Texas Transportation Museum

Texas Transportation Museum

Texas Transportation Museum (TTM) is an all volunteer organization that collects, preserves and displays transportation equipment and related items. They operate a working passenger railroad, several model train layouts and many road vehicles. TTM provides an educational and entertaining experience which showcases how developments in transportation technology shaped and continue to impact daily life.

Texas Transportation Museum was created in 1964 to help preserve artifacts and information about the varied elements of San Antonio's fascinating transportation history. The museum operates as much of its expansive collection as possible. This includes a volunteer-built full-sized railroad and many vehicles. The museum originally used the tracks of its short line railroad, the Texas Transportation Company, and in 1967 the museum was granted use of an additional forty acres.

Everything you find at the Texas Transportation museum has been built by volunteers or was donated to the museum, which is a registered 501(c)(3) charity. TTM was able to acquire a historic depot, built their own tracks, acquired four locomotives (two steam and two diesel electrics), two historically significant railroad cars and five cabooses. In addition, they built a huge work building that can accommodate the locomotives, a 100 X 50 foot display building which houses their road vehicle collection. a vast indoor HO scale layout and much of their historical artifact collection.

Their extensive museum grounds contain the operating railroad, half of which is mainline track. TTM also built the largest public G, or garden scale outdoor layout in Texas. The museum participates in many San Antonio public events. both large and small. Their vehicles are  fixtures of sorts in all of the local Fiesta parades plus other events like the St. Patrick's Day parade and the San Antonio Founders Day event held at San Pedro Park in the Fall.

Texas Transportation Museum also gives back to the community. One of their most noted partnerships is with the US Marines and their "Toys For Tots" program. They also participate in the US Armed Forces Week, plus provide reduced admissions for military personnel and senior citizens. TTM's education program allows school students of all ages to visit the museum for only $2.00 per child, one of the least expensive programs in the city. Museum docents provide age-appropriate guided tours, and the attending children actually get to experience what a real train ride actually feels like.

Recent Achievements

The museum has been focusing on improving over the last several years with considerable success despite limited resources. In recent years, some challenging goals have been achieved and exceeded. 

Completed Capital Improvements Projects

  • Refurbished their historic depot, inside and out.
  • Built more attractive, secure and safe new entrance gate complete with four flagpoles.
  • Designed and installed a huge new entrance sign.
  • Repainted 4035 locomotive.
  • Repainted two cabooses.
  • Converted old flat railroad car to passenger service.
  • Upgraded interior HO layout control system to state of the art DCC (digital control).
  • Created huge Lionel scale layout in main display building.
  • Added new layout at garden railroad for smaller children who can control the trains.
  • Replaced most wooden signs with professionally made, higher quality metal signs.

ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Improvements

  • Upgraded restrooms to ADA standards with new doors and commodes.
  • Built ADA-compliant parking spaces adjacent to main building.
  • Improved ADA access across many areas of our property.
  • Installed lift on flat car to allow disabled persons to ride train.

Other Public Relations Improvements

  • Increased the number of days the museum is open from three to four by adding Fridays.
  • Experienced 55% growth in attendance between 2002 and 2006, from 8,370 to 13,013 persons annually.
  • Continued to develop web site, added thorough histories of most regional transportation developments.
  • Wrote and published a local railroad history book.
  • Created transportation development PowerPoint presentations for visitors.

All of these improvements required significant finanical investment. At this time the museum receives no funding from any level of government, federal, state, county or city. All Texas Transportation Museum income comes from visitors and the generosity of donors. The good news is that each and every improvement has been followed by greater attendance.

TTM is a registered 501(c)(3) charity and located at 11731 Wetmore Road, San Antonio, Texas 78247 and can be contacted at (210) 490-3554 or on line at http://www.txtransportationmuseum.org/index.php

Museum hours are Friday: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM (No admittance after 2:00 PM); Sat & Sun: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM (No admittance after 3:30 PM).  Allow at least 90 minutes to see the entire museum and ride the train.