Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
The DispatcherVolume 52 Issue 4 April 2017
Central Oklahoma Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society
Oklahoma Railway Museum, Ltd.
NARCOA Affiliate Member
In This IssueOral History Project 1 President’s Message 2Museum Update 3GiveSmartOKC 4Preston George 5Ramblin’ Rails 6Education Update 7Board Update 8Around the Grounds 9Current Projects 11Timetable 12
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 ([email protected]). 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!
Conductor Dilbeck assists children with our sector plate switching layout at the OKC Philharmonic Discovery Family Series concert pre-event.
Page 2 The Dispatcher
The President’s Column Oklahoma Railway Museum, Ltd.(405) 424-8222
Board of Directors Eric Dilbeck, President
Bob Nantois, Vice President and Program Chair
Drake Rice, Secretary
Charles Price, Treasurer
Craig Larson, NRHS Director
Bob Cossairt, Director of
Museum Grounds & Facilities
Bob Hussey, Director of Track Maintenance
Terry Birchett, Director of
Mechanical Operations
Harry Currie, Director at Large Greg Hall, Director of
Museum Activities
Bob Cook, Director of Museum Displays
Ed Birch Jr., Train Show Chair
Anne Murray-Chilton, Membership Chair
Eric Dilbeck, Interim Dispatcher Editor
The Oklahoma Railway Museum’s mission is to provide an educational experience of railroads and
how they shaped Oklahoma and the Nation.
Drake and I attended Oklahoma City Philharmonic’s Discovery Family Series preconcert event on March 26th. This was a great event for 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 were open, we had a line of excited kids at our table. They were lined up to try their hand at switching, or assembling and disassembling a
train. We had plenty of flyers to hand out and showed a video of the many activities at the museum. Drake met Vladimir Kulenovic a conductor from Russia. After a few inquiries from Drake on what railroad he worked on, Drake realized he was a music conductor. Vladimir was so excited to meet a train conductor, he had to have his picture taken with Drake (look for a picture later in the newsletter.) On April 10th, 2017 we have another great event that the museum is attending. The Oklahoma History Center has asked us to partner with them on the Preston George exhibit opening. We will have a table setup during the opening reception at the history center. It is open to the public and is a great opportunity for us to expose our museum to railroad and non-railroad enthusiasts. Both events are great ways the Oklahoma Railway Museum can raise our visibility. We also are getting more coverage within the railroad publications online and in print. Just this year we will have articles in Trains, Railfan and Railroad, and the National Railway Historical Society newsletter to name a few. This increased visibility will ultimately help our museum grow. By involving the Oklahoma Railway Museum in these events, we can show our visitors and potential donors that we are a valuable partner to our community.See you on the rails!Eric Dilbeck
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.
Page 3 The DispatcherMuseum Update By Drake Rice
Engraved Platform BricksCost is $50.00 per brick. A maximum of 4 lines with 16 letters and spaces per line. More than 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:
Oklahoma Railway Museum3400 NE Grand Boulevard
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73111Call the museum with any questions. 405-424-8222
Purchaser’s Name ___________________________ Phone No. _______________
Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
Line 4
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.
Page 4 The DispatcherCrosstie
Donations Friends and families of ORM continue to make donations to the museum for crossties, equipment and facilities.
A donation of $50.00 will help ORM purchase a new crosstie. You may donate a crosstie in recognition or in memory of someone. Donations can be mailed to the museum at the address below or made online on our website, oklahomarailwaymuseum.org.
Notate “Crosstie” with your donation, and send to :
ORM Ltd. 3400 NE Grand Boulevard
Oklahoma City, 73111
Depot StoreThe Oklahoma Railway Museum has items available for both children and adults at the Depot Store. These include baseball caps, polo shirts, t–shirts, lapel pins, coasters, and now mugs. Profits from the sale of these items support the museum and its projects.
The Depot Store is located inside the Oakwood Depot on the museum grounds. It is open on run days (the first and third Saturdays April through August) from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The store is also open during special events.
We now have ORM coffee mugs! Stop by the gift
shop and get one.
GiveSmartOKC.org Profile PublishedBy Anne Chilton
We are excited to announce that the Oklahoma Railway Museum has a profile on GiveSmartOKC.org. GiveSmartOKC is a powerful on-line resource that provides comprehensive information about nonprofit organizations, like ours, that are providing services in central Oklahoma. The service is provided by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. We provided detailed information about our programs, finances and governance and the Oklahoma City Community Foundation staff reviewed our three most recent tax returns and financial statements to compile a three-year financial history. The information in our profile provides a thorough overview of our organization. Donors will also be able to click a link at the GiveSmartOKC site to donate directly to our endowment at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. At GiveSmartOKC, anyone with an interest in the charitable sector in central Oklahoma can visit and find comprehensive information on a non-profit’s financial, governance and programming details. The information is provided by the nonprofit organization and vetted by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation staff. Open to any nonprofit organization providing services in central Oklahoma, GiveSmartOKC offers charitable organizations the opportunity to highlight their commitment to transparency and provide up-to-date, in-depth information about their organization. Currently, there are more than 120 nonprofits with completed profiles and profiles are being added daily.“By providing this level of charitable data we are promoting awareness of needs and thus fostering informed giving within our community,” says Nancy B. Anthony, Oklahoma City Community Foundation president. “The nonprofit organizations are literally opening their file cabinets and sharing information you won’t find on their websites. We also hope the organizations will use their GiveSmartOKC profile as a tool to assess their own best practices and improve their capacity if necessary.”Because the Internet is quickly becoming the go-to place to find information on anything, Anthony said the Oklahoma City Community Foundation knew it needed to find a way to increase the visibility of nonprofit organizations and make relevant information accessible by donors. GiveSmartOKC is powered by GuideStar, an online resource that connects people and organizations with information on the programs and finances of more than 1.7 million IRS-recognized nonprofits. The Oklahoma City Community Foundation is one of 15 community foundations in the country to partner with GuideStar to bring this resource to their community.
Click here to view our profile
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
Page 5 The DispatcherThe 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 observed. Once everyone was back to their car, we were off again heading back to Harrah. It was a good run with only one breakdown and everyone enjoyed the nice weather. All cars were clear of the rails by 1600 hours and we all enjoyed the dayWe appreciate the A-OK Railroad and their continued support of the museum.
Ron Herendeen (AKA Santa) was recently selected as a Nurses Helping Nurses Frontline Hero. Ron was nominated for his charity work during Christmas.
Page 6 The DispatcherRamblin’ Rails By Larry Dodd
Pennsylvania RR MuseumStrasburg, PAWe were set to go to Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell, but at the time the Pope was in Philly and there was a hurricane working its way up the east coast, so we detoured to near Hershey PA to stop for a while. We had a great time there. Hershey is Amish country and the daily farmer’s markets provided a good source of fresh baked pastries. I do love fresh baked pastries.When I wasn’t enjoying the markets, I took some time to travel to Strasburg, PA and visited the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum (PRR). The museum is housed in a huge steel building. A modest fee is charged, but is well worth it. You can visit the museum on line at http://www.rrmuseumpa.org/index.shtml.
The museum has a large indoor facility with many historic PRR museums as well as from other roads such as the Reading and Nickel Plate. The indoor locomotives and rolling stock have been cosmetically restored and placed for display. The outdoor equipment stands in the weather and is not as show ready as the indoor items, but are impressive none the less.
Historically the GG-1 was VERY impressive. I have seen photos of this iconic 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
NRHS EventsMarch 30 – April 1, 2017
2017 NRHS Spring Conference
Advisory Council and Board of
Directors’ MeetingsJoint Meeting by NRHS and Wilmington Chapter NRHS
Claymont, DEwww.nrhs.com
June 20-24, 20172017 NRHS Convention
Nashville, TNwww.nrhs.com
June 25 – July 1, 2017 RailCamp East
Newark, DEJuly 30 – August 6, 2017
RailCamp WestTacoma, WA
October 19 - 21, 20172017 NRHS Fall ConferenceAdvisory Council and Board
ofDirectors’ MeetingsKansas City, MOwww.nrhs.com
Page 7 The DispatcherEducation 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?
Did you work on the Rock Island Caboose Restoration? If so let us know. Call Anne at 405-424-8222 or email us at
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, October, & December1993 - January & December1995 - February1996 - June, July, & October1997 - November
2002 - July, November, & December2004 - December2007 - December2008 - August
Page 8 The DispatcherBoard 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, 2017Next board meeting will be held on April 28th.
Treasurers Report March 2017
Memberships $420.00 Donations $2144.00 Gift Shop $42.49Misc $40.00 Total Income $3106.49 Total Expenses $5472.44
Upcoming Rail related events and conventionsPreston George exhibit opening reception (See page 5)
April 10th, 2017 6:00 PM - 9:00 PMOklahoma History Center
Oklahoma Railway Museum motor car tripSaturday, April 22 & Sunday April 23, 2017
Farmrail Railroad, Clinton, OKVisit oklahomarailwaymuseum.org for more details
Heritage Rail Alliance ( Association of Tourist Railroad and Road Museums) Spring ConferenceApril 27-29, 2017
Great Smoky Mountain Railway, Bryson City, NCVisit atrrm.org/conferences for more details
Santa Fe Railway Historical and Modeling SocietyWe 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 2017July 10 - 15th, 2017
33rd Garden Railway Convention Tulsa, OKVisit thinktulsa17.com for more details
Page 9 The DispatcherAround the grounds
Crews lay a second layer of asphalt on the parking lot. Photo by Anne Chilton
Hot asphalt going down! Photo by Anne Chilton
Craig Larson gave Light Home School group a tour during spring break. Photo by Anne Chilton
Our finished parking Lot! Photo by Anne Chilton
The drainage basin of our detention pond. Photo by Steve Kamm
Dirt is brought in to finish the dam wall of the detention pond. Photo by Steve Kamm
Page 10 The DispatcherAround the grounds
Matt Van Zanten uses a plasma cutter to trim the opening of the Inspection car. Photo by Eric Dilbeck
President Dilbeck works on grinding the window frames in preparation for cutting. Photo by Anne Chilton
Stan Hall has been hard at work painting the underside of our recently refurbished baggage cart. Photo by Eric Dilbeck
Greg Hall and Bob Cook applied a new decal to 814 that was furnished by Marc Montray. Photo by Eric Dilbeck
Kyle Graft, a ex MKT roadmaster, send us a photo of the interior of Inspection car while it was in service.
Paneling in the Inspection car was removed for replacement to reveal that some railroad workers had a little to much time on their hands. Photo by Eric Dilbeck
Page 11 The DispatcherCurrent 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 OfficeThe Siding needs to be repaired and painted.
Visit the Oklahoma Railway Museum on YouTube at:
youtube.com/c/OklahomarailwaymuseumOrg
Lands’ End and ORM logoYou 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
Page 12 The Dispatcher
Oklahoma Railway Museum, Ltd. 3400 NE Grand Boulevard Oklahoma City, OK 73111-4417
Return Service Requested
TimetableOklahoma 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] 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, PresidentYukon’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.
CorrectionsAny 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].
