The United States has been shaped by multiple forms of transportation. That legacy is evident in Tucson, where everything from horses and buggies to electric trolleys and cars has rolled through the area since its establishment as a Spanish presidio in 1775.
Now, six local transportation museums have come together to create the Tucson Transportation Museum Trail, putting a spotlight on that long history.
The trail includes the Tucson Auto Museum, Rolling Thru Time Auto Museum, Southern Arizona Transportation Museum, Old Pueblo Trolley Museum, Franklin Auto Museum and Tucson Wagon and History Museum.
A 1929 Duesenberg Model J is on display at the Tucson Auto Museum.
A flyer available at each museum allows visitors to collect stamps at each stop on the trail. When someone gets at least four stamps, they receive a commemorative enamel pin proclaiming they have conquered the trail, said Dave Johnson, executive director of the Tucson Auto Museum.
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The trail was designed to raise awareness of the many local museums chronicling this history, he said.
“I get people in here every day that say, ‘Wow, I didn’t realize that Tucson had a car museum,’” he said. “Their minds are just blown away.”
Each museum gives people a chance to see part of what he calls “wheeled transportation” from the earliest wagons to the most modern supercars.
A 1948 Kurtis-Omohundro Comet, one of only two ever built, sits proudly on the Tucson Auto Museum’s turntable.
On the transportation trail
Each museum on the trail brings something different to visitors.
The Old Pueblo Trolley Museum in South Tucson showcases Tucson’s former downtown trolley system
“For the general public, they get a chance to see what we had here many years ago,” said Mark Hart, 92, who co-founded the museum. “It’s nice that the younger generation and the whole world really can come to see this.”
The museum includes several historic trolley cars and buses that were once commonplace in Tucson.
Kyoto City Transit Bureau streetcar 869, which used to run on Tucson’s Fourth avenue from 1993 to 2011, sits on display at the Old Pueblo Trolley Museum.
He says preserving the equipment is important for future generations.
People from around the world have come to the museum to admire the collection, he said, and it helps introduce younger generations to how things were when streetcars ran.
Tucson’s Rolling Thru Time Auto Museum is also on the trail and showcases several classic cars from the 1960s and 1970s. The museum also has a dedicated section of fire trucks and ambulances from throughout the last century.
A 1918 Center-Door Model T sits on display at the Rolling Thru Time museum.
Preserving historic cars and fire trucks showcases how automotive equipment worked in what seemed like a simpler time, said Joe Findysz, owner of the museum.
“It keeps the history of automobiles in Tucson alive,” he said. “A lot of our exhibits are centered around Tucson.”
A majority of the items in the collection are classic Ford products, including Shelbys, Mustangs, Model Ts and Model As.
Findysz said he wanted his museum to be part of the trail because it gives the public a chance to see a wide variety of historic Tucson transportation.
Exploring the trail
Visitors interested in touring the transportation trail can pick up a flyer at any of the six participating museums. It includes a map of each museum’s location, contact details and hours, and a brief description of each museum’s part in Tucson’s transportation heritage.
Two of the museums on the trail, the Franklin Auto Museum and the Tucson Wagon and History Museum, are closed during the summer months.
Transportation Trail museums:
Tucson Auto Museum: 4825 N. Sabino Canyon Road. (520) 207-5715. Open Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tucson Wagon and History Museum: 4823 S. Sixth Ave. (520) 294-1280. Open seasonally, Dec. 4-April 4, 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Franklin Auto Museum: 1405 E. Kleindale Road. (520) 326-8038. Open Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Will close for the summer starting April 26.
Rolling Thru Time Auto Museum: 2750 S. Park Ave. (520) 372-2160. Open Thursday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Old Pueblo Trolley: 250 E. 36th Street. (520) 792-1802. Open Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Southern Arizona Transportation Museum: 414 N. Toole Ave. (520) 623-2223. Open Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This graphic shows the museums included in the Tucson Transportation Museum Trail and includes a map.
Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.
