The DISPATCHER
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the DISPATCHER THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE CENTRAL OKLAHOMA RAILFAN CLUB LTD VOLUME XXV JULY 1993 NUMBER 7 THE NEXT CORC CLUB MEETING TO RI & KATY former agent Jimmy Bounds, and BE HELD JULY 10 Yukon Museum Director Jack Austerman. By Howard Thornton Members are welcome to suggest program ideas as well as assist with refreshments. Just call Ron Clarkson, Union Pacific Manager of Train HOWARD at 732-0566. • Operations for the Oklahoma City area will be the speaker for the Saturday, July 10, Central OK. HOUSE BILL 1078 PASSES BOTH Oklahoma Railfan Club meeting at the HOUSES! OMNIPLEX at 7 pm. He will show a Video Reprinted from Oklahoma Passenger Rail sent by Alex Tice, Union Pacific Director of By Roger Carter, President, OPRA Public Relations outlining the history of the railroad as well as its current operations, and (Friday, June 4, 1993; Chickasha, Oklahoma) then be ready to answer any questions members Yes! You've read the headline correctly! Barring might have. The usual refreshments and draw any negative action by Governor Walters it ap prizes will be program features. • pears that H.B. ft 1078 will become state law. This is a significant milestone for the Oklahoma EXCELLENT CORA PROGRAMS Passenger Rail Association as it is the first real PLANNED FOR NEXT SIX MONTHS victory for us in getting Amtrak back to Oklahoma for good. Top-notch programs featuring at least two major speakers monthly as well as refreshments and The battle is not over, however. Amtrak sup railroad draw prizes have been planned for the porters are contacting Amtrak and their elected next six months by CORA Program Director, representatives and Senators. Our own Howard Thornton. eight-member Oklahoma Delegation can help Amtrak get sufficient capital in order to make it All meetings except December will be held in the easier for Amtrak to restore and then maintain Goldman Room of the Kirkpatrick Center at NE Oklahoma Amtrak service to a high standard of 52 and Eastern. Meetings will start at 7 pm on quality. Saturdays, July 10, August 7, September 11, (See HOUSE, Page 2) October 2, November 6 and December 4. Normally CORA meets on 1st Saturday, two are TABLE OF CONTENTS on the second Saturdays because of the Fourth of July and Labor Day holidays. Members are in Of Sealing Wax 2 vited to bring items of railroad interest to be June Picnic 3 used as draw prizes. Excellent Anttendance 3 Summary of Board Meeting 3 Speakers being invited include the Union Pacific Policeman Honored for Valor 4 Railroad, Oklahoma State Secretary of Amtrak on the Brink 4 Transportation, Delmas Ford; Railroad Builder 50th Anniversary at McAlester 5 Bob Hussey Jr., AT&L President Steve Smola, Trains in Trouble 7 Kiamichi Railroad President, a repeat visit by Watonga Chief needs Ticket Agent 10 Oklahoma Senator Dave Herbert, Oklahoma City Conrail says Height Clearance Pavs Off.... 10 SF, BN Pact Begins June 15 .- 10 Transit Director Steve Klika, Former Chairman Scanner Frequencies 11 of the Oklahoma State Corporation Commission, Timetable 12 and AMTRAK Enthusiast Jim Townsend. Bricktown Museum Planner Tom Elmore, UP, Page 2 the DISPATCHER (HOUSE, From Page 1) OF SEALING WAX, HASWELL, (& The following is a list of all eight members of CARR?) by Roger Carter our delegation: It was Tony again. Yes, there he was - Anthony U.S. Senator David Boren Haswell in the current Passenger Train Journal U.S. Senate Office Building suffering a dyspeptic fit over the existence of Washington, D.C. 20510 those big bad long distance trains that are just literally sucking the life out of Amtrak financially U.S. Senator Don Nickles and stand in the way of true high speed rail. Is U.S. Senate Office Building that so? Then would Tony Haswell be interested Washington, D.C. 20510 in my special breed of Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs? When they reach maturity they develop U.S. Representative David McCurdy (Fourth wings and have proven themselves capable of District) true flight. U.S. Representative Bill Brewster (Third District) I do not know what has gotten into Mr. Haswell U.S. Representative Glenn English (Sixth for these last fifteen years that he would behave District) and write as though he were born with a burr in U.S. Representative Ernest Istook (Fifth District) his saddle. His arguments against long distance U.S. Representative Inholfe (First District) trains and that they need to improve and add new U.S. Representative Mike Synar (Second routes on an incremental basis, are nothing but District) weak crossfiring of cliches. He has resurrected the old Jimmy Carter-Brock Adams Heresy All Congressmen answer to this address: which falsely assumes that any train that isn't a U.S. House Office Building, Washington, commuter train or can't compete with an airline D.C. 20515. They also have offices in the has no legitimate reason to exist and certainly is Sooner State. not being sufficiently patronized. It was the aiding and abetting of this heresy (with the ,. Congressmen Bill Brewster and Ernest Istook are assistance of then-Amtrak president Alan Boyd) the newer members of our delegation replacing that resulted in Oklahoma losing its train in the Mickey Edwards and Wes Watkins. Some say Fall of 1979. Because of this Amtrak is virtually they don't have the knowledge to combat efforts nonexistent and unusable to Sooners. or cut Amtrak funding especially as the current federal budget deficit may tempt them to There is a place, contrary to Mr. Haswell, for all embrace the current speculative theory that cut types of modern train services from the workaday ting Amtrak funding (including trains) may be commuter to those trains that travel greater ecessary to bring about a balanced budget. distances that link scenic and rural areas with ftSenato r David Boren voted for the surprise larger urban areas. Each type of train can stand </SDanfort h Amendment which, if passed, would on its own merits, and it is foolish to think that have deleted $188,000,000 from the Amtrak one has to sit in judgement over and disparage budget. Although Boren claims to support trains that service such places as Montana and Amtrak restoration in Oklahoma, he is unaware West Virginia and rural New England in order to that one cannot be for cutting Amtrak funding prop up high speed rail. We would that all rail and also for restoration of Oklahoma service. advocates to the last man and woman cease from such narrow mindedness that results only in Amtrak supporters say that the Oklahoma delega dividing fellow rail advocates against each other tion discounts these racts and has heard little thus weakening the passenger rail cause from their constituents. These Amtrak sup everywhere. I recommend a dose of humility porters are also calling on the public to thank and consideration for people outside his exclusive Sen. Nickles for his efforts and to encourage his club as a cure for Mr. Haswell. It would do him further supporippuxit . ^ and all of us everlasting good! • ^3^0377 the DISPATCHER Page 3 MORE THAN 100 ATTENDED JUNE SUMMARY OF MAY CORC BOARD PICNIC AT DOLLARS MEETING By Howard Thornton By Roy Thornton More than 100 CORA members and families The CORC Board Meeting was held at Piggy's were present at the June 5 picnic and meeting at BBQ, 303 E. Sheridan, OKC. DOLLAR'S SMALL CHANGE RAILROAD park in Moore. 150 hot dogs and much other CORC is still looking for a bookkeeper. food brought by members were consumed with Watonga Chief will be using a voucher system to many winning the draw prizes as well as taking be instituted by the new ticketing agent beginning part in Sam Neely's club fund raising auction with the Fall 1993 season. This will coincide where Carl Webb paid $9.00 for a $5.00 with the resignation of Mistletoe Railcar as tick Lincoln Bill and Roger Carter paid $20.00 for a eting agent. The excursion train will produce 1983 CORA Calendar. about $2500 toward restoration and maintenance of prototype equipment owned by CORC. Both adults and children spent time riding David Dollars two deluxe trains on his 3300' of 16" A letter was sent to Ed Bowers, Houston, TX on gauge track (one was Santa Fe and the other April 30, who was granted a two week extension Rock Island.) to make the final payment. This was done to ac commodate Ed's military obligation to attend summer camp with the reserves. Bowers has con Draw prizes were won by Carl Webb, Bob tacted Sunbelt Car Company about performing Cook, Carman Ansell, Beth Warm, Perry air brake tests on the E8A. Phillips, H.K. Glenn, John Ansell, Tom Terrell, Mary Carpentier, John Bjork and Ashley Dunn. The board tabled Matt Stitt's motion that CORC control any board of directors that is to be in volved in the OKC MKT Freight Depot restora EIGHTEEN FAMILIES HAVE tion. EXCELLENT ATTENDANCE FIRST SIX In Watonga, the CORC caboose end plate is still MONTHS being damaged. The 2 year air brake test is due By Howard Thornton this year. The AT&L Railroad has given permis sion to use motor cars to transport railroad ties Eighteen CORA families have attendance from the south to the east side of Watonga. records at regular meetings for the first six CORC also plans to transfer tools and miscel months of the present year. Those with 100% laneous railroad items from Sunbelt's baggage include Neal Baucom and Matt Stitt. car to one of CORC's automobile box cars, which is now spotted near the baggage car on the Those with 83 % include John Ansell, Robert east side of town.