the DISPATCHER THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE CENTRAL OKLAHOMA RAILFAN CLUB LTD VOLUME XXV MARCH 1993 NUMBER 3 RRH5 fcJUAHU RHEEIINU LI 11 Lt= ROCK, MAR 26, By Howard Thornton FEBRUARY DINNER MEETING HELD AT PIGGY'S BBQ Be sure to include the NRHS SPRING BOARD MEETING from March 26-28 in your plans. CORC's February dinner meeting planned by Complete details and a registration form were in CORC's new program chairman, Howard the FEBRUARY DISPATCHER. Fill it in and Thornton, featured Santa Fe trainmaster, Ron plan to go—we can share rides—if you have any Sherman, and the head of Operation Lifesaver, questions contact CORA's NRHS Director, Gary Weathers, Santa Fe Locomotive Engineer. Howard Thornton at 405-732-0566-a visit to the Gary Weathers and John Bjork joined CORC huge UNION PACIFIC North Little Rock Shops after the wonderful door prizes were Handed out. and the Pine Bluff Museum are included. BE A Santa Fe calendar, a silver glass from the SURE TO GO! • 3751 Santa Fe employee recognition steam excursion, and a train order stick were the first Wear your CORA red diesel-shaped badge to all prizes along with a 1975 Official Railway Guide. meetings and activities, and if you don't have "Operation Lifesaver" lapel pins, Amtrak one, you can order one for $4.30 ($5.00 luggage tags, 1993 Amtrak Travel Planners and postpaid), from Howard Thornton, 732-0566. r Timetables were given away, to the delight of trie eighty people attending. CENTRAL OKLA. RAILFAN ASS'N CORC's March meeting will be held at 7 pm on the first Saturdav. March 6. at Kirkpatrick Center, 2100 NE ^ in OKC. Another railroad HOWARD THORNTON will have the featured speaker in the Goldman Room after CORC members view the operation MIDWEST CITY OKLA; of the huge toy Lrain exhibit and tour the interior of the restored parlor car donated to Kirkpatrick Center by CORC life members, Howard and CORC F-UNIT GETTING REPAIRS Peggy Thornton. • Guy Lynn and Matthew Stitt have been going to TABLE OF CONTENTS Watonga to repair oil leaks and to make minor repairs to CORC's F-9A diesel locomotive in Cent. OKChaptNRHS 2 preparation for the Spring season of the Watonga House Creates Panel, Focus on Transit 2 Chief Excursion Train. Anyone interested in Fascinating Trip through Land of History....4 participating in this phase of CORC operations Do You have any Grey Poupon, too? 6 should call Matt at 405-354-0393. • New Train to Upgrade US Service 7 Trains Made Strong Comeback 8 Bill Seeks Funds for Rail Service 8 One oi our members, Steamboat Deason, wants House Bill 1078 9 to buy the 1980 and 1981 CORC calendars to Timetable 12 complete his collection. If you have one and are willing to part with it. piease call Steamboat at 631-1722. Page 2 the DISPATCHER CENTRAL OKLAHOMA HOUSE CREATES PANEL TO CHAPTER-NATIONAL RAILWAY FOCUS ON TRANSIT HISTORICAL SOCIETY Reprinted from THE JOURNAL By Howard Thornton RECORD It was a busy year for the Central Oklahoma A new panel has been created in the Oklahoma Railfan Club, an affiliate of the NRHS, as its House of Representatives to focus on emerging "Watonga Chief" carried 6,527 passengers concepts in mass transit and to cope with new including many for its full-course dinner. The federal regulations. Club had more than 9,000 present for its annual December train show and sold more than 2,000 An Aeronautics and Railways Subcommittee of calendars with pictures by member Preston the House Committee on Transportation was George of past Oklahoma steam trains. approved recently by Speaker Glen D. Johnson. Its tourist trains operate on the tracks of the AT&L Railroad using former Rock Island tracks According to the Oklahoma Corporation and operating out of Watonga, 69 miles Commission, 20 rail lines operate almost 5,000 northwest of Oklahoma City. The trains include miles of train track throughout the state. In 48-seat former Santa Fe dining car 1492, once addition, Oklahoma has more than 400 airports used on the TEXAS CHIEF, former Great and approximately 10,000 licensed pilots, Northern 68-seat chair car 1304, once used Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission records between Chicago and Seattle, a Great Northern reflect. Caboose belonging to the Club, and AT&L's refurbished Burlington caboose. Motive power "It's vital that Oklahoma get in the mainstream of is provided by the Club's F9-A 814—formerly transportation issues, and explore new concepts Northern Pacific 7003A—that was completely for the future," said Rep. Larry E. Adair, who is rebuilt by Club members and has passed FRA starting his second term as chairman of the House inspection—Club members serve as train hosts as Transportation Committee. well as handle all the reservations and promotion details. Because of the AT&L's freight Rep. Jerry Hefner, D-Wagoner, will be chairman obligations the "Watonga Chief" operates from of the 11-member subcommittee, and Rep. Mike April to June, and September to December each Tyler, D-Sapulpa, will be vice chairman. year. Other members will be Reps. Ed Apple, Club members handled all ticketing and hosting R-Duncan; Danny Hilliard, D-Sulphur; Joe for three units of the Texas Tour of Union Hutchison. D-Jay: Don Kinnamon. D-Stroud: Al Pacific's 3985 and 19 super condition cars. Sadler, D-Ardmore; James E. Henshaw and These were from Coffeyville to McAlester, David Smith, both R-Tulsa; Gary York, D McAlester to Fort Worth and Van Buren to Blanchard: and Adair. D-Stilwell. Parsons. Passengers came from throughout the United States. At least four pilots serve on the subcommittee. Hefner flies helicopters in the Oklahoma Army Club meetings are held on the first Saturday of National Guard; Apple was a fighter pilot in the each month at the Kirkpatrick Center U.S. Marine Corps: Smith formerly was a (Omnipiex). 2100 NE 52. in Oklahoma City, corporate pilot rated in commercial multiengine whicn also houses within the building former aircraft; and Henshaw, too, is a flier. Missouri Pacific business Car ff4 as well as a very large Club-built model layout featuring "State and federal highways are getting crowded, seven different scales of operating trains. and the federal government is tightening its The annual train show usually early in December vehicle emissions controls," Adair said. in the Transportation Building on the grounds of the Oklahoma State Fair in Oklahoma City, has "We think it's important to have a legislative exhibits and models layouts from many states committee that concentrates on innovations in air and is without question the largest train show in and rail transportation - such as regional the Southwest. • wayports and high-speed railways — for moving people and products." • the DISPATCHER Page 3 The luxurious way- is Santa Fe LTD IIII ii Page 4 the DISPATCHER NEWSLETTER EDITOR RIDES comprising 102,000 acres. I have always been interested in geography and believe that travel­ OKLAHOMA 3985-This account continues ing by train enables one to see sights not seen by from last month's issue of the dispatcher. It is any other means of transportation. This trip is written by Steven Morse, editor of the newsletter bearing out that truth as I am seeing parts of of the Heart of Dixie NRHS Chapter in Oklahoma I never knew existed. Birmingham, AL. We arrive at McAlester well ahead of our A FASCINATING TRIP THROUGH A scheduled 5:00 p.m. arrival. Our early arrival LAND OF HISTORY. By Stephen Morse, catches everyone off guard. Buses finally arrive Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum, Inc to take us to the fairgrounds located in an iso­ lated area west of town. We decided to skip the We are now riding on the former Missouri, Bar-B-Que which was scheduled here at 6:30, Kansas and Texas (MKT) railroad. Congress and following another long wait in the hot passed a law in the 1860's granting right-of-way Oklahoma sun, buses arrive to take us to the from Kansas to Texas to the first railroad able to Comfort Inn. We have traveled 81.2 miles on lay track to the Indian Territory Border. The the former MP and 76.6 miles on the former MKT line drove the winning spike on June 6, MKT, a good day of rail travel indeed. 1870 and thus was launched the bustling Katy Railroad. The MKT was soon nicknamed the Thursday morning comes early again. Another "Katy" from the last two letters in MKT. The good breakfast at the restaurant adjacent to the "KT" has stuck and this line is still referred to as motel helps me wake up for today's ride. It is the "Katy". The Katy was an important link be­ nearly a ten mile ride to the train and I am tween the midwest and Texas for many years and thankful we have a van to transport us. When suffered from mismanagement during and after we arrive trainside, Rick and Phil Moser are World War II. Passenger service ended in 1965 waiting at the boarding location to guarantee us on the MKT, so traveling on this route was a real good seats. We again board at 7:30 and again treat as this was my first big trip on the MKT. I find the same seats we have enjoyed for most of was a graduate student in 1965 and had no money the trip. or time for train riding then. Save for a few miles on Amtrak and a detour in 1958, this was We leave McAlester at 8:12 and soon cross the my first trip on the MKT.