Great Plains Transportation Museum

09/25/2023

Hot off the press! Help us restore Santa Fe Locomotive #93!

Built by the Electro-Motive Division (EMD) of General Motors Corporation, 93 was donated by BNSF Railway in June 1999.

09/15/2023

Don't forget to attend the GPTM's annual Kansas Railfest this Saturday! Things are starting to take shape! The Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad delivered one of their locomotives for display this weekend.

Starting at 10am, K&O will conduct a "Locomotive Load Test" on their GP-38-3 Locomotive WAMX #3832 every hour until 3pm. Load tests will last just a couple of minutes. Shout-out and special thanks to the K&O and Watco for their continued support of Kansas Railfest!

05/05/2022

This coming Sunday is Mothers Day. Mothers will receive a free admission with a paid child's admission.

04/17/2022

Future rail fans watching trains at the museum

03/11/2022

During Kansas's fifth winter, once again our equipment is collecting snow. It's been a wild ride weather wise, not too long ago it was 70°! Stay warm everyone!

03/08/2022

We are sad to report the death of long time member David Meek. David had been involved in the museum for many years as a volunteer in our gift shop and helping as a docent with visitors. Here is a link to his services. https://www.cozine.com/obituary/David-Meek

Share memories & support the family

02/04/2022

Because of this week's weather and the amount of snowfall, the Museum's grounds will be closed to the public on Saturday, February 05.. The Gift Shop will have limited hours in the morning. Please call ahead to make certain it is open before coming in.
Please come and see our Gift Shop tables at the Wichita Train Show being held this weekend at the Cessna Activities Center, located at 2744 George Washington Boulevard in Wichita. The hours are
Saturday, February 5, 2022 from 9am-5pm

Sunday, February 6, 2022 from 11am-4pm

01/21/2022

Dagny, one of our volunteers, helped with repairs to our main door out to the trains. It looks like she is happy with the repairs! Door is swinging again!

01/01/2022

Great Plains Transportation Museum collaborates with Virtual Railfan, Inc., to install first Kansas 24/7 online live stream of trains

Ringing in 2022, the high definition camera is scheduled to go live on YouTube in early January

WICHITA, Dec. 31, 2021 – Donations were recently made to the Great Plains Transportation Museum (GPTM) to install a 24/7 streaming YouTube channel view of Wichita railroad activities for anyone interested in watching trains. Collaborating with Virtual Railfan, Inc., a high-definition pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) camera was installed at GPTM on December 29, with free YouTube streaming scheduled to begin in early 2022. It is the first Virtual Railfan camera in Kansas , and the 102nd installed in the U.S. by this industry leading service provider. Other Virtual Railfan streaming cameras in the region include Kansas City , Mo. , and Oklahoma City .
“There’s a growing interest in people having the ability to watch trains from the safety and comfort of their homes, while traveling, or from other venues, and the GPTM Virtual Railfan camera will help increase awareness of our museum and of the importance of freight rail activity moving through Wichita ,” said GPTM president John Deck. “Everything from locally produced airliner fuselages, wind turbine assemblies and agricultural products, to ethanol, new automobiles, parcel shipments and products made around the world, move through Wichita on trains. Our Virtual Railfan camera will showcase that activity.”
Railroads that operate on mainline tracks adjacent to GPTM include Fort Worth-based BNSF Railway, Omaha-based Union Pacific Railroad, the Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad and South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad, the latter two owned by Pittsburg , Kan. based Watco. An average day will see dozens of freight trains rolling by the GPTM Virtual Railfan camera in Wichita , with goods destined for markets throughout the U.S. and around the world.

12/25/2021

Merry Christmas from all of us at the GPTM! 🌲🎅

12/18/2021

There will be live Christmas music at the museum this Saturday afternoon, 12/18/21. Come and enjoy the music and see what’s going on around the museum!

11/10/2021

Last weekend our volunteers tackled quite a project. We started removing donated rails and stacking them for transport. The track will be used for future projects around the museum.

11/06/2021

Just a reminder Fred Tefft’s memorial service is tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 pm.

10/28/2021

Here is a link to Fred Tefft’s obituary.

https://everloved.com/life-of/fred-tefft/

Take part in remembering Fred Wayne Tefft. Read his obituary, share your own memories, and learn about any funeral details on Ever Loved.

10/20/2021

Fred was active not only at the museum but involved with the antique truck group. He bought a lot of raffle tickets at one of there meetings and was busy filling them out. The final outcome was a very nice tool box on wheels that he donated to the museum.

10/20/2021

To let everyone know late last week long time member and volunteer, Fred Tefft passed away. There is a memorial service planned for him on Sunday November 7th from 2pm to 4pm at the museum. Details will follow.

10/10/2021

All Aboard! Today is the last day of Railfest 2021. Come join us, have some fun, relax and ride the train, listen to some music, have some food, and enjoy the day with us. This is a fundraising event to help with repainting #93, our diesel locomotive. Music courtesy of Thad Beach.

10/10/2021

Railfest 2021 also included Shoeshine Blue, another awesome local musician, that we have had the pleasure of listening to and recommend you do to!

10/10/2021

Railfest has also included Sheila Brigg’s awesome group, Stumble Home. Shelia has been a regular musician at Railfest that we've enjoyed listening to, and this time her talented family played with her.

10/10/2021

Railfest 2021 has had some talented musicians putting music in the air along with the sound of the steam locomotive whistle. We've had the pleasure of listening to Thad Beach, a returning musician at Railfest. Thad plays some train themed music with a little railroad history mixed in, and he will give younger members of the audience a chance at playing an instrument! Thad is pretty good at improvising too! If he knows your name, he might call you out in a lyric mingled into his song, as the author can attest to.
Thad Beach

10/09/2021

RAILFEST 2021 continues Saturday, 10/9 (9-4pm) and Sunday, 10/10/2021 (10-4pm). Come out and ride behind this coal fired steam locomotive!

10/09/2021

Railfest continues this weekend. 9 to 4 Saturday and 10 to 4 Sunday. Come and ride behind a real steam engine. Also check out the Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad locomotive on display!

10/03/2021

Here's a short clip of #126 giving rides yesterday.

10/03/2021

Railfest continues today, 10/3. We're open 10 to 4pm, and next weekend also. Come out and take a ride behind steam locomotive #126 Sadie. Pictured below is #126 next to the BNSF heritage 25 Anniversary locomotive.

10/01/2021

Today, BNSF Railway graciously delivered one of their heritage locomotives to be displayed at the museum during the first weekend of Railfest, Oct 2nd & 3rd! Be sure to come check out this locomotive and then go for a train ride behind a historic steam locomotive! Many thanks to the BNSF for their continued support!

09/15/2021

Lehigh Valley Coal Co. 126 (Sadie) has arrived at the museum! It will be under live steam giving rides during Kansas Railfest 2021! Come ride during the first two weekends of October, 2-3 and 9-10. This is a fundraiser for the cosmetic restoration of ATSF FP45 93!

07/11/2021

We had a great evening with a HUGE 2021 Automobilia Moonlight Car Show event, AWESOME fireworks by Victory Pyrotechnics, and of course, all of the OUTSTANDING people that came in to check us out. We appreciate you! Here are some firework pictures with our own A.T.&S.F. steam locomotive 3768 as a great foreground!

07/04/2021

Today, museum volunteers were able to use our antique Fairmont Derrick Crane to reinstall the Witcomb Locomotive radiator. Getting closer!

07/01/2021

July 10th Automobilia will have there annual car show on Douglas from St Francis to Hydraulic. The museum will be open its regular hours as well as from 4 to 10 that evening. Admission after 4 is free but donations are accepted.

06/05/2021

Look who's coming back to The Great Plains Transportation Museum! It's LVC steam locomotive #126, "Sadie"!
Save the dates for 2021 Railfest, Oct. 2-3 and Oct. 9-10.
More information to come.

05/28/2021

Looking to get out of the house this weekend after all the rain we have had? The museum will be open from 9am to 4pm this Saturday!

05/09/2021

Just a little bit of crane work at the museum. Using historical equipment to repair historical equipment!

04/25/2021

Want to thank everyone that came out to celebrate Steve Corp's life. Great memories and stories were told. Laughs and smiles could be seen from everyone. You could definitely see that Steve touched the lives of so many people from the crowd that was present at the Museum.

04/21/2021

For those of you that will be coming to the Celebration of Steve Corps life here is an attached map showing various parking options. The museum will be open on the upper level and there is parking to the south

03/17/2021

Today the museum lost a long time member who had been involved since the start of the museum. Steve Corp died early this morning. Steve served as a volunteer in the shop, on the Board of Directors numerous times and where ever else he was needed. Steve stayed in the back ground most of time unless he was cooking hamburgers and brats for the annual picnic. He was a very important part of the leadership team over the years. It was his leadership that enabled the museum to have several successful excursion trips that were major fundraisers. His dedication to the museum was evident in his leadership as well as his ability to restore and maintain the various pieces of equipment and displays over these past years. HIs knowledge, talents, skills and his friendly smile will be missed by all.

02/21/2021

While switching cars at the museum this wine bottle in a brown paper bag fell from the trucks of the Drovers caboose. You never know what history is gonna fall out of nowhere. Things that make you hmmmm.....

02/12/2021

Due to cold and hazardous weather conditions, for the safety of our guests and volunteers we will be closed this Saturday, February 13. The museum will be open again on Saturday, February 20, 2021. Thank you for your understanding. Stay safe and warm everyone!