Southern Arizona Transportation Museum
The Southern Arizona Transportation Museum is a new (2005) museum in Tucson, Arizona. There is no charge for admission. Guided tours of the depot site are also available for a small fee, by appointment only. The museum offers community events, downtown historic walking tours (Oct - Mar), train safety education, an oral history program and an active collections department preserving artifacts pertaining to Southern Arizona Transportation.
Contents
Museum features
Volunteers answer steam locomotive questions on Saturdays from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.. The museum also has interactive exhibits of Southern Arizona transportation history.
Modern-day Union Pacific Railroad freight trains pass the museum throughout the day. Visitors may ring the locomotive bell on SP #1673. Visitors can also learn how the railroad impacted Tucson since its arrival on March 20 1880.
- Life size sculpture of Doc Holliday & Wyatt Earp. Wyatt Earp killed Frank Stilwell at the location of this railroad depot and yard.
- Visit the restored passenger train station that includes an original 1941 bench.
Museum opening times
- 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
- 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Friday, Saturday
- 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Sunday
Southern Pacific #1673 2-6-0 Mogul Locomotive
Southern Pacific locomotive #1673 is on display at the museum. The 2-6-0 M-4b Mogul locomotive was built for the Southern Pacific Railroad by Schenectady Locomotive Works (New York) in November 1900.
1673 specifications:
- Cylinders-Bore/Stroke: 20 in (508 mm) diameter x 28 in (711 mm) stroke
- Weight on Engine Loaded: 157,900 lb (71,620 kg)
- Weight on Drivers: 134,600 lb (61,050 kg)
- Weight on Front Truck: 23,600 lb (10,700 kg)
- Weight on Trailing Truck: None
- Driver (main wheel) diameter: 63 in (1600 mm)
- Driving Axle Journals: (Main): 9 x 12 in (229 x 305 mm)
- Driving Axle Journals: (Front): 9 x 12 in (229 x 305 mm)
- Driving Axle Journals: (Others): 9 x 12 in (229 x 305 mm)
- Engine truck Journals: 6 x 10 in (152 x 254 mm)
- Boiler Tubes' Length: 12 ft 0 in (3.6 m)
- Boiler Tube Heating Surface: 1,350 ft² (125 m²)
- Heating Surface Area of Firebox: 156 ft² (14.5 m²)
- Heating Surface Area Evaporating: 1,506 ft² (139.9 m²)
- Heating Surface Area Superheater: 269 ft² (25.0 m²)
- Combined Heating surface: 1,775 ft² (164.9 m²)
- Fuel type: Oil fired (originally coal-fired, but converted to oil in 1905)
- Boiler pressure: 190 lbf/in² (1.3 MPa)
- Boiler capacity: 85.2%
- Tractive effort: 28,710 lbf (127.7 kN)
- Tractive effort to adhesive weight: 0.213 lbf/lb (2.09 N/kg)
- Valve Gear Type: Stephenson
- Manufacturer's Serial Number: 5683
Shops
- Saguaro Artisans Gift Shop - run by local artists.
- Central Bistro - inside the depot.
The depot lobby is currently used as a waiting room for rail passengers using Amtrak passenger rail and the rest of the depot and buildings are leased to various businesses.
Location
The Southern Arizona Transportation Museum is located in the former records vault building at the former Southern Pacific Depot, recently renovated by the City of Tucson in 2004.
- 414 North Toole Avenue
- Tucson, Arizona 85701
- Telephone: (520) 623-2223
