The U.S. Army Transportation Museum is the only museum dedicated to preserving the history of U.S. Army Transportation.

The story of the Army's Transportation Corps, from horse-drawn wagons of the Revolutionary War to armored vehicles and unit movements being planned in the modern world is all told through the use of artifacts, images, and dioramas.

The U.S. Army Transportation Museum includes just over 7,000 artifacts including over 135 military vehicles on display. The exhibits, artifacts and vehicles combine to tell the profound story of how the US Army has move to and from the sounds of the guns for over 250 years. Come visit us to learn more about how the role and mission of Transportation in the U.S. Army has helped shape the history of America.

Our history will move you, just as it has moved the U.S. Army for hundreds of years.

Notice: Beginning October 01, 2024, and continuing to at least January 2025, the museum will no longer offer staff-guided tours to the public due to a staff shortage. Groups are still welcome to visit and self-guide to learn more about the history of the U.S. Army Transportation Corps. Guided tours and other programs will still be offered to military groups.

Access to The Museum

Transportation Museum is open to everyone with base access. All individuals, aged 16 and above, must present valid identification upon entry to the base. All non-DoD personnel aged 18 and above will undergo a criminal history check using VCIN/NCIC to obtain base access. Reference https://www.jble.af.mil/Home/Base-Access/ for additional details.

Foreign visitors please call the museum (757) 878-1115 to pre-arrange a visit since there are additional requirements and with a minimum of 45 days to process.

The Museum is handicapped accessible. Concrete sidewalks lead to most of the outdoor displays.

Visit our Contact page for directions to the Transportation Museum.

Hours of Operation

Gallery Hours:

Tuesday - Saturday

9:00AM - 4:30PM

Closed: Sunday - Monday

Admissions and Parking

Admission and Parking are always FREE at the Museum. We have plenty of excellent parking and can accommodate RVs, trailers and buses.

Tours

Tours will not be available after October 01, 2024

The Transportation Museum offers guided tours of the museum for groups of 10 or more. Tours are always FREE of charge. The tour will last approximately 1.5 hours and will be led by an experienced staff member or volunteer. Reservations must be made at least TWO WEEKS IN ADVANCE to ensure staff availability. For more information or to make a tour reservation, please call (757) 878-1115

Exhibits

The history of Army Transportation is far deeper than the just the history of the Transportation Corps. During every conflict the U.S. Army has had to acquire transportation, determine what routes to use and coordinated with a variety of the specialty fields to ensure the Army could stay in the fight. The museum exhibits display hundreds unique artifacts, accompanied by photos, archival materials and background information to tell the amazing story of Transportation in the U.S. Army.

Colonial Era Transportation
Colonial Era Transportation

Colonial America was primarily agricultural and there were no major roads. The easiest way to travel from one colony to another was by sea, while the highways of the day were the rivers. Roads were few and in poor condition often impacted by weather.

Civil War Transportation
Civil War Transportation

Not much changed in military transportation until the massive U.S. Civil War tore the nation apart. Soon militaries on both sides were developing strategic military transportation networks and utilizing a combination of the traditional and modern technologies of the time.

Overseas Endeavors
Overseas Endeavors

The Spanish American War would be America’s first effort to deploy and support troops outside of American shores. The experience networks utilized during the American Civil War had been lost in the post conflict return to peace, which would prove a costly mistake.

World War I
World War I

This was a time of innovation with the creation of the Army Transport Service (ATS) and the Motor Transport Corps (MTC), the era of the horse drawn wagon being replaced by trucks such as the Liberty Standard B, the first government spec vehicle.
Photo of the 1st trans-continental motor convoy of 1919.
Inter-War Years (1919-1940)

Following the armistice, the new Army Transportation Corps worked to return the Army Expeditionary Force to the United States.

World War II
World War II

The exhibit of the World War II global operations of the U.S. Army Transportation Corps mission from North Africa, Mediterranean, Europe, Pacific Theaters, and the Home Front.

An M38A1 on display at the U.S. Army Transportation Museum.
Korean War

The Korean War or Korean UN Police Action would bring the Transportation Corps back to heavy involvement in the Pacific region.

The Cold War didn’t decrease the Army’s transportation needs, but only expanded them.
Cold War

The Cold War didn’t decrease the Army’s transportation needs, but only expanded them.
Combat Readiness Demonstration of the Rocket Belt at McKellar’s Pond on Ft. Bragg, NC in 1961. The Rocket belt is being launched from a LARC XV 3X in preparation for a demonstration to President Kennedy. The original Army rocket belt is on display at the U.S. Transportation Museum.
Army Transportation Experimental Vehicles

The unique needs of military transportation have driven the development of many of the vehicles and system that we still use today.
Viet Nam War
Vietnam War

The war in Vietnam would see the Transportation Corps again expanding its efforts in the Pacific.

Image of OCS Candidates helping each other.
Transportation Corps Army Officer Candidate School (OCS)

At the height of the Vietnam War, the U.S. Army couldn’t train enough officers for rapid deployment.
Earthquake Relief : Peruvian Soldiers guard relief supplies brought in by US Army UH-1Ds in June of 1970. Part of the research collection of the U.S. Army Transportation Museum.
Global Contingencies

The Transportation needs of the Army don’t only happen during major conflicts, but also during other global contingency operations.

The Desert Shield/Desert Storm exhibit at the U.S. Army Transportation Museum.
Desert Shield/Storm/Farewell

The redeployment of U.S. Forces would be named Operation Desert Farewell, with the Transportation Corps working to return the remaining forces back to Europe or the United States.
Global War on Terrorism
Global War on Terrorism

Learn about the United States Army Transportation Corps' involvement in the War on Terrorism. See how advancing technology, from the HMMWV to the MRAP, protects our Soldiers on today's battlefield.

Aviation Pavilion
Aviation Pavilion

The Aviation Pavilion tells the story of aviation development in the Army through helicopters, airplanes, and experimental craft.
Marine Park
Marine Park

The Marine Park includes landing craft, tugboats, patrol boats, and amphibious craft.

Rail Pavilion
Rail Pavilion

The museum Rail Pavilion is an outdoor exhibit space housing over 35 of our collection of Trains and Heavy Equipment Transporters.

Truck Pavilion
Truck Pavilion

In one glance you can trace the development of the Army Jeep from World War II through Viet Nam.

Plan Your Visit

The U.S. Army Transportation Museum is free and open to the American public, who can access Joint Base Langley-Eustis (JBLE) with a valid state or national Identification (driver’s license, passport, etc). To learn more about entering JBLE please visit the JBLE Visitor Center [link – same as entry page]

We recommend at least two hours for a basic visit to the museum. We have 24,000 square feet of interior galleries and four additional outdoor areas to explore, the majority under roof. The museum main galleries and most of the outdoor displays are wheelchair accessible. There are lots of free parking at the Museum.

We are family friendly establishment, and our large number of vehicles and life-size dioramas engage and delight visitors of all ages, military or civilian.

The exhibits span the history of transportation in the U.S. Army, beginning with the Continental Army in 1775 and continuing through to the present date. The Museum is designed to be self-guided, but tours are available for groups of 10 or more which will focus on specific areas of the collection. Tours can be requested here [link to museum tour portion on main page]

The Museum does not have a café or restaurant on-site. Food and drinks are not allowed in the gallery spaces to help us preserve the artifacts. We do not have audio or smartphone based tours.

People entering into the TC Museum.

For more information.

Fun Facts

Artifact of the Month: September 2024
Artifact of the Month: October 2024

The 5-Ton M818 Tractor

The M818 Tractor was developed from the M809 family of 5-ton trucks first introduced in 1970. Check out October's featured article to learn more about the M818 Tractor!

Regimental Room image
Reservation Polices

The museum facilities maybe requested and reserved by public groups for official meeting or briefings. We define OFFICIAL as US Military Command Sponsored, requiring mandatory attendance. These include change of command, NCO/Officer development programs, graduations, military symposiums, official government promotions, safety seminars, and other mandatory events. Official functions receive use of space without fees.
Gen. McArthur walking with his staff. Click on the audio file to hear the lecture by Chris Kolakowski.
Media

MacArthur As A Military Leader Lecture by: Chris Kolakowski

Gen. Frank S. Besson Jr.
General Frank S. Besson Jr.

Frank Schaffer Besson, Jr. was born on May 30, 1910 in Detroit Michigan to father, Frank Schaffer Besson and mother, Virginia Koehler Besson.

In 1940, First Lieutenant Besson was assigned to the Engineer Board at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, where he developed new equipment for the support of combat operations. One of his developments was the Pierced Steel Planking (PSP).

Research

Notice Please note that there may be delays on research requests after October 01, 2024 due to a staffing shortage. They will be addressed in as timely a manner as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

The U.S. Army Transportation Museum is not the sole repository of material on the U.S. Army Transportation Corps. There are numerous other archives holding material with connections to the U.S. Army transportation Corps, equipment, and Soldiers. For more infomation.

Four mule Wagon, at City Point, Virginia in 1864, 4during the Civil War.