I will proudly know that I personally contributed to preserving a piece of history. I feel this is an important and historical artifact of the heyday of railroads. To those who do not agree or are not happy about it, I would simply and politely say there is the door. Do not go away mad, just go away.
More work on Depot today. All openings to outside covered to help keep wind and moisture out. Now have temporary heat inside to help dehumidify air and dry out interior wood work as best as possible. It has been exposed to the open air for a while as it had no roof when got here. Even though roof was put on there were still many openings to allow air and moisture to free flow into interior. Going to start painting soffits to cover new lumber used to make them as well as present exterior cover to help seal it from elements.
Someone from museum told me yesterday that a G scale track with train is going to or wanting to be put up inside the waiting room area of the depot once restoration is done. There was some G scale stuff donated that could be used and that I am going to be the one to do it. It was this person's idea and he had gone to the museum board and proposed it. He has also done several things on his own volition that no homework was done on and when could not make it work. He had to seek assistance from others, including me to make it right. My response was no I do not think that it is a good idea and that it really doesn't belong there. Several others present also voiced the same opinion. There is already a separate model railroad operation with HO scale layout and Lionel O scale at the museum in an area set up for that. I have not been asked or told by a reputable source officially on the museum board about it. And even if they do, I will ask that before they voted yes on it, if they truly have yet, that it would have been nice to have come to me for consultation over the idea first or asked if I was aware of the proposal. Of course the person that came to me was quite dismayed and seemed a little upset about the fact I am dead set against it. Part of the reason is that I was volunteered or mentioned as the person that would do it although I had never been approached and asked about it or if I thought it was a do able thing or not and was told after the fact. Secondly I just really do not think it belongs because putting a suspended G scale train that will be 9 feet above the floor is going to involve attaching a lot of stuff to walls and ceiling and that will be a pain but can be done. The corners would be a pain depending on what radius curves used. G-scale uses a minimum of 4 feet and nominally 8 feet is best. The waiting room area is only about 11 X 19 feet. And the pain of using brass track isn't thrilling. They could always use the Bachmann steel track as its made for indoor use. Just not fond of brass or steel track, and then money to buy it, plus cleaning and maintenance issues. Thirdly, is G-scale is mostly referred to as garden scale and used outdoors for garden railways. I know about it as I have a friend who has G and he has a nice outdoor set up. I have helped him with his at times. Anyone who dabbles in G-scale should know that rolling stock is not all the same scale. It can vary from 1:20.3 to 1:32. The only thing that is the same within that range is the fact the track gauge is 45 mm regardless of scale that runs on it. G-scale stuff is pricey and if donated stuff is garbage hope someone is willing to pay out probably around a 1000 bills, or maybe more, for some decent stuff. Decent G-scale steam locomotives go for over a thousand dollars. A 2018 Bachmann Spectrum 2 truck climax with DCC and sound has a suggested price was $1599. Need to have sound to make it worth while yes? Without sound is $1465. Rio Grande Southern C-19 2-8-0 # 40 DCC and sound performs best on 5 foot radius curve or greater is $1699. So would be best to use at least a five foot curve but go with 8 to be safe and make it look better operationally. An SD70M was $500! If they are going to go ahead with it I hope they do it professionally and not cheaply so it detracts from the ambiance of the waiting room area after the restoration is complete. I haven't decided if I will even assist if the powers to be insist on doing it, but I will definitely not take the lead on it. But I don't want it looking crappy in a nicely restored depot waiting room that I am helping to restore. It was never intended or conceived to have had a G scale train hung in and operating in its waiting room. If they do insist on doing it then I will put in my 2 cents worth about it and go from there. But if I get any grief then I will just politely refuse to be involved with it all. G-scale is ok for those that like it and have the funds to do it. But honestly belongs in an outside environment unless you have a lot of interior space to spare. So for those of you who read this could you let me know your thoughts about it? Positive or negative its ok, I won't be upset. And does it seem as if I am being selfish or a butt head about the whole idea? Send to me by conversation if you like instead of posting on here. Thanks, Karl
When working as a volunteer, with other volunteers, being extremely considerate of them and their opinions is a very healthy practice. One must learn to be a good diplomat or one might end up being the sole volunteer.
I have been diplomatic about things with people and issues in the 14 years I have been there. I was not rude in the way I said it and I explained my rational and the cons against doing it to the gentleman as I said in the post. Other members have not been happy with the antics he has pulled since he joined a year or two ago. But I didn't use that in my decision that it was a bad idea. I did also offer to assist if it does proceed as there will be things that will need engineering. They apparently want it to be started by remote pushbutton which is easy to do and for it to time out after a certain period of time. Also easy to do. Said I will give you ideas of how to build the track support and that the museum carpenter could help in making the pieces if you present it to him and he agrees to help. Commercially bought stuff is expensive and powers to be may say no as there are already cost issue. I wouldn't want it to look cheap and poorly done because the depot is going to eventually be the entry point via the waiting room area. The board has made some decisions to do things that have turned into near disasters cause no research and planning was done and then problems were handled as a crisis management issue. Many members were upset about what the costs have become over the depot restoration. Prior to trucking it up here the roof had to be removed because highway patrol and whoever else said the roof made it to high for vertical clearances and also would have fallen apart in route. So that ended up having the move costing an exorbitant amount. Another member took it upon himself to pour the concrete foundation before the depot was even here and thought once it was here it would just sit down on it and all would be right with the world. Wrong. Concrete had to be completely removed and redone cause would have been prudent to check dimensions on building first to get it right and that where concrete was poured was going to be in right place. That was 2 mistakes. Someone else had, diplomatically, rationalized would be prudent to wait but decision was made to go ahead anyway. More money wasted. When ordering new trusses to be made to support a completely new roof mistakes were made concerning the pitch of the roof. Because the 1:3 pitch calculations were made by an individual who did not realize that in 1908 1:3 pitch is different than today's version. So since new roof was required would naturally need trusses to support the roof. Another individual ordered them but made a mistake as I was told did not know the pitch as per 1908 standard is not the same in 2018. Hence they were totally incorrect and were put up then had to be taken down and could not be returned for credit on correct ones. More money down the drain. And he got so mad about it because was told by someone else that should have consulted the resident expert and none of this would have transpired. So he has completely bailed out of the restoration project and pretty much disdains the rest of the ones remaining to try and get the project down. Some team we are. Anyhow as I said I was polite and diplomatic about it and will contemplate it more as the restoration continues. If done will be after restoration completed. I have already done the homework and make notes, etc. that I will present to said individuals concerning the proposal as well as alternate plans for the outdoor installation of the G gauge donation. Am going to look at the donated stuff and get with the gentleman and members of the board about its feasibility and possible additional costs associated with it. Many members are angry about much money and time has been wasted already, tempers have flared and people have become what seems to be downright enemies now rather than friends and fellow members. And in truth a replica depot could have been built new for less. The numbers so far as to what has been spent to date are supposedly at what the total cost estimate was for a completely new replica. There is so much more to be done and the project appears to become perhaps twice as much as what was estimated for a new build. So there is consternation by some over that. Some have stated that its been such a disaster that it should be burned down and just build a new once cutting losses in case goes way up in costs. I just say put away the gasoline and matches, quit the bitching and bickering, agree to disagree and get the damn thing done. And by that time I may change my mind about the G scale thing, but not likely. But if it is what they want I will help out to make sure it gets done properly so it complements the waiting room instead of being a horrible monstrosity that makes everyone say ugh. Of course then I may be branded as hypocritical or of being a Benedict Arnold or some other such nonsense. Oh well it is my choice and decision and my prerogative and if I chose to do so then damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead! Thanks to everyone for their input so far and keep it coming.
Oops screwed up and hit post prematurely before deleting lower part. See I make mistakes too as I am only human. Sorry about that. Karl
The former Frisco Le Flore, OK depot is now owned by and has relocated to the Oklahoma Railway Museum (ORM) in Oklahoma City. It is currently under restoration as the future entry, information point, gift shop and the ticket office for train rides on museum train run days or special event train runs.
More work today on restoration due to warmer weather. New windows are in new bay area. Here are a few pics from the interior.
More work done today on depot restoration thanks to warmer weather. 3 new exterior windows are in now in place for the reconstructed bay and 2 interior windows for ticket office/waiting room area. 6 other exterior windows in place with 2 more to install - one in office on wall opposite the bay and one in freight room. New exterior siding is on site and being primed. Old exterior siding that was salvagable, about half, has been saved but will not be reused, other half were rotted and weathered beyond possible reclamation and discarded. Interior siding in relatively good shape so most of it can be retained - most of the layers of paint have flaked off over the years and is almost down to the bare wood now or perhaps the original 1908 layer of paint. Entire roof and supports is new as old one was not structurally sound enough to be moved safely and deemed to be to far gone to be saved once removed but required removal to permit depot to be transported to OKC. Here are 3 shots of interior.
Could anyone provide information, pictures or source reference relating to station name sign dimensions, font used, etc. and where were located on building? Signs it had are long gone and so must recreate them for the restoration and as yet have not run across any in service photographs of the station. Thanks.
A couple of more inside shots and the old Frisco OKC turntable to boot. TT sits just behind depot for time being until it is installed (finances available for building pit and other supporting infrastructure and eventual crane services) for the museums future roundhouse. Roundhouse will be farther down the road than TT, but at least then will having turning capabilities for any rolling stock. Maybe some temporary tracks radiating from (budget issue again) TT to park motive power and other and free up other museum tracks currently used for parking locomotives/other.
You may want to give me a call, I helped with the turntable at Kansas Avenue Yard. That was a fun project!
It could be 5 years or more, hopefully within the next 10 years, depending on when the funding gets fulfilled, before the turntable gets installed. There is currently an old horse stable building out of the picture to the right of the depot which is presently occupying the spot where the turntable will be positioned that has to be razed first. After that a contractor will do their magic. Then the museum will at least have local turning capability and most likely a few temporary outdoor stall tracks before and until the 7 or 8 stall roundhouse is eventually constructed.
Some more work done last weekend. Thresholds being installed for doorways. Baggage/freight room door, although it will be non-opening was first to have threshold installed. Some interior work, mainly removal of some old paint and minor structural repairs and changes done, mainly dealing with adding bathroom in freight room area. That was about all, but any work done is another step closer to the finish line.
New siding going on now. Window issues being resolved. Freight room door change in plan to most likely to be operational rather than as originally planned to be non operating. Previous post picture showed freight room door with hardware in place. It did open and close originally. But was decided for some reason it was to be non operating and hardware was removed and retained/set aside.
Shots of siding now being applied. Freight room door decision was mainly due to trying to make building as air tight as possible so it was thought to just put door in place and permanently weather seal it shut without the hardware to allow it to open and close. Was done like that but can be made to be operating. But that decision is pending. I would chose operational but not my decision alone that will determine what it ends up as.
Here is future plan of museum showing roundhouse area. Lefore depot location is #2. #3 roundhouse and turntable are in the future.
