the DispatcherCentral Oklahoma Chapter

of the National Railway Historical Society Oklahoma Railway Museum Ltd,

NARCOA Affiliate Member

Volume 51 Issue 3 March 2016

Gary Githens By Stan Hall

Gary was my friend for a long time. We worked for many of the same construction contractors over a period of time and related many funny stories about the projects and the quirks of the owners. No construction job ever goes as planned; there are always delays for weather, lost materials, unexpected things found in the ground as digging began. We related as I was trying to account for the costs and he was trying to keep the project on time. We found a project that we could relate to in a meaningful way.

Fort Sill was building a new train yard complete with a balloon track. Gary was working for the contractor and I wiggled an invitation to see the construction. Gary introduced me as president of the Oklahoma Railway Museum and the contractors representative agreed to take us on a tour of the project. Of course, I wanted to take pictures and we had to be sure there were no classified things that would be in the pictures. It was difficult to take a picture of anything at Fort Sill that was not classified but I got pictures of a lot of track. Gary and I had a fun day. He got some work done and I got some pictures.

Gary helped me throughout the time I was president of the museum. It started with a crisis when we lost our newsletter editor. Gary came to my rescue by volunteering to act as editor until someone else could be found. He introduced me to a local print shop where we could get the newsletters printed cheaper than we had done in the past. He helped move from a black and white printed letter to a full color e-mail version. This allowed for more pictures in color and an almost unlimited number of pages. When there were no articles for the month he could come up with pictures to fill the issue. The toughest job I had was writing the President's message every month. Gary would prod me to come up with something to say and help me think of appropriate things to write about.

Lastly, we are always short of car hosts; Gary and his family filled in many times when I was about at wits end. His family always showed up for the Halloween train in costume and I could depend on them to help with the Christmas train.

I will miss Gary both as a friend and a helper at the museum.

Stan

Gary on a UP safety train trip May 2014

the DispatcherOklahoma Railway Museum,

Ltd.

Board of Directors Eric Dilbeck, President

Bob Natois, Vice President andProgram Chair

Drake Rice, Secretary

Charles Price, Treasurer

Greg Robertson, NRHS Director

Bob Cossairt, Director ofBuildings & Static Displays

Bob Hussey, Director ofTrack Maintenance

Terry Birchett, Director ofMechanical Operations

Harry Currie, Director at Large

Greg Hall, Director ofMuseum Activities

Bob Cook, Director ofMuseum Displays

Ed Birch Jr.,Train Show Chair

Anne Murray-Chilton, Membership ChairEric Dilbeck,

Interim Dispatcher Editor

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The President's Column

Oklahoma Railway Museum, LTD. 405-424-8222

Memories of Gary By Larry Dodd

I knew Gary for several years during my tenure as Vice President at ORM. He was always quick to lend a hand or to contribute effort to any project. Gary's organization of the Curtis Hill Rendezvous was a noted project that drew photographers from around the country. As an Operation Lifesaver volunteer and officer I appreciated his work, in that, he kept everyone safe and away from any hazards on the railroad property.

Gary was certainly a big wheel in our process. To confirm my above statement above, he was quick to jump in as editor of our newsletter and did an excellent job. Our newsletter was among the best of the many I receive on the internet.

Gary's personality and presence will certainly be missed. As a true photographer he kept in the shadows. His photography caught the emotions of our guests and members alike. We are grateful to have those photos to remind us of Gary. We just wish Gary had been on the other side of the camera more often.

Larry

As you will read throughout this newsletter, Gary Githens was a valued and well liked member of ORM. It was a combination of what Gary did for the museum and who he was as a person that made him a true gift to the museum. Even with his passing he left us one more gift. In addition to being an active ORM member, Gary was an active Boy Scout leader. At the February board meeting we found a way to honor Gary by combining both of his passions. We have received donations to the museum on behalf of Gary. The Board voted to allocate these funds directly to the “Gary Githens Merit Badge Program.”

The merit badge program will allow Boy Scout Troops to come out and, in a day, fulfill most of the requirements for either “Model Trains” or “Railroading” merit badges. For out of town troops, we will allow them the opportunity to camp on the museum grounds. Retired railroaders and ORM members, Tony Chamblin and Fred Jones, volunteered to be counselors for the program. Anne Murry-Chilton is working on organizing this program including allocating donations to help purchase supplies needed to launch.

The merit badge program opens a new opportunity for the museum. With every opportunity comes the need for additional volunteers and your diverse skill sets. With that in mind, we are developing a couple of resources for our volunteers. 1. Anne Murry-Chilton is working on a new volunteer handbook. This will allow us to consistently inform volunteers of our policies. 2. The board approved a subscription to an on-line program for volunteer-based organizations. This program will help us coordinate projects, volunteers, and their skills. We will be able to directly communicate about upcoming projects and volunteering needs. With both of these additions, it will be easier for members to be informed of what the museum needs. Want to help, but not sure what you can do? Keep posted, we'll dispatch more information soon.

Eric Dilbeck

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Gary passing out OKC Train Show flyer's on the Halloween Express.

Gary mowing out at the museum. You could frequently find him riding his mower around the grounds

Gary directing traffic at the Women's College World Series. "I Said, Park There!"

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Gary and members at a cookout at the museum before cars were repainted.

Gary and Charles Price preparing for Santa Fe Historical Society Board dinner in our dining Car.

Gary and members dismantling the train shed at Union Depot before moving it to the museum

Page 5the Dispatcher

Gary Delbert Githens1947-2016

On track 1, passenger car 113 is in the shop for brake inspection and recertification. Meanwhile; out front passenger car 115 is receiving the same service under the guidance of Guy Lynn. These two passenger cars; along with the open car (UP Flat) and the caboose; are receiving the same services in preparation of the 2016 operating season.

The wood crew is working on the platform replacing siding on the Frisco Birthday Caboose. The roof of the Frisco Caboose, that was at the fairgrounds, has been replaced as well.

We submitted an application for a grant for the KATY Inspection Car. The goal is to restore it back to the appearance and functionality that it had when it was touring the MKT System. Anne Chilton and Eric Dilbeck prepared the grant application.

Drake Rice has been working on the Fairmont MT 19A 2-9 Motor car that was donated last month to the museum by Mr. Robert Flaherty. The side panel without the glass has been replaced with a spare that came with the car. The gas tank was removed and repaired; patching the holes and removing the rust. It will be added as a display when the work is completed.

The plans for the new 6-inch water line for the fire hydrant have been submitted to the city for their review and approval. Hopefully by next month’s update, work will be underway for the installation of the hydrant and the plans for the new parking lot on the north side of 34th street will be submitted to the city for review and approval.

We have a number of volunteers not mentioned that are working on various other projects. When you count them, we have a good group of around 20 members each Saturday. We thank all who are helping. And as always we can use more volunteers to greet guests and answer questions on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Volunteers are always welcome to work on the many projects we have on going at the museum.

See you at the museum,

Drake

Museum Update by Drake Rice

Work continues on the ATSF 643 in the shop on track 2. Bob Nantois continues to scale off the old paint and dirt while Stan Hall follows along putting primer on the cleaned areas. Eric Dilbeck and Greg Hall continue to patch the sheet metal around the boiler sealing all the holes. The engine is beginning to look nice again. The headlight has been restored and is ready to be reinstall. The rear headlight has been removed for restoration. Work is now underway to rebuild the shade over the fireman and engineer windows.

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Left, Terry Birchett mans 301.Right, Harry Currie and Tom Harrison apply primer to siding.

Page 7the DispatcherCurrent Projects By Eric Dilbeck

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e currently have several projects in progress at the museum. Arrange time on a Saturday to come out nd help.

risco Caboose from the Fair Grounds (outside the shop building e are doing major repairs to get the caboose weather tight. It has suffered from years out in the

lements. New siding has been purchased and needs to be primed before installation.

anta Fe 643 Steam Engine (in the shop building)e are currently stripping the old paint off and applying primer. Additional repairs are needed to the boiler

acket before we can finish the priming and the painting.

risco Birthday Caboose (outside on the platforme are completely removing two layers of siding, installing insulation and new siding. In order to keep it

rotected from the elements we are working on small sections at a time. This and our dependency on ood weather to work in will cause this to be a long project.

ock Island Caboose (outside on the track)teve Kamm is finishing up a lot of small details on this project. Currently we are waiting on material to rrive in order to finish the roof walks.

ONOCO Tank Car (currently stored on O Wanda siding)

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 then 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

e are waiting on material to arrive so we can install the walk-ways and finish painting and stenciling.

Visit the Oklahoma Railway Museum on YouTube at: youtube.com/c/OklahomarailwaymuseumOrg

Page 8

Oklahoma Railway Museum, Ltd.3400 NE Grand BoulevardOklahoma City, OK 73111-4417

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

TIMETABLEAny changes to the following information or articles for “the Dispatcher,” should be directed to the Editor, Eric Dilbeck, at eric@oklahomarailwaymuseum.org. For information on upcoming programs, contact Anne at: annem@oklahomarailwaymuseum.org)

Oklahoma Railway Museum (ORM) – Open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M. Closed on major holidays.

ORM Train Rides - First and third Saturdays, April through August at 9:15 A.M, 11:15 A.M, 1:15 P.M. and 3:15 P.M. ORM Board Meetings – Last Thursday of every month at ORM, Oklahoma City – 7 pm.

Oklahoma “N” Rail – For information, call Rick Inselman, 405-412–1552. Central Oklahoma Garden Railroad Society [COGRS] Contact information: Steve Lemcke (405) 703-0209 e-mail steve.lemcke@att.net

or Marshall Douglas (405) 290-8989 or Steve Kamm (405) 685-3755 e-mail skamm@college.occc.edu

Passenger Rail Oklahoma - A grassroots advocacy organization. Meets every Saturday and Sunday morning an hour prior to the arrival of the Heartland Flyer in Norman. The depot opens at 7:50 am. Contact Evan Stair at sfrr@aol.com, www.passengerrailok.org, 405-366–8957, or 517 Claremont, Norman, OK 73069–5020. Depot volunteer opportunities are available.

Oklahoma S.W. Division NMRA – 2nd Saturday each month, 1 P.M., 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.

OUT OF TOWNWaynoka Station/Waynoka Historical Society – 202 South Cleveland, Waynoka Call Sandie Olson, 580/824–1886. Notice: They need help with their model railroad layout. If you could help, call Sandie.

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It's not to late to renew your membership.Dues can be renewed on our website by clicking the link below.

oklahomarailwaymuseum.org/membership/

Oklahoma Railway Museum, Ltd. 3400 NE Grand Boulevard Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73111

Museum Information:We have someone to answer your questions 405-424-8222. Our museum is open every Thursday, Friday, & Saturday 9:00am to 5:00pm. Admission to the museum is free. The museum is an outdoor museum and MAY BE CLOSED for inclement weather or when the temperature is below 40°F.

Find us: From I-35 North take the NE 36th St. exit. At the stoplight go left on NE 36th. Continue west about 1/2 mile. Turn left at the Grand Blvd stoplight. Continue approximately two blocks. We are on the left at NE 34th St.

Regular Trains: Available every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month from April through August. Tickets are $12.00, children 12 and under $5.00, and children under 3 ride FREE. The train ride is approximately 40 minutes long. Trains leave the museum's Oakwood Depot at 9:15am, 11:15am, 1:15pm, and 3:15pm.

Day Out with Thomas: September 23rd, 24th, 25th, 30th, and October 1st, & 2nd. Take a 25 minute ride with Thomas the Tank EngineTM. Meet Thomas, Sir Topham Hatt, while enjoying storytelling, live music, building with Mega Bloks® and much, much more. Advance purchase is recommended. Ticket sales are final. Events are rain or shine. Tickets go on sale in April at thomasandfriends.com

Halloween Train October 29, 2016:Come in costume for $2 off normal ticket prices: $12.00, Children 12 and under $5.00, and children under 3 ride FREE. Trains leave the Museum's Oakwood Depot at 9:15am, 11:15am, 1:15pm, and 3:15pm

Christmas Train December 17 and 18, 2016: Ride with Santa, sing Christmas carols, hear a reading of the "Polar Express," and enjoy hot chocolate and cookies. Tickets go on sale November 1st, Tickets: $15.00, children under 3 ride FREE. Trains leave the museum's Oakwood Depot at 9:00am,10:30am (17th only), 12:00pm, 1:30pm and 3:00pm.

Memberships:Benefits include: Two free train rides on regular run days (Does not apply to Day Out with Thomas, Halloween or Christmas trains. Emailed copy of the ORM newsletter The Dispatcher Member Picnic and train ride

Memberships are available at the following rates: Regular Membership - $36 per year (spouse included)Senior Member - age 65 and up - $30 per year (spouse included)Student Member - Full-Time Student - $30 per year [these are pro-rated if you join during the year] Lifetime Member - $500.

If you wish to join the National Railway Historical Society, dues are an additional $50.00 per year. This organization’s due are not prorated.Note: Events, dates, times and charges subject to change without notice.

Birthday Party package options and membership information on the next page.

Oklahoma Railway Museum offers you a unique venue to host a birthday party. You supply the cake, presents and thekiddos while we supply tables and chairs. Paper engineer hats and a rail safety activity book is Included.We have a 2 venues to chose from:

1921 wooden caboose which can accommodate parties up to 20 people.1921 party coach which can accommodate up to 60 people.

Time and date must be reserved with a 50% deposit. The balance is due the day of the party.

Package One: Available on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays, April through August. This package includes 1 hour and 45 minutes for the party and train ride on our historic railroad passenger cars. Twenty tickets are included for the train ride. Additional train tickets can be purchased for $5.00 each.Birthday Caboose: $250.00 Party Coach: $300.00Provided the party space is vacated clean and on time, $50.00 of the fee will be refunded after the party

Package Two: Available throughout the year on most non-operating Saturdays. This package includes 1 hour and 45 minutes for your party. Train ride is not part of this package.

Birthday Caboose: $150.00 Party Coach: $200.00Provided the party space is vacated clean and on time, $50.00 of the fee will be refunded after the party

Birthday Caboose: package one: with train ride $250.00 _____ Party Coach: package one: with train ride $300.00 _____

Venue Time Requested (please circle time) 9:00 am to 10:45 am11:00 am to 12:45 pm 1:00pm to 2:45 pm 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Trains departure times: 9:15 am 11:15 am 1:15 pm 3:15 pm

Information and prices subject to change without notice

Oklahoma Railway Museum, LTD3400 NE Grand Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73111-4417

(405) 424-8222www.oklahomarailwaymuseum.org

Birthday party bookings are not available during the Day Out with Thomas event.Birthday party package two may be available during special events such as the Halloween and Christmas train.Event train ride ticket prices will apply for birthday parties held on special event train operation days.

For availability and reservation of parties, go to our website at www.oklahomarailwaymuseum.org.Parties can also be reserved by filling out the form below and mailing it with deposit to:Oklahoma Railway Museum, 3400 NE Grand Blvd. Oklahoma City, OK 73110-4417 Upon receipt your reservation will be confirmed by email.

Name: __________________________________________ Date/time requested for party: _______________________

Birthday Person and new age:_________________________________________________________________________

Home phone: _____________________ Day phone: _______________________ Cell phone: ______________________

E-mail:______________________________________

Please choose venue and times below

Birthday Caboose: package two: without train ride $150.00 _____ Party Coach: package two: without train ride $200.00 _____

Revised 2016-02-03