The Dispatcher

Volume 52 Issue 4 April 2017 Central Oklahoma Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society Oklahoma Railway Museum, Ltd.

NARCOA Affiliate Member

ORM Announces Oral History Project By Steve Kamm The Oklahoma Railway Museum is pleased to announce a new Oral History Project. According to the background which accompanies our mission statement, “…the museum will tell the stories of the people whose lives were changed by the railroads. From those who rode the railroad to a new life in a raw new territory, to those who worked the rails, there are many memories to be preserved. Those stories must be captured while the people who lived them can tell them.” Video recordings will be made of interviews with current and former railroad employees--with special emphasis on the Oklahoma connection. Mr. William “Bill” Welge will conduct the interviews and make the recordings. Bill, who recently retired from the Oklahoma History Center, is a Certified Archivist. He is also the President of the Oklahoma City/County Historical Society. Bill is well experienced, having conducted oral history interviews with Native American tribal elders, oil field and timber industry workers, and a host of others. He promises to make the experience easy and pleasurable! Interviews will be conducted either at the Oklahoma Railway Museum or the home of the interviewee. Bill limits interviews to about two hours. If more time is needed, a second session is scheduled. Video copies of the interviews will be kept at the Museum. In the second phase of this project, we will be recording interviews with current and former Museum members— those who might not have been employed by the railroads but who have extensive and important information about the history of the Museum. We are requesting that anyone willing to be interviewed (Please don’t be nervous: it’s easy!) to contact either Anne Murray Chilton ([email protected]) or Steve Kamm (stevek@oklahomarailwaymuseum. org). You may also nominate others who have extensive knowledge of Oklahoma railroads. The following information is required to set up an interview: your name, contact information (telephone/email), the name of the railroad(s) on which you worked, the date(s) of your service, and your job title(s). Please, please, avail yourself of this opportunity to be a video “star.” More importantly, your knowledge and experiences must be preserved for future generations!

In This Issue Oral History Project 1 Conductor Dilbeck President’s Message 2 assists children Museum Update 3 with our sector GiveSmartOKC 4 plate switching Preston George 5 layout at the OKC Ramblin’ Rails 6 Philharmonic Education Update 7 Discovery Family Board Update 8 Series concert Around the Grounds 9 pre-event. Current Projects 11 Timetable 12 Page 2 The Dispatcher The Oklahoma Railway Museum’s mission is to provide an educational experience of railroads and how they shaped Oklahoma and the Nation. The President’s Column Oklahoma Railway Drake and I attended Oklahoma City Philharmonic’s Discovery Family Museum, Ltd. Series preconcert event on March 26th. This was a great event for (405) 424-8222 the museum to interact with the public. We took the G scale switching layout that Steve Kamm made to the event. As soon as the doors Board of Directors were open, we had a line of excited kids at our table. They were lined Eric Dilbeck, President up to try their hand at switching, or assembling and disassembling a Bob Nantois, Vice President and train. We had plenty of flyers to hand out and showed a video of the many activities Program Chair Drake Rice, Secretary at the museum. Drake met Vladimir Kulenovic a conductor from Russia. After a Charles Price, Treasurer few inquiries from Drake on what railroad he worked on, Drake realized he was a Craig Larson, NRHS Director music conductor. Vladimir was so excited to meet a train conductor, he had to have Bob Cossairt, Director of his picture taken with Drake (look for a picture later in the newsletter.) Museum Grounds & Facilities On April 10th, 2017 we have another great event that the museum is attending. Bob Hussey, Director of The Oklahoma History Center has asked us to partner with them on the Preston Track Maintenance George exhibit opening. We will have a table setup during the opening reception at Terry Birchett, Director of the history center. It is open to the public and is a great opportunity for us to expose Mechanical Operations our museum to railroad and non-railroad enthusiasts. Harry Currie, Director at Large Greg Hall, Director of Both events are great ways the Oklahoma Railway Museum can raise our visibility. Museum Activities We also are getting more coverage within the railroad publications online and Bob Cook, Director of in print. Just this year we will have articles in Trains, Railfan and Railroad, and Museum Displays the National Railway Historical Society newsletter to name a few. This increased visibility will ultimately help our museum grow. By involving the Oklahoma Railway Ed Birch Jr., Train Show Chair Museum in these events, we can show our visitors and potential donors that we are a valuable partner to our community. Anne Murray-Chilton, Membership Chair See you on the rails! Eric Dilbeck, Eric Dilbeck Interim Dispatcher Editor

Steam Engine to Return! We once again welcome John and Barny Gramling back to our museum. They are bringing Lehigh Valley Coal Company 126, an 0-6-0 saddle tank engine. It is scheduled to pull Oklahoma Railway Museum’s Halloween Train. We will have “at-the-throttle” opportunities. Stay tuned for more information. The Dispatcher Page 3

Museum Update By Drake Rice During the month of March, there has been a lot of work going on behind the scenes that will be noticed in the months ahead. First, the much anticipated move of the old Frisco Turntable from the old Frisco North Yard will take place soon. The museum received several quotes and accepted one to undertake this big project. The turntable should be on the museum grounds by mid-April. A major fund raising effort is underway to help obtain funding for this project since it will take a lot of work and money to have it installed and back in operation. We appreciate the BNSF Railway for the donation back in 1995 and today the Stillwater Central Railway for their assistance in getting it moved. You can read more about the turntable in last month’s issue of The Dispatcher. Another improvement is the new parking lot that was completed. Now the museum can determine the best use of the existing parking lot area such as a picnic area or for restroom facilities. Watch for updates on this. The City of Altus recently donated some signals to the museum that were on highway 62 and were no longer needed. They will be stored until we can use them. It is hoped they can be used to make repairs to the signals on NE 36th Street. Volunteers will also begin installation work on a primary power source for the signals which are currently powered by batteries and charged with a solar panel. Steve Kamm is working on an information display about track tools in the Oakwood baggage room. To go along with the tool display, Bob Hussey has placed a short piece of track by the gate that shows the different pieces that make the track up. In addition to the track tools, there will be signs about various scales that were used by the railroads. The Murray Shop is full of equipment with repairs and restorations. I hope that you have seen Steve Kamm’s article in the National Railway Historical Society newsletter that features ORM’s MKT inspection car; it provides a lot of information on the project and our museum. Restoration work continues on the MKT Inspection car. New safety glass has been ordered for the windows and volunteers have a coat of primer on the car. It will make a special display on how the railroad inspected their lines. With work finished on the Rock Island Caboose, it is now back on display with the Santa Fe 643. Our 45 ton switch engine, OKRX 301 has been moved into the shop on track one for replacement of the alternator. On track two, the Frisco 814, with sanders repaired and loaded with fresh sand, was moved out of the shop. In its place the MKT 48 was moved in to address some electrical issues. The shop continues to prove its value by allowing volunteers to work on equipment throughout the year regardless of the weather conditions. Another project in the works is with the Kiowa County Museum at Hobart. They have agreed to exchange wheel sets with our museum which will allow the UP Caboose to be used in service again. The UP Caboose in Hobart is on static display and so there is no wheel movement. If you happen to be in Hobart, stop by the Kiowa County Museum, it is in the old Rock Island Depot. As always, there are many things that need attention at your museum. We hope you will volunteer some time to help. We hope to see you at your museum.

Engraved Purchaser’s Name ______Platform Bricks Phone No. ______Cost is $50.00 per brick. A maximum of 4 lines with 16 letters and spaces per line. More than Line 1 one platform brick can be donated to the Museum and you can make copies of the form below. Mail completed forms with check or money order to: Line 2 Oklahoma Railway Museum 3400 NE Grand Boulevard Line 3 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73111 Call the museum with any questions. 405-424-8222 Line 4 Page 4 The Dispatcher GiveSmartOKC.org Profile Published Crosstie By Anne Chilton Donations We are excited to announce that the Oklahoma Railway Museum has a profile on Friends and families of ORM GiveSmartOKC.org. GiveSmartOKC is a powerful on-line resource that provides continue to make donations comprehensive information about nonprofit organizations, like ours, that are to the museum for crossties, providing services in central Oklahoma. The service is provided by the Oklahoma equipment and facilities. City Community Foundation. We provided detailed information about our programs, A donation of $50.00 will help finances and governance and the Oklahoma City Community Foundation staff ORM purchase a new crosstie. reviewed our three most recent tax returns and financial statements to compile You may donate a crosstie a three-year financial history. The information in our profile provides a thorough in recognition or in memory overview of our organization. Donors will also be able to click a link at the of someone. Donations can be mailed to the museum GiveSmartOKC site to donate directly to our endowment at the Oklahoma City at the address below or Community Foundation. made online on our website, At GiveSmartOKC, anyone with an interest in the charitable sector in central oklahomarailwaymuseum.org. Oklahoma can visit and find comprehensive information on a non-profit’s financial, Notate “Crosstie” with your governance and programming details. The information is provided by the nonprofit donation, and send to : organization and vetted by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation staff. Open to ORM Ltd. any nonprofit organization providing services in central Oklahoma, GiveSmartOKC 3400 NE Grand Boulevard offers charitable organizations the opportunity to highlight their commitment to Oklahoma City, 73111 transparency and provide up-to-date, in-depth information about their organization. Currently, there are more than 120 nonprofits with completed profiles and profiles Depot Store are being added daily. The Oklahoma Railway “By providing this level of charitable data we are promoting awareness of needs Museum has items available and thus fostering informed giving within our community,” says Nancy B. Anthony, for both children and adults at Oklahoma City Community Foundation president. “The nonprofit organizations are the Depot Store. These include literally opening their file cabinets and sharing information you won’t find on their baseball caps, polo shirts, t– websites. We also hope the organizations will use their GiveSmartOKC profile as shirts, lapel pins, coasters, and now mugs. Profits from a tool to assess their own best practices and improve their capacity if necessary.” the sale of these items support Because the Internet is quickly becoming the go-to place to find information on the museum and its projects. anything, Anthony said the Oklahoma City Community Foundation knew it needed The Depot Store is located to find a way to increase the visibility of nonprofit organizations and make relevant inside the Oakwood Depot information accessible by donors. GiveSmartOKC is powered by GuideStar, an on the museum grounds. It is online resource that connects people and organizations with information on the open on run days (the first and programs and finances of more than 1.7 million IRS-recognized nonprofits. The third Saturdays April through Oklahoma City Community Foundation is one of 15 community foundations in the August) from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The store is also open country to partner with GuideStar to bring this resource to their community. during special events.

Click here to view our profile We now have ORM coffee mugs! Stop by the gift shop and get one.

Anne Chilton recently helped the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum with an exhibit on bandannas. She processed over 80 bandannas so they could be displayed. Photo by Eric Dilbeck The Dispatcher Page 5 The Oklahoma History Center Announces the Opening of “Smoke Over Oklahoma: the Railroad Photographs of Preston George” The Oklahoma History Center is pleased to announce the opening of its newest photographic exhibit, “Smoke Over Oklahoma: The Railroad Photographs of Preston George,” on April 10. The 25 images to be displayed include a number of different railroad lines that passed through Oklahoma, such as the Katy and the Frisco, and the heavier duty locomotives of the Kansas City Southern and the Santa Fe lines. This presentation also will feature images of various metro lines and trolleys. The exhibit will be housed in the West Family Hall of the History Center and will be available for viewing during regular museum hours, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Museum admission is $7 for adults and $5 for children. These images are included in a recent book by the same title, “Smoke Over Oklahoma: the Railroad Photographs of Preston George.” A book signing with author Augustus J. Veenendaal Jr. is scheduled during the opening of the exhibit from 5 to 9 p.m. on April 10 at the History Center. The Oklahoma History Center is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives and is an accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org. Article provide by The Oklahoma History Center

Motor Car Report - A-OK Railroad By Drake Rice

Saturday, March 18, ORM hosted a motor car trip on the A-OK railroad out of Harrah. The weather was good for the day outing and six cars participated. The trip headed west on the first leg to the A-OK yard limits in Midwest City where the cars were turned and then headed east back toward Harrah, with a stop at Choctaw for a lunch break. Following lunch everyone headed east to Shawnee, passing through Harrah, McCloud, and Dale before stopping in downtown Shawnee. Upon arrival, all of the cars were turned and then a 20 minutes break was Ron Herendeen (AKA Santa) observed. Once everyone was back to their car, we were off again heading was recently selected as back to Harrah. It was a good run with only one breakdown and everyone a Nurses Helping Nurses enjoyed the nice weather. All cars were clear of the rails by 1600 hours and Frontline Hero. Ron was we all enjoyed the day nominated for his charity work We appreciate the A-OK Railroad and their continued support of the museum. during Christmas. Page 6 The Dispatcher Ramblin’ Rails By Larry Dodd NRHS Events March 30 – April 1, 2017 Pennsylvania RR Museum 2017 NRHS Spring Strasburg, PA Conference Advisory Council and Board We were set to go to Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell, but at the time the of Pope was in Philly and there was a hurricane working its way up the east Directors’ Meetings coast, so we detoured to near Hershey PA to stop for a while. We had a great Joint Meeting by NRHS and time there. Hershey is Amish country and the daily farmer’s markets provided Wilmington Chapter NRHS a good source of fresh baked pastries. I do love fresh baked pastries. Claymont, DE When I wasn’t enjoying the markets, I took some time to travel to Strasburg, www.nrhs.com PA and visited the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum (PRR). The museum is June 20-24, 2017 housed in a huge steel building. A modest fee is charged, but is well worth it. 2017 NRHS Convention You can visit the museum on line at http://www.rrmuseumpa.org/index.shtml. Nashville, TN www.nrhs.com The museum has a large indoor June 25 – July 1, 2017 facility with many historic PRR RailCamp East museums as well as from other Newark, DE roads such as the Reading July 30 – August 6, 2017 and Nickel Plate. The indoor RailCamp West locomotives and rolling stock Tacoma, WA have been cosmetically restored October 19 - 21, 2017 and placed for display. The 2017 NRHS Fall Conference outdoor equipment stands in Advisory Council and Board the weather and is not as show of ready as the indoor items, but are Directors’ Meetings impressive none the less. Kansas City, MO Historically the GG-1 was VERY impressive. I have seen photos of this iconic www.nrhs.com locomotive but to walk up to one and lay my hands on it was a very special moment. The shine on the locomotive reflects the pride the volunteers have in their displays. In addition to the rolling stock display there was a large walk through section that had historic posters and other paper items. There was a large collection of lanterns and other railroad memorabilia, all from the PRR. The walk through area included a lot of ‘interactive’ items where you push a button to hear a recorded history about an item. Ordinarily I pass by these talkies, but found myself listening to nearly every one of them. I spent a full four hours touring the museum. We want to return to Amish country as we really enjoyed the people and products. If you can’t get to Pennsylvania to tour Strasburg, check out their website as noted above. Let me also take a moment in closing to thank Eric Dilbeck for his article on the Central of Georgia shops where he attended the museum conference. I enjoyed it very much. Thanks Eric. . . . Click Here to see more photos The Dispatcher Page 7

Education Committee Update By Steve Kamm, Education Chair In mid-March, Eric Dilbeck, Anne Chilton and I met with Steve Hawkins, Marketing Director of the Oklahoma History Center, to discuss the upcoming release and book-signing of the Preston George collection of photographs, “Smoke Over Oklahoma.” It was decided that we would help publicize the event, scheduled for Monday, April 10th, using our email lists. You should have received an invitation to attend the book-signing at the Oklahoma History Center. In return for our cooperation, Mr. Hawkins is helping Anne to utilize the many free on-line bulletin boards to advertise activities of the Railway Museum. Oklahoma Railway Museum received an invitation to participate in the Oklahoma Philharmonic’s Children’s Concert. Eric, his wife Sharin, and Drake Rice attended the event, bringing with them our G-scale model switching layout. Eric reports great success, with long lines of children waiting to operate the model trains. Of course, our participation helped publicize the Oklahoma Railway Museum —and we’ve been invited back! To assist our visitors in navigating the museum grounds, we have prepared “A Short Guide to Your Oklahoma Railway Museum.” This is a one-page suggested walking tour of the grounds with a map printed on the back. This free Guide is available to visitors next to the yard office. As mentioned last month, we are proceeding with our Oral History Project. A brief biographical sign-up sheet has been prepared and is available for anyone willing to be interviewed by Bill Welge. Contact Anne Murray-Chilton for more information—and encourage former railroad workers to sign up! Our sign-age program continues to progress. Signs explaining the roles of cabooses have been designed, printed, and are currently being installed. Other signs being designed include track-working tools, railroad scales, track components and rail truck parts. Regarding cabooses, I’m happy to report that the reconstruction of Rock Island No. 17834 is now officially complete, thanks to Tom Harrison who built and installed the external tool box. To complete and submit our final grant report to National Railway Historical Society Report, we need the name of every individual who participated in this project. Please furnish your name to either Anne or myself- -ASAP! In preparation for constructing our track-working tools display, tools have been collected from hiding places around the museum. Over 70 items were found and are now being cataloged. With so many duplicate items, the board has approved the donation of three to the Oklahoma City/County Historical Society. And, as reported last month, refurbishments of the Oakwood Station Baggage Room and our St Louis-San Francisco Railroad Velocipede are underway. Do I hear any offers of help?

Back copies of Dispatcher needed! The Oklahoma Public Library assisted us in scanning in past issues of The Dispatcher that we did not have in electronic form for archive purposes. We are still missing some issues. If you have any of The Dispatchers listed below you that would allow us to scan, we will return it to your collection. Thank you for your assistance with this. 1992 - March, April, May, June, August, September, 2002 - July, November, & October, & December December 1993 - January & December 2004 - December 1995 - February 2007 - December 1996 - June, July, & October 2008 - August 1997 - November

Did you work on the Rock Island Caboose Restoration? If so let us know. Call Anne at 405-424-8222 or email us at [email protected] Page 8 The Dispatcher

Board Update By Drake Rice Actions from the March Board Meeting • Discussed status on Le Flore Depot • Revised and approved mission statement • Update on turntable move. Scheduled move date is April 7th, 2017 • Update provided on the GiveSmart program through the Oklahoma City Community Foundation • Board approved bring in Gramlings Steam Engine for Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 • The Oklahoma Group’s final presentation set for May 4th, 2017 Next board meeting will be held on April 28th.

Treasurers Report March 2017 Memberships $420.00 Donations $2144.00 Gift Shop $42.49 Misc $40.00 Total Income $3106.49 Total Expenses $5472.44

Upcoming Rail related events and conventions Preston George exhibit opening reception (See page 5) April 10th, 2017 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM Oklahoma History Center

Oklahoma Railway Museum motor car trip Saturday, April 22 & Sunday April 23, 2017 Farmrail Railroad, Clinton, OK Visit oklahomarailwaymuseum.org for more details

Heritage Rail Alliance ( Association of Tourist Railroad and Road Museums) Spring Conference April 27-29, 2017 Great Smoky Mountain Railway, Bryson City, NC Visit atrrm.org/conferences for more details

Santa Fe Railway Historical and Modeling Society We look forward to having you join us for the 37th annual Santa Fe Railway Historical & Modeling Society Convention being held for the first time in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 21 – 25, 2017. Fittingly, our theme is The Tulsan which was a Tulsa to Kansas City streamliner with connections to and from Chicago. Visit sfrhms.org/conventions for more details

National Garden Railway Convention 2017 July 10 - 15th, 2017 33rd Garden Railway Convention Tulsa, OK Visit thinktulsa17.com for more details The Dispatcher Page 9 Around the grounds

Hot asphalt going down! Crews lay a second layer of asphalt on the parking Photo by Anne Chilton lot. Photo by Anne Chilton

Dirt is brought in to finish the dam wall of the The drainage basin of our detention pond. detention pond. Photo by Steve Kamm Photo by Steve Kamm

Our finished parking Lot! Craig Larson gave Light Home School group a tour Photo by Anne Chilton during spring break. Photo by Anne Chilton Page 10 The Dispatcher Around the grounds

President Dilbeck works on grinding the window Matt Van Zanten uses a plasma cutter to trim the frames in preparation for cutting. Photo by Anne opening of the Inspection car. Photo by Eric Dilbeck Chilton

Paneling in the Inspection car was removed for Kyle Graft, a ex MKT roadmaster, send us a photo replacement to reveal that some railroad workers of the interior of Inspection car while it was in had a little to much time on their hands. Photo by service. Eric Dilbeck

Greg Hall and Bob Cook applied a new decal to 814 Stan Hall has been hard at work painting the that was furnished by Marc Montray. Photo by Eric underside of our recently refurbished baggage cart. Dilbeck Photo by Eric Dilbeck The Dispatcher Page 11

Current Projects By Eric Dilbeck We currently have several projects in progress at the museum. Arrange time on a Saturday to come out and help. Santa Fe 643 Steam Engine (outside on the track) The sunshades and rear curtains are being worked on. Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Caboose (outside on the platform) The windows are being repaired. The siding on the outside needs to be replaced and repainted. Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad Inspection Car (in the shop building) The new windows have been ordered. The interior work has started with repairing the wood work that is rotten. The paneling will be replaced and painted, then the ceiling tiles will be installed. Last the new flooring will be laid. The Exterior prep work is nearing completion, then we will be able to paint it. Rock Island Box Car (outside on the track) Repairs have been made to the roof and a patch has been made to the floor. The sliding doors need attention. This car will become our DOWT storage car. Yard Office The Siding needs to be repaired and painted.

Visit the Oklahoma Railway Museum on YouTube at:

youtube.com/c/OklahomarailwaymuseumOrg

Lands’ End and ORM logo

You can now order apparel with an embroidered ORM logo from Lands’ End at the website below. Once you select the item you want you will be able to select the logo and where you want it placed. We will send out emails when Lands’ End runs a special. Anything on sale in the regular catalog will be on sale on this site as well. ces.landsend.com/Oklahoma_Railway_Museum Oklahoma Railway Museum, Ltd. 3400 NE Grand Boulevard Oklahoma City, OK 73111-4417

Return Service Requested

Page 12 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. 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, Eric Dilbeck at [email protected]. For information on upcoming programs contact Anne Chilton at [email protected].