About the Museum > Museum History
Museum History
Since 2008, the Transportation Museum has been a unique, one-day event for toddlers, adults, and everyone in between. Each year, visitors are treated to interactive and educational exhibits related to all kinds of transportation, from the Transcontinental Railroad and projects to solve Bay Area traffic to programming miniature robots and solving an Amtrak-themed escape room.
Museum History
As a young child, museum director Andrew Mancini loved transportation of all kinds, especially trains. In fact, at the age of five, he had memorized all of the stations on the CalTrain line and knew all of the train engine numbers.
As a way to share his love for, and knowledge of, transportation with friends, family, and neighbors, Andrew created The Transportation Museum at the age of five. The museum, like those in subsequent years, occurred on a single day during the summer at Andrew's house. Early exhibits included displays of the schedules of every Bay Area transit route, organized on the family sofa; learning about the R.M.S. Titanic by allowing guests to send their own Morse code messages; and slot car racing at the "Grapefruit 500," a track set up on the cover of the hot tub in Andrew's backyard.
In 2013, Andrew wrote hand-written, personalized letters to transit agencies in the 40 largest cities in the U.S. and each transit agency in California and Nevada. Over 75 percent of these organizations wrote back, sending in not just the schedules and maps that were requested, but also fun items — chapstick, Yo-Yo toys, and rain ponchos — branded with their logo, forming the foundation of what is today the museum collection.
About the Museum > Museum History
About the Museum > Frequently Asked Questions
Museum History
Frequently Asked Questions
We'll admit that The Transportation Museum isn't your typical museum! It's a one-day event held annually featuring interactive and educational exhibits related to all kinds of transportation, from historical displays (like the Pony Express or the Transcontinental Railroad) to those looking toward the future (solving Bay Area traffic and traveling to Mars). If it's your first time visiting the museum or you're interested in a refresher on what to expect, read answers to common guest questions.
What are the exhibits like?
Each of the museum exhibits are different, but each year's museum brings between 10 to 12 brand-new exhibits to the public. Each exhibit combines both educational components and interactive activities, so every display can be enjoyed by both kids and adults. For example, in the Float Your Boat exhibit at the museum in 2016, guests learned the science behind how boats float and discovered what buoyancy and water displacement is. Then, guests worked to build a boat out of LEGOs that could carry cargo containers while remaining afloat. In an exhibit at the museum in 2019, visitors programmed miniature robots through a San Francisco-themed obstacle course to learn, hands-on, how self-driving cars function. These two exhibits are just a couple of examples of the educational and interactive combination present at each of the museum's displays.
Since 2008, the Transportation Museum has been a unique, one-day event for toddlers, adults, and everyone in between. Each year, visitors are treated to interactive and educational exhibits related to all kinds of transportation, from the Transcontinental Railroad and projects to solve Bay Area traffic to programming miniature robots and solving an Amtrak-themed escape room.
Museum History
As a young child, museum director Andrew Mancini loved transportation of all kinds, especially trains. In fact, at the age of five, he had memorized all of the stations on the CalTrain line and knew all of the train engine numbers.
As a way to share his love for, and knowledge of, transportation with friends, family, and neighbors, Andrew created The Transportation Museum at the age of five. The museum, like those in subsequent years, occurred on a single day during the summer at Andrew's house. Early exhibits included displays of the schedules of every Bay Area transit route, organized on the family sofa; learning about the R.M.S. Titanic by allowing guests to send their own Morse code messages; and slot car racing at the "Grapefruit 500," a track set up on the cover of the hot tub in Andrew's backyard.
In 2013, Andrew wrote hand-written, personalized letters to transit agencies in the 40 largest cities in the U.S. and each transit agency in California and Nevada. Over 75 percent of these organizations wrote back, sending in not just the schedules and maps that were requested, but also fun items — chapstick, Yo-Yo toys, and rain ponchos — branded with their logo, forming the foundation of what is today the museum collection.
Current Events > Transit News
This page is best viewed on a desktop computer or laptop. Sorry for the inconvenience! However, here's one of our recent featured articles.
Transit News
The museum may only be open one day a year, but our updated Transit News allows transportation fans to learn about transit all year long! You'll find everything from current events to interesting stories here. Find a story that interests you and then click the link to learn more.
TRAVEL • JULY 13, 2018
The Placer County Board of Supervisors has approved preliminary measures for funding a few on-demand shuttles to serve visitors to the Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows resorts. The goal is to reduce traffic in the North Lake Tahoe area. See more in a Sacramento Business Journal article >
LOCAL TRANSIT • JULY 12, 2018
Bikes to be rolled out along Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit stations and destinations
The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit, which opened in Summer 2017, will receive $824,000 from the Bay Area's transit planning agency, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. This money will fund the purchase and maintenance of 200 bikes, to be placed at stations along the rail line and in major city destinations, with the goal of helping commuters reach their homes or workplaces just a short distance from the train station. Read more in
LOCAL TRANSIT • JULY 10, 2018
San Francisco's new "Transbay Terminal" set to open on August 12, 2018
After 8 years of construction and over 17 years of planning, San Francisco's Transbay Terminal (now branded the Salesforce Transit Center) has set an opening date for all of its 11 transit bus agencies: Sunday, August 12. The day before, there will be an afternoon block party to allow visitors to explore the building, which spans more than 1 million square feet, from top to bottom. View pictures of the former Transbay Terminal >
TRAVEL • JULY 8, 2018
China's high-speed trains will soon have WiFi, other services
On Thursday, July 5, 2018, China Railway Investment Company, Ltd. and two other companies announced a plan to offer WiFi connection, entertainment and leisure services, news and information, online shopping, and other "smart services" on China's high-speed trains. Read an Xinhuanet article >
TRANSIT ODDITIES • JULY 6, 2018
Washington, D.C. will soon have the first "articulated" electric buses in the U.S.
The Metro, the District of Columbia's public transit agency, has purchased 80 new electric buses from the company New Flyer of America, Inc. These buses will be articulated—measuring in at 60 feet long—and will be the first electric articulated buses in the entire nation. This move cuts fuel costs and decreases emissions for the transit agency. Read more in The Minneapolis StarTribune >
CURRENT EVENTS • JULY 5, 2018
Transportation researchers find 3 important benefits of real-time transit data
A study done by two transportation researchers found significant benefits of transportation agencies using real-time transit data. (For example, this could be an app or electronic signs at stations that show when the next bus, subway, or train is arriving, or where they are currently.) The benefits include reduced wait times, reduced travel time, and increased usage of public transit. Learn more in an interview conducted by GreenBiz >
TRAVEL • JULY 4, 2018
During one of the busiest times of the year, Ryanair pilots have announced that they plan a 24-hour strike, beginning at 1 a.m. on July 12, citing issues of seniority, annual leave arrangements, and Ryanair's practice of transferring pilots from Europe and Africa. Read more in an Express article >
TRANSIT ODDITIES • JULY 3, 2018
New York City transit rolling out new website, app
In addition to redesigning its website, MTA (New York City's public transit) released an app, called myMTA, that gives riders real-time updates on transit schedules, and information to help them plan their journey. By 2019, riders will be able to purchase bus and subway tickets through the app, as well. Learn more in a Wall Street Journal article >
HIGH-SPEED RAIL • JULY 2, 2018
High-Speed Rail may focus money, efforts on Central Valley route
Realizing that the cost and time to build the High-Speed Rail is increased from past estimates (learn more in this Transportation Museum exhibit), the authority's CEO Brian Kelly has a new preference: until money is available to connect the Central Valley to Gilroy, through tunnels, the authority should focus on establishing a temporary train in the Valley. Read more in The Fresno Bee >