National Museum of Transportation near Kirkwood in St. Louis County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis #318
1926
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 22, 2019
1. Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis #318 Marker
Inscription.
Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis #318. . This eight-wheel (0-8-0), heavy steam switcher was "home-built" at the TRRA's Brooklyn, IL, shops. It was the first steam locomotive ever built with a one-piece, solid cast steel locomotive bed, which included its cylinders with the frame and pilot beam. This most intricate and difficult casting was made by the Commonwealth Steel Company (later General Steel Castings) of Granite City, IL. Its success lead to this type of locomotive bed being used on nearly every modern steam locomotive. It was one of the principal design developments of the 20th century steam locomotive, replacing as many as 400 parts bolted and riveted together in cast steel tank bottom, with welded sides and bracing. The locomotive has 52" drive wheels, 26" x 28" cylinders, weighed 209.5 tons in working order, and its boiler worked at 200 pounds pressure. Engine and tender are 53' 6½" long. IT was purchased from the railroad and donated by the General Steel Castings Foundation in 1956.
This eight-wheel (0-8-0), heavy steam switcher was "home-built" at the TRRA's Brooklyn, IL, shops. It was the first steam locomotive ever built with a one-piece, solid cast steel locomotive bed, which included its cylinders with the frame and pilot beam. This most intricate and difficult casting was made by the Commonwealth Steel Company (later General Steel Castings) of Granite City, IL. Its success lead to this type of locomotive bed being used on nearly every modern steam locomotive. It was one of the principal design developments of the 20th century steam locomotive, replacing as many as 400 parts bolted and riveted together in cast steel tank bottom, with welded sides and bracing. The locomotive has 52" drive wheels, 26" x 28" cylinders, weighed 209.5 tons in working order, and its boiler worked at 200 pounds pressure. Engine and tender are 53' 6½" long. IT was purchased from the railroad and donated by the General Steel Castings Foundation in 1956.
Erected 2013 by Museum of Transportation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1956.
Location. 38° 34.299′ N,
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90° 27.66′ W. Marker is near Kirkwood, Missouri, in St. Louis County. It is in National Museum of Transportation. It can be reached from Barrett Station Road east of Old Dougherty Ferry Road, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3015 Barrett Station Road, Saint Louis MO 63122, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater St. Louis. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, in the Corn Belt, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Antebellum South.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 8, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 28, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 336 times since then and 38 times this year. Last updated on June 4, 2026, by Garrett Koch of Saint Louis, Missouri. Photos:1, 2. submitted on April 28, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
