The Dispatcher February 2020

Dear ORM Members,

Spring has arrived at the museum, and we cant wait for our regular season to begin!Please contact our volunteer coordinator, Amanda at [email protected], if you would like to volunteer for up coming events.

We would love to have someone volunteer to be the newsletter editor; (again, please contact Amanda if you are interested)

If you have any questions or would like to submit articles please contact us at [email protected].

Upcoming Events

1. GCOR Training March 14th, 2020

9:00am-4:00pm

2. Annual Member's Meeting March 28th, 2020 The Reed Center in Midwest City,

5800 Will Rogers Rd, Midwest City, OK 73110

6:00pm Dinner 7:00pm Meeting $15 per Person 3. March Board Meeting March 24th, 2020

4. OKC Model Railroad Expo March 27th-29th, 2020

We need volunteers for all 3 days

5. First Train Run of The Regular Season April 4th We need Car Hosts and Flaggers

6. Easter Train April 11th, 2020 We need Car Hosts and Flaggers Volunteer News

Museum Board elections take place 3/28/2020 at the Annual Member's Meeting.

This year we will be voting for Board Vice President and four Trustees. The nominees are:

Vice President: Greg Hall (nominated) Trustee 1: Bob Hussey (standing for reelection) Trustee 2: Nat Lawson (standing for reelection) Trustee 3: Bob Nantois (nominated) Trustee 4: Jim Hackworth (nominated)

Also, remember that we have to have a head count for the meeting. Please reserve your tickets as soon as possible! Links Below.

6:00 PM Meeting with Dinner

7:00 Meeting Only

Happenings

On February 15th, 2020, Anne Chilton spoke at The Daughters of the American Revolution's George Washington Luncheon, about the 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad.

She spoke to everyone about the impact of the railroad on Oklahoma and the country as a whole.

She also used to opportunity to spread the word about the museum to an all new audience! Board Report and Education

Museum Update By Drake Rice

Work continues to progress in the shop. Engine 4649 is being prepped to paint from US Army to Milwaukee Road colors. We are checking off all the mechanical items that were on the Polar Express operations list, and the project is being led by Eric Dilbeck. The other engine in the shop is receiving a cleaning and preparation for painting by Justin Riehm. The 25-ton MKT engine #400 will be painted back in Katy colors. As the weather warms, the painting work will begin.

Also in the shop, work continues removing the old catwalk bolts to allow the installation of the new boards. Thanks to Charles Price, the catwalk boards have all been primed and painted for installation. We look forward to getting this completed and the final painting of logo’s and the ATSF system along with the car number, and other data. Tom Harrison has spent a lot of time working on the doors and order boards of the box car.

The Frisco wooden caboose has been getting a lot of attention in the shop with lots of scraping and preparation for painting and roof repairs. Bob Nantois has spent hours along with Steve Kamm and others in moving this project forward.

Work continues on the new siding off Main #2 going north. The switch has been installed and this time, so preparations will be made for the future installation of the remaining 200 feet of track. The track work in the museum yard should be done in March, Guy Lynn and Greg Hall inspected the switches and found nine ties that needed to be replaced. The museum has purchased a truck load of 85lb rail for use on the museum line. Some is for the siding and the rest for the interconnect with the Union Pacific at Ekroat Seed Company.

Tony Chamblin has been repairing the brick sidewalk on the southside of the yard office. He has removed the bricks and is repairing the base to get the walk level and then will be reinstalling the brick. A small group of volunteers traveled to Muskogee in February to continue work preparing two locomotives to be moved to the museum. They are both high nose engines, a GP7 and GP10. They have been donated to the museum. The work crew was Eric Dilbeck, Guy Lynn, David Townsend and Drake Rice. They were able to get a set and release after working on the brakes. There will be another work detail back to Muskogee to reinstall some repaired parts to ensure the engines are ready to move. If you haven’t been in the shop, some nice improvements have been made, thanks to Natalie Lawson. Tools are easier to locate, and we have nice cabinets made for them. Now if everyone will please put them back when finished, it will be a big help! Museum Update continued By Drake Rice

We could use some volunteers in getting some painting on our buildings addressed this year. We have the Yard Office and Depot. In addition, we would like to get started on the LeFlore Depot. If you would like to be involved in any of these projects please let Amanda Resnick at the museum and let her know. As always, your museum enjoys members getting involved.

Motor Car Run on WT&J

The WT&J will allow ORM to conduct a motor car run on Saturday, May 9th out of Grandfield, OK to Altus and return. More details will be posted on the museum website soon.

Articles

Train History: The Great Locomotive Chase

by: Amanda Resnick

At the start of the Civil War, the South had far fewer rail-lines than the North. Most southern railways ran in short treks from cotton sources to the nearest waterway. When the Civil War began, the Union quickly set up blockades of ports on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. Long-distance travel became difficult, in the South. Southern railways soon fell into disrepair. Many railway workers fled to the North when war broke out, and most railway supplies and fuel were produced in the North. They simply did not have the supplies or man-power to maintain their railroads. The Confederates also lost track and locomotives to accidents and Union sabotage. By 1863, 25% of southern locomotives needed repair and the average speed of train travel was 10 miles an hour, down from 25 mph in 1861.

The Great Locomotive Chase, also called the Andrews’ Raid, took place on April 12, 1862 in Northern

Georgia. The Union forces needed to take Chattanooga, TN, in order to cut communication between the western Confederacy and the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys. Civilian Scout, James J.

Andrews, proposed a plan to steal a locomotive and destroy tracks, bridges, and telegraph wires on their way north to Chattanooga. Train History: The Great Locomotive Chase continued

This would stop troops coming from Atlanta, when Union troops attacked in Tennessee. Andrews and 20 Union volunteers stole the locomotive General and three box cars, while the train was stopped for breakfast in Kennesaw, GA. The stolen train’s conductor, William Allen Fuller, along with two other men, pursued the General, first on foot and then on a hand car.

As they were pursued, Andrews’ men were unable to tear up much track or burn bridges but did manage to cut telegraph lines. They were delayed at the junction town of Kingston, GA, by southbound trains with right of way. They narrowly escaped Fuller, who arrived moments after they left.

Fuller commandeered the locomotive William R. Smith, just north of Kingston. He was stopped again south of Adairsville, GA by broken track, and again pursed the General on foot. Beyond the damaged section, he took command of the southbound locomotive Texas, running it tender-fist after the General.

The Andrews' Raiders continued North, cutting telegraph wire but failing to burn bridges due to rain.

The chase came to an end outside of Ringgold, GA, when the General ran out of fuel, and the raiders fled on foot. Andrews and all his men were captured. They were all charged with unlawful belligerency and espionage. Andrews and seven of his men were executed. Of the remaining men, eight successfully escaped and six were exchanged for Confederate prisoners on March 17, 1863.

Later, most of the raiders were awarded Medals of Honor. Andrews, as a civilian, was not eligible.

The Great Locomotive Chase has several monuments, including historically markers at the start and end of the chase. The General is on display at The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, GA. At ORM, we have a 1/25th scale model on display in the gift shop, built by John Holbird. Oklahoma Daughters of the American Revolution George Washington Luncheon

Anne Chilton giving presentation on transcontinental railroad to DAR Work continues on the new track.

Donation box

Brick donations, tie donation, support, giving, planned giving, capital campaign

https://www.oklahomarailwaymuseum.org/donate/

Return Service Requested

The Dispatcher Timetable Oklahoma Railway Museum (ORM) - Open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM Closed on major holidays. ORM Train Rides - First and third Saturdays, April through August at 9:15 AM, 11:15 AM, 1:15 PM and 3:15 PM ORM Board Meetings - Last Thursday of every month at Oklahoma Railway Museum - 7:00 PM Oklahoma “N” Rail - For information call Rick Inselman (405) 412-1552 Oklahoma Model Railroad Association - For information contact Phil Howell via email [email protected] Central Oklahoma Garden Railroad Society Contact information: Steve Lemcke (405) 703-0209 e-mail [email protected] Marshall Douglas (405) 290-8989 Steve Kamm (405) 685-3755 email [email protected] Passenger Rail Oklahoma - Passenger Rail Oklahoma volunteers provide Amtrak depot hosting for the Hartland Flyer in City of Norman, OK most evenings, holidays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The depot opens at 7:50 AM. Contact Evan Stair at [email protected], www.passengerrailok.org, or (405) 366-8957. Depot volunteer opportunities are available. Oklahoma S.W. Division NMRA - 2nd Saturday of each month, 1:00 PM, Goldman Room, Kirkpatrick Center, Jim Heidon, President Yukon’s Best Railroad Museum - Thursday/Saturday/Sunday and by appointment. Located 1 block north of Main and UP tracks in Yukon. Call John Knuppel, (405) 354-5079, for times and information. Waynoka Station/Waynoka Historical Society - 202 South Cleveland, Waynoka, (580) 824-1886. If you can help, call Sandie Olson. Corrections Any changes to the above information or articles in “the Dispatcher” should be directed to the editor, at [email protected]. For information on upcoming programs contact Anne Chilton at [email protected].