Does anyone have any pictures of the Oklahoma City depot, on the rail side? I have yet to come across one anywhere on the net. TR
Microsoft Live map view of Oklahoma City Union Station depot. Click the links below. Be patient while loading, it will take you there. If you do not have Microsoft Virtual Earth 3D loaded, it will ask you to do so. It should take you to the link, if not, re click on these link after you install it. http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCC&cp=35.457951~-97.517818&style=h&lvl=17&tilt=-39.6633819584305&dir=180.594256655162&alt=1287.14742988162&cam=35.468735~-97.52082&scene=11145844&phx=0.16884413339501&phy=-0.370120795020772&phscl=2.06538015581053&ss=yp.Union Depot~pg.1~sst.0&encType=1
Here is great website with old and new photographs of Oklahoma City Union Station depot. There are some great interior shot as well! http://www.okctalk.com/okc-metro-area-talk/12277-union-station.html
Due to the reroute of I-40 through Oklahoma City, Union Station depot platforms and platform tracks, including the former Frisco main line to Quanah, have been removed. The Stillwater Central now uses the former Frisco/ATSF interchange at High Street. Then proceeds south on the BNSF crossing the North Canadian River, and then turning west on Stock Yard spur. They finally join back up with the old Frisco main at South Agnew Ave. Below are some images of what is left of the platform tracks and the new underpasses under the BNSF. The first picture is looking east with Oklahoma City Union Station depot and UP/RI main line on the left. Everything to the right of the UP was depot platforms and tracks. The 2nd picture is what is left of the depot platforms and canopies. Where the concrete piles are setting is where the depot tunnel is/was. The thing sticking up in the air is an old drain for a platform canopy. The third and forth picture is where the former Frisco/ATSF connection track was. There were two tracks and they entered off the Frisco main a concrete tunnel underneath the ATSF main and went up a ramp to the ATSF. This now is the Stillwater Central track to the BNSF. The fifth picture is where the new Stillwater Central track will be located. The sixth picture is again showing what is left of the depot platforms. The seventh picture is looking east on the Stillwater main line towards the Frisco's East Yard. Where I am standing is where High street crossed the Frisco main line. The track diverging to the left is an industrial track that goes to Producers Cotton Mill and the one to the right is the Stillwater Central main up to the BNSF, which was the connection track. Picture eight is the Stillwater Central looking northeast from the ramp. The concrete tunnel was located where the track goes under the BNSF. Picture nine is where I-40 will go under the BNSF almost exactly where the Frisco main line went under the ATSF. Jerome
Jerome, these are good pictures and a sad reminder of what "use to be". Thanks for posting these. Mike
Just below center and at the right of the picture, is one of the streamline Meteor RPO cars. Also several other passenger cars in the photograph. Tom
The train is the Meteor waiting for the connection from Lawton, OK. Head end cars did not go through to Lawton in this time period. The observation-diner, a sleeper, and a coach or two were coupled to a couple of head end cars and then the 2 E units would go to Lawton. After awhile, only 1 sleeper and 1 coach went through so that made a 4 car train pulled by 2 E units. The baggage-RPO car that ran Oklahoma City and Lawton was really old and had only a 15 foot RPO apartment, but it also had a steam generator in the car. Would sure like to see a picture of it.
I doubt that the Meteor's Lawton connection RPO had a steam generator. It may have had steam connections for heat for the comfort of the express messengers and railway mail clerks. If it was an old car, it may even have had stoves. Tom
I do not know that it had a steam generator. The RPO clerk told me that it did so that the cars would have heat when handled in a freight mixed train out around Quanah or Altus.
A latter-day, 1961, Lawton train is shown on page 40 of Frisco Southwest, by McCall & Schultz. E7A (EA7) SLSF 2004 and an E8A handle a heavyweight RPO 15' compartment-Baggage and a single heavyweight chair car into Oklahoma City.
There's also a December 1960 photo of the Lawton Meteor connection in Marre's Frisco In Color, page 52, with two 15' RPO's (221-225 class). I suspect one of them is being used as an express car. Tom
Elsewhere in this site, the discussion is about coaches named Joplin and Enid. While watching trains in Oklahoma City, I saw fairly often a coach with the Frisco herald embedded in the frosted window of the washroom. What series of coach would this have been?
I think those prism glasses with the Frisco emblems were some kind of railroad aftermarket supplier's product. I saw them in the old "Train Shed Cyclopedia" books. I think they were on several, maybe many, Frisco cars. Tom
Regarding the Frisco emblems in prism windows, I cannot confirm the identity of Frisco passenger cars so equipped. I know that Royal American Shows car #64 had such a window. At the time I saw it, the car was still in service of the "World's Largest Midway". Bill
This is the best I could find in my files. When I was shooting pictures the passenger tracks were filled with stored freight cars. This is the Freedom Train passing through the station light power.
