Transportation Junkie

On Friday, I went to DC.  I ventured over to the Navy Yard to wait for my sister to get done with work for the day.  Carrying my baggage, I didn't want to just walk all over the place so I decided instead to do a slow, leisurely tour around the building for the Department of Transportation on some nice little thing called the Transportation Walk.  If you started at the correct part of the building, you were able to review the entire history of transportation in America.  I didn't start at the correct place.

Also, while looking at various models, people kept staring at me and business men walking by usually almost ran into me so I'm guessing this is not normally a tourist spot.

In any case, it was exactly my kind of exhibit - ships, trains, planes and automobiles.

Here's a few things I learned:

Bicycle infantries - it's a real thing.
Ship wheels are fairly recent inventions (circa 1700) (I should have known this)
Sperry invented the gyroscope.  (Well, he was the American to do so.  Apparently a German patented one first)
Pullman porters created their own union called the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.  I had heard of Pullman cars and Pullman porters but I didn't realize the power struggle between them.  Kind of interesting actually.

Can you recognize these airplanes?  (I couldn't)

I should not be surprised that Monticello made an appearance

This map is hard to see but it shows Jacksonville, IL

Landing gear for an airplane.