The Dispatcher Central Oklahoma Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society Oklahoma Railway Museum, Ltd. NARCOA Affiliate Member Southern Africa Railfan Trip By Steven Kamm Volume 51 Issue 10 October 2016 During the month of September, I was privileged to participate in a oncein-a-lifetime tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe, led by John Rogers of LGB Tours. Our group consisted of twentysix German, Swiss, Dutch and American rail fans, and myself. We flew from our various homes to meet in Cape Town, South Africa, where we were housed in amazing facilities for three days. During our time in Cape Town, we rode to the top of Table Mountain, took two short ocean cruises, stopped at the Cape of Good Hope, and visited a number of animal rescue centers. After moving on to George, South Africa, we toured a railway museum and had a chance to interact with African animals, including feeding elephants by hand! After a short flight to Johannesburg, South Africa, we explored another railway museum and then traveled on to a one-night stay in Pretoria, South Africa. The following morning we boarded a Rovos Rail train for the highlight of the trip, four days and three nights aboard what is claimed the most luxurious train in the world. While Rovos does have steam engines, they are only used within the yards. As we traveled on the South African and Zimbabwean National Railroad systems, we were pulled by their diesel engines. Our rooms were beautiful, wood paneled, and fitted with private bathrooms, and even a champagne-stocked fridge! Each evening we dressed for dinner: five courses with a different wine for each. Along the way, we stopped for an afternoon safari where we, saw at close range, huge numbers and varieties of wild animals. In This Issue Southern Africa 1 President s Message 2 Museum Update 3 Ramblin Rails 4 Board Elections 5 Railroader Appreciation 6 Board Update 6 Around The Grounds 7 DOWT 8 Current Projects 9 Timetable 10 Our final stop was Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, where we spent three nights at the A Zambezi River Lodge. While there, we visited the world-famous and very impressive Victoria Falls, in addition to enjoying a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River. On our final evening, we boarded the Bushtracks Train for a short trip across the river--pulled by a restored Garrett engine. While travel to and from Africa was exhausting, my time there was exciting and amazing. The sights, people, hotels and food were exceptional. My traveling companions were extremely friendly and hospitable. All in all, my time in Africa was a neverto-be forgotten experience. I m only sorry this short report cannot convey the excitement of my adventure. If you would like to know more, please ask. Other notes: the gauge in Africa is 3 foot, six inches. Neither of the museums we visited currently has working engines. However, one does have a huge lathe which can turn eight-foot driving wheels! Steve Kamm More photos on page 5
Page 2 The Dispatcher The stated mission of the Oklahoma Railway Museum is to provide the opportunity for people to experience the excitement of rail transportation. The President s Column by Eric Dilbeck Our annual Day Out With ThomasTM (DOWT) event has just concluded. Over the six days of the event we ran 58 trains and carried a total of 11,868 passengers. The success of the event is a testament to the hard working volunteers that spend a significant amount of time planning, setting up and working at DOWT. Below I have highlighted few jobs and the volunteers that make this event a success. Stan Hall is the event coordinator in charge of planning DOWT. He works throughout the year with the representatives from the DOWT organization. After the first of the year, if not sooner, he will begin working on our 2017 event. Drake Rice and Anne Murray-Chilton work on marketing and advertising. This includes creating press releases, brochures, and billboard ads. They negotiate advertising contracts with television and radio stations to ensure our event is well promoted. In addition, Anne takes care of the ticket office before and during the event. If you have visited the ticket office during the event, you know that she is constantly busy. Setting up for DOWT takes several weeks of preparation. Many of our regular volunteers including Bob Cossairt, Bob Nantois, and Charles Price, work on setting up tents, moving tables and chairs, and driving many posts. The gift shop takes four days and several people to sort, unpack, and display merchandise. Marvin and Mary Holderbaum and myself setup and ran the store this year. Mary is the master of keeping the store stocked with merchandise. During the event, platform managers Larry Dodd and Greg Hall, ensured our guests boarded and departed the train efficiently. They were assisted by Bob Nantois, car host manager, who ensured every train car was staffed. Car hosts assisted passengers, collected tickets and made sure everyone enjoyed their ride. Four local train clubs came out to help as car hosts; without them we would not have enough car hosts. Parents and students of Christian Heritage Academy filled many 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 Greg Robertson, 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 positions throughout the event such as: stockers, cashiers, balloon sellers, and attendants for the tattoo booth, Imagination Station, mini golf, and moon bounce. The above list of people is just a few of the many, many volunteers necessary to produce an event. We are always in need of more volunteers that can help with DOWT and other events. DOWT is a great way for us to engage with our community and promote our great museum. I speak for all of the volunteer when I say that the planning, setup, and running of DOWT is rewarded with the look of joy on the faces of children and families. See you on the rails! Eric Dilbeck Halloween Train October 29th Adults in costume receive a $2.00 discount Smiley O Riley from Dental Depot will be handing out goodie bags to the kids
The Dispatcher Museum Update By Drake Rice Page 3 Our annual Day Out with Thomas TM event was underway at the time this was written and as such, restoration work has been placed on hold. With the completion of this event the museum will refocus on the work of restoration projects and our museum expansion. There are a number of projects that need to be addressed, going forward this winter. We have the MKT Inspection Car that has been cleaned and primed which is a big one for the museum. We have continued minor maintenance on engine 2571 and at the same time, continued work on repairs to engine OKRX 2, which has some water leaks that need to be addressed. In addition, we will have work to do continuing with baggage carts restoration in the shop. The museum s ST-2 H Motor Car is also in need of restoration work. There are also other areas that need help. If you haven t checked out the museum display car, you should do so. Chuck Shinn and a few members continue to work away at our displays to show a few of the many items the museum continues receive. He changes the displays to keep the displays fresh. If you haven t checked it out, I would encourage you to stop in and visit with Chuck. And as always, he always welcomes help. Chuck s efforts in our limited space should make each of us look forward to the day we will have a nice building on the grounds to display the many items that have been donated to the museum. And we do have many items. We also partner with other museums like the Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. They are using some of Oklahoma Railway Museum s artifacts in a display they have on the television series, Hell on Wheels. Credit is noted on their displays that artifacts are on loan from Oklahoma Railway Museum. This again is another area our museum is being recognized for its efforts in preserving railway history and becoming a resource for railroad information and artifacts. We look forward to the work starting on the new parking lot that was approved by the board at the September meeting. As we have noted, it will be the first of many steps in the expansion of our museum. There will be planning meetings during the winter months to help formulate and set priorities for the development of the museum. We look forward to what the future holds for Oklahoma Railway Museum and we encourage each member to become involved as we continue to grow our museum. We have the Railroaders Appreciation Day on October 22nd and the Halloween Train on October 29th. The OKC Train Show is December 3rd and 4th at the Fairgrounds. At the end of the year our Annual Christmas Train will be December 17th and 18th. There will be a lot of ways to help with these events, or with some of the projects mentioned above and planning on our expansion. We hope to see you at your museum, Drake Rice Engraved Platform Bricks Cost 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 Museum 3400 NE Grand Boulevard Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73111 Call the museum with any questions. 405-424-8222 Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 Purchaser s Name Phone No.
Page 4 The Dispatcher Ramblin Rails By Larry Dodd Dave and Brenda This issue of Ramblin Rails is not specific to railroad activity, but yes it is, sort of. Loretta and I visited the ranch of Dave and Brenda Daniher. Dave and Brenda live in the Purgatory Valley, south of La Junta Colorado. They lead a very rural and rustic lifestyle, and do it in grand style. Very likely you do not know them. We did not know them until about six months ago when a mutual friend put me in touch with Brenda. Brenda is an artist specializing in bronze sculptures. (More on that later). As you know, Oklahoma Railway Museum now has AT&SF 643, from the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds, and the volunteers have put in a lot of hours to scrape, sand and needle many years of rust and pigeon poop off of the old girl. She looks resplendent in her dress black and is almost ready for display. However, you will note that the numbers 643 are not displayed on the front of the locomotive. The original numbers 643 grew legs and walked away sometime during her tenure at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds. Enter, Brenda Daniher. Jim Jordan, a member of the Rocky Mountain Railroad & Historical Federation, and I were having a conversation and I mentioned the missing numbers. He gave me Ms. Daniher s information and suggested I contact her. I immediately called Ms. Daniher and explained our predicament. She was excited to give it a try with aluminium. It was interesting to learn that Ms. Daniher (Brenda from here on out) gathered up several barrels of aluminium cans to melt down for raw material for our pour. I have learned that there is a lot to melting and casting metals. Aluminum requires significant higher temperatures and it melts just below the melting point of steel. In fact, during the last pour for the number 6 the bottom of their forge melted out and the aluminum slag poured out on to the ground. To melt aluminum actually requires a porcelain crucible, but they are pricey at around $1,000 each. As Brenda did this as a gift to ORM, she decided not to invest in such a pricey toy. Brenda has sculptures scattered across Colorado and New Mexico. You can Google Daniher sculptures and you will be treated to a number of photos of her excellent work. In addition to being a professional and extremely talented sculptor, she is an artist with the paint brush as well. She also trains and rides horses on their ranch. David is equally talented. He is a rancher and earns an income in that respect. On his ranch he also raises and trains bloodhounds. His bloodhounds are used by the Colorado Department of Corrections to track down escapees from local facilities. His hounds have never failed. In fact they are so good that the Kenyan (Yes, in Africa) Department of Natural Resources made contact with him and through a friend, and two of his bloodhounds went to Kenya. It seems when poachers are discovered, they flee in all directions which creates a real challenge for the terribly understaffed game rangers. They now use David s bloodhounds to track the poachers when they flee from the camp. This has dramatically increased their arrest rate which also provides protection and sanctuary for the wildlife of the country. Well done, David. Larry Dodd Click here to see more photos ORM NEEDS YOU! Museum Docent/Guides needed Currently we do not have docent/guides scheduled for Thursdays. Available shifts are 9:00-1:00pm, 1:00-5:00pm or all day if you are able. There are shifts available on Friday afternoons and Saturdays as well. Oklahoma Railway Museum s docent/guides are a vital position that we need filled. They bring life to Oklahoma s fascinating railroad history by giving guided tours, answering questions, and performing information service on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Please contact Anne Chilton at 405-424-8222 or annem@oklahomarailwaymuseum.org to sign up for a shift.
The Dispatcher Page 5 Southern Africa Railfan Trip Photos By Steven Kamm Garrett engine on the Victoria Falls Bridge, Zimbabwe (above). Rovos Rail train in Zimbabwe (below). Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe (above). Rovos Rail Steam Engine, Pretoria, South Africa (below). 2017 Board of Directors elections The following Board of Director positions are up for election in January, 2017. Board Position Vice President Secretary NRHS Director Director of Track Maintenance Director of Museum Displays Incumbent Bob Nantois Drake Rice Greg Robertson Bob Hussey Bob Cook Nominees will be published in the December and January issues of the Dispatcher. Elections will be held during the annual membership meeting on January 7th, 2017 at Furr s Fresh Buffet in Moore. Arrive at 6:00 P.M. to eat. Meeting starts at 7:00 P.M. The Oklahoma Railway Museum by-laws require elections for the positions listed to the left in 2017. The position term is for two years. Nominee Qualifications: ORM member for six (6) months prior to Friday, November 11, 2016. Nominations must be received on or before Friday November 11, 2016. Send nominations to: Anne Chilton 3400 NE Grand Blvd Oklahoma City OK 73111 annem@oklahomarailwaymuseum.org
Page 6 Railroader Appreciation day October 22nd Lunch will be served at 11:00am Train ride at 1:00pm RSVP to Danny Hopson 831-1523 The Dispatcher Crosstie 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 Store Thank you to member Tom Harrison for welding our platform fence. This was a great visual improvement during our Thomas event. In past years we had orange construction fencing along the platform. Thanks Tom! Photos by Eric Dilbeck Board Update By Drake Rice Actions from the September Board Meeting: Day Out With Thomas Update Museum is working on a plan to remove all signals that were installed due to non-compliance with FRA Rules. A nominations committee for the Board Elections in January was named. Cosmetic restoration of Steam Engine 643 has been completed along with the Conoco Tank Car. Repair Work on the Birthday Caboose is nearing completion. Board approved the lowest best bid for the new parking lot with work to begin after DOWT. Board discussed the recent damage to the parking lot at the Adventure Station ways to make repairs. The 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.
The Dispatcher Page 7 Around the grounds Photos by Anne Chilton The shuttle wagon pulls out AT&SF 643 for our photo freight. Greg Hall oils AT&SF 643 prior to its trip to the mainline. Terry Birchett works on our CF7 2571 in preparation for DOWT. Tom Harrison working on the birthday caboose. Our new sign is now installed on the Jim Murray Maintenance Building. Marvin and Mary Holderbaum working the ORM booth at the Christmas Trainset car show in Moore, OK. Photo via Facebook
Page 8 The Dispatcher Day Out With Thomas Photos by Eric Dilbeck Kids from the Wee Kids Child Development Center visited Thomas. Photo By Larry Dodd The bubble machine was a hit with all of the kids! Sir Topham Hat(AKA Anne), and Conductor Dilbeck with Lacey Lett on the Rise and Shine Show. Photo via Facebook Greg Hall and Larry Dodd work the platform ensuring the trains were loaded and departed on time. Our miniature Thomas is always a hit for taking pictures. Lisa sings while several Thomas attendees dance.
The Dispatcher Page 9 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. Frisco Caboose from the Fair Grounds (in the shop building) The caboose has been painted and lettered. The metal ORM logo signs still need to be installed. This Caboose will be moved and will become a sign for the museum. Santa Fe 643 Steam Engine (in the shop building) The clear coat has been applied and the wiring for the lights has been completed. The cab windows, sunshades, and rear curtains are being worked on next. Frisco Birthday Caboose (outside on the platform) The siding has been replaced. Repairs are being made on the cupola. Next we will finish painting the outside of the caboose. Rock Island Caboose (outside on the track) The materials for the roof walks have been purchased. They are currently being primed and painted prior to installation. Conoco Tank Car (in the shop building) The walk ways have been installed and this project is almost finished. MKT Inspection Car (in the maintenance yard) The car has been sandblasted and primed. 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 AT&SF 643 sits in the sun on the mainline Page 10 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 steve.lemcke@att.net Marshall Douglas (405) 290-8989 Steve Kamm (405) 685-3755 email skamm@college.occc.edu 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 sfrr@aol.com, 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 eric@oklahomarailwaymuseum.org. For information on upcoming programs contact Anne Chilton at annem@oklahomarailwaymuseum.org.