Imagine having that dream garage full of historic vehicles that have flown, soared, chugged and sped into the record books.
Until you build your own, there's the Museum's Transportation Gallery.
The first train to hit 100 miles per hour. The gondola that held the first humans to reach the stratosphere. An exacting 1903 Wright Flyer replica that itself took flight a century later. A Boeing 727 that sailed Lake Michigan and crossed Lake Shore Drive (now DuSable Lake Shore Drive) to land inside MSI. These are just a few among this vibrant array of vehicles that still look just moments away from takeoff.
Up, Up and/or Away
Climb aboard the 999 Steam Locomotive, holder of the land speed record for a decade. In a flight formation above you is an all-star lineup of early aviation, from the barnstorming "Jenny" biplane to the lethal WWII Stuka dive-bomber, only one of two left today. Board the genuine Boeing 727 on the Museum's balcony and learn about aviation technology from the inside out. Everywhere you look, there's another era of air and land travel to explore.
to try out the virtual ride and flight simulators.
More than record breakers, these inventions embody the human need for motion.
Vehicles in the gallery have drawn crowds at the 1893 Columbian Exposition, the 1933 Century of Progress World’s Fair and, of course, for decades at the Museum. What attracts us to inventions that move us faster, further, higher? The vehicle itself or its ability to take us places at our will?
You could consider this on your trip through transportation history … or you might just simply enjoy the ride.
Official airline of MSI
