Photo by Quintin Soloviev, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Upcoming Events
No ticketed events are currently listed for Great Plains Transportation Museum. Many heritage operators publish schedules seasonally or run on regular open hours instead of dated events.
Check the operator’s website for current hours and special runs, or subscribe to event alerts and we’ll email you when something is scheduled.
About Great Plains Transportation Museum
The Great Plains Transportation Museum sits behind Wichita’s historic Union Station, where restored Santa Fe steam locomotive 3768 and Frisco diesel units sit amid a collection of freight and passenger cars. Visitors board select locomotives and rail cars for cab tours, exploring authentic controls while staff explain each piece’s history.
History
The Great Plains Transportation Museum incorporates in 1983 on Wichita’s Douglas Avenue, acquiring the assets of the former Great Plains Railway Museum that had closed in 1977 when Union Station was cleared for urban renewal. Volunteers fenced the outdoor display area in the summer of 1985, and the museum opened its doors to the public in December 1986, followed by a formal Grand Opening in June 1987. A street‑level entrance on Douglas opens in November 1999, expanding visitor access. In 2023 actor Michael Gross helped launch a fundraising drive for the cosmetic restoration of the museum’s 1967 Santa Fe diesel locomotive #93, and by 2025 the required funds were secured, with the locomotive scheduled to arrive in the summer of 2026. The museum hired its first paid employee, Director Lon Smith, in 2025, and in March 2026 announced the conversion of its 1953 stainless‑steel baggage car into an event venue; that same year the Kansas Legislature, at Smith’s urging, formally established the Kansas Railroad Hall of Fame at the museum.
The Trains
The museum’s outdoor collection features Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway 4‑8‑4 steam locomotive #3768, Santa Fe EMD FP45 diesel locomotive #93, Burlington Northern EMD NW2 diesel locomotive #421 (formerly St. Louis‑San Francisco #261), a Cargill Whitcomb 50‑DE‑58a‑1 unit #316, an additional electric locomotive, a Santa Fe drover’s car, a tank car, a box car, a heavyweight baggage car, several cabooses, and assorted maintenance‑of‑way equipment. Visitors can board select locomotives and cars, and the museum also offers cab tours of the restored equipment during open‑house events.
Nearby
The museum sits just east of downtown Wichita, beside Old Town — a fifty-acre entertainment district where a converted warehouse quarter now holds nightclubs, restaurants, shops, museums, and apartments. Wichita earned its 'Cowtown' nickname after the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway arrived in 1872 and the city became a railhead for Chisholm Trail cattle drives. West of downtown along the Arkansas River, visitors can pair a visit with Exploration Place, the Old Cowtown living history museum, and the Keeper of the Plains statue.
Where to Stay
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Rent a Car
Most heritage railroads sit well off the interstate. Picking up a rental at the nearest airport is usually the easiest way in.
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Book tours & activities nearby
Pre-book guided tours and things to do around the area.
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