.[3]

Virginia Museum of Transportation
Location within the United States
EstablishedApril 1986 (1986-04)
LocationRoanoke, Virginia
Coordinates37.272943°N 79.947231°W / 37.272943; -79.947231
TypeTransport museum
WebsiteOfficial website
Norfolk and Western Railway Freight Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Virginia Landmarks Register
Location303 Norfolk Ave, Roanoke, Virginia
Coordinates37°16′23″N 79°56′46″W
Area57.7 acres (23.4 ha)
Builtc. 1918 (1918)
Built byNorfolk and Western Railway
NRHP reference No.12000969[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 21, 2012
Designated VLRSeptember 20, 2012[2]

History


The Virginia Museum of Transportation began its life in 1963 as the Roanoke Transportation Museum located in Wasena Park in Roanoke, Virginia. The museum at that time was housed in an old Norfolk & Western Railway freight depot on the banks of the Roanoke River. The earliest components of the museum's collection included a United States Army Jupiter rocket and the J class steam locomotive No. 611, donated by Norfolk & Western Railway to the City of Roanoke where many of its engines were constructed. The museum expanded its collection to include other pieces of rail equipment such as a former DC Transit PCC streetcar, and a number of horse-drawn vehicles including a hearse, a covered wagon, and a Studebaker wagon.

In November 1985, a flood nearly destroyed the museum, and much of its collection. It forced the shutdown of the facility and the refurbishment of #611. In April 1986, the museum re-opened in the Norfolk and Western Railway Freight Station in downtown Roanoke as the Virginia Museum of Transportation. The museum has earned that title, being recognized by the General Assembly of Virginia as the Commonwealth's official transportation museum.

The Norfolk & Western steam locomotives No. 611 and No. 1218 were originally property of the city of Roanoke due to the museum's original charter. On April 2, 2012, during VMT's 50 Birthday, the city officially transferred ownership of the locomotives to the museum.[4]

The Norfolk and Western Railway Freight Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.[1] The station consists of two clearly identifiable sections, both of which were completed in 1918. They are the two-story, fifty-bay-long, freight station proper which was built parallel to the railroad tracks and now is oriented south, and the one-story-with-basement brick annex that formerly housed the offices of the Shenandoah and Radford divisions of the Norfolk and Western. The building closed for railroad freight business in 1964.[5]


Galleries and exhibits




This exhibit features many automobiles from the early part of the 20th century to more recent vehicles. The oral history display, "Driving Lessons," features stories from individuals associated with car culture.

Many of the museum's antique automobiles are on display here as well. The museum also features occasional special exhibits such as the Hollywood Star Cars exhibit which showcased famous cars from the history of television and movies.[6]


Railroad exhibits


On-going exhibits cover sundry aspects of railroad life in America, especially Virginia. In addition to these on-going exhibits, the museum maintains an O-Gauge train layout modeled after Roanoke, Salem, and Lynchburg, Virginia.

Detailing the lives of Graham and Robert Claytor, this exhibit explores their past and their relationship that led to the merger of the Norfolk & Western and Southern Railways.
This exhibit is the result of an oral history project sponsored in part by Roanoke area businesses and individuals to document the often-ignored roles played by African-Americans on the rails. The exhibit includes pictures, artifacts, and recorded interviews with African-Americans who worked for the railroad.
This exhibit reproduces a 1930s rural train depot, featuring freight scales, a telegrapher's office, time tables, and a velocipede hand car used for servicing track. A brief history of the N&W Freight Station, the home of the VMT, is also included in this space


This exhibit features the history of aviation, particularly as it pertains to the Commonwealth of Virginia. The oral history exhibit, "Flight Talk," features stories from aviation personnel who span the history of flight from the early days into modern aviation and space exploration

Collection


From January 20, 2011, to May 3, the museum was home to Chesapeake and Ohio 614 as part of the museum's Thoroughbreds of Steam exhibit. Other pieces include automobiles such as a 1913 Metz, a 1920 Buick touring car, a Highway Post Office Bus, and an armored car used to showcase the United States Bill of Rights in 1991.


Rolling stock


Though the most prominent pieces of the museum's collection are the two Norfolk & Western engines, there are more than fifty pieces of rolling stock in the collection. Some exhibits may be closed to the public as restoration is in progress on some pieces, while some pieces in need of heavy restoration are stored offsite in yards managed by Norfolk Southern.


Steam


Electric


Diesel-electric


Freight cars


Passenger cars


Cabooses


Other unique rolling stock


Automobile collection



Automobiles


Trucks


Other road vehicles


Aviation collection


After a storm in 2006, the aviation gallery was rebuilt into a collection of interviews and first hand collections, including:


References


  1. "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties. National Park Service. November 30, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  2. "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  3. "Tickets, Prices & Discounts - Virginia Museum of Transportation (Roanoke) - WhichMuseum". whichmuseum.com. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
  4. "Virginia Museum Of Transportation". Vmt.org. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  5. Geoffrey B. Henry (April 2012). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Norfolk and Western Railway Freight Station" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. and Accompanying six photos
  6. Becky Mickel (June 23, 2011). "Star Cars: Star City Motor Madness returns to Roanoke". Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
  7. Steam locomotives
  8. Anderson, Chris (May 19, 2020). "N&W Y6a to return to St. Louis after five years in Virginia NEWSWIRE". Trains.com.
  9. Electric locomotives
  10. Diesel locomotives
  11. Rail freight cars
  12. Passenger car collection
  13. Caboose collection
  14. Safety instruction car
  15. Automobile collection
  16. Trucks
  17. Other road vehicles


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