Southern Arizona Transportation Museum — Attraction in Tucson

Great little museum!

This hidden gem of a museum lies adjacent to the Tucson Amtrak station. Be prepared to see and hear plenty of trains nearby.

The museum is run by volunteers and has a wealth of information. Detailing the history of the railroad in Tucson and Arizona, the museum paints a detailed picture of the railroad story. The amount of detail they include in the information signs is incredible.

Combining a mix of displays, including interactive and audio, the museum will appeal to visitors of most ages. The life stories of people who worked on the railroad made the visit even more interesting and memorable. Plenty of original parts, clocks, and uniforms to name a few.

Parking is good. There are plenty of metered spots right by charging $1 an hour. An hour to an hour and a half is more than enough.

They ask for a $5 donation and it's...

What a wonderful place . Admission is free but donations are appreciated. The site has an inside museum with a small gift shop. It starts from the 1890’s to today . There are real life artifacts and cool media that shows your the important of the railroads . The man was so kind and helpful. He offered us a small gift bag with little goodies . The outside part has a real life locomotive. Unfortunately I couldn’t get the volunteers name but he was so knowledgeable an offered us free cold water . He took the time to explain to us the parts of the train and even allowed us to ring the bell! As Train enthusiasts we were so happy! If you’re in the area I highly recommend...

Im a nut for machines. I turned the corner and there was this beautiful steam engine. I got closer to get a better view and heard a voice, "welcome to the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum." He added " You know anything about steam engines?" Over the next 40 minutes I was given the most interesting explanation of all the dials, valves and leavers. This fellow was a retired train engineer and as freight trains passed by he talked about the differences between those engines and the one I was sitting in. In the end i was allowed to ring the steam engine bell. This tour and the museum was free of charge but i left a donation at the door,...