From the Tulsa (OK) World, this news article. The event it describes happened over the weekend, as this old Northern was moved from its former storage site in Owasso to a spot close to BNSF's Cherokee Yard in Tulsa. South Kansas & Oklahoma RR handled the move. Retired train returns to Tulsa By BRIAN BARBER World Staff Writer 10/10/2004 Back in its heyday, the Frisco No. 4500 rocketed through Tulsa, powering the "Meteor" passenger train between Oklahoma City and St. Louis. Decades after retirement, the 1942 locomotive made a return trip Saturday through Tulsa, but not under its own steam. Stripped, rusted and disabled, it was slowly pushed and pulled along the tracks by two modern engines from the South Kansas & Oklahoma Line. The 355-ton locomotive was moved from an Owasso railroad yard to the old Bethlehem Steel building at Archer Street and Lansing Avenue so it can be restored to its former glory. "I don't think many people know the extent of Tulsa's railroad history," said David Yowell, the chairman of the Save the Old Frisco Engine for Tulsa Committee. "This engine is a piece of our past that we need to preserve and protect," he said. Several dozen people gathered near the tracks at Mohawk Park to snap pictures and reminisce as the engine passed. Among them was Gary V. Rheuark, whose father, Leo V. Rheuark, was a locomotive engineer on the Meteor's Tulsa-to-Springfield, Mo., leg. "I rode up in that engine many times as a child," he said. "I always hoped that someone would do something so I would be able to see it again. It may be old, but it's beautiful." David Breed, a past chairman of the Tulsa Historical Preservation Commission, said that before oil made it big, Tulsa's beginning was as a railroad town in 1882 because it was at the end of a cattle trail. The St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad helped the fledgling community grow by constructing a train station and by plotting downtown's Main Street to cross the tracks, he said. Planners later decided to switch to a true north-south grid for Tulsa, which explains why downtown is askew from the rest of the city, Breed said. The Frisco Nos. 4500-4502 were built for the company's Meteor line by Baldwin Locomotive Works in Pennsylvania. The oil-burning steam engines transported passengers from 1942 until 1947, when diesel became popular. After that, they were used to pull freight. Frisco officials donated the No. 4500 engine with its original tender car to the city in 1954. It was on display in Mohawk Park until about 15 years ago, when it was moved to the railroad yard because of expansion by the Tulsa Zoo and the engine's deteriorating condition. A group called Sunbelt Railroad Historical Trust entered into an agreement with the city years ago to restore the engine but never got the work done. In 2002, city officials had decided it was time to sell the engine. The Save the Old Frisco Engine group was formed to stop that from happening. "I remember reading a story about it in the newspaper and thinking that we can't let a piece of our heritage get out of our possession," Yowell said. The group, made up of current and former railroad employees along with enthusiasts such as Yowell, plans to restore the engine to display condition over the next 18 months or so. They have raised about $25,000 in cash and in-kind donations for the project, and more is being solicited. The restoration is expected to cost about $50,000. "If we wanted to put it in running order, it would cost quite a bit more," Yowell said. "What we want to do is get it looking as good as it ever did." The engine will be cleaned, and the nearly 700 parts that were taken off and stored will be reattached using the original blueprints for guidance. Then it will be repainted its original dark blue, silver and white, with a touch of red on the Meteor logo. Once the restoration is complete, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad officials will use their equipment to help the city relocate the engine. But its future station hasn't been determined. It's possible that a portion of the $15 million set aside in the Vision 2025 package for Route 66 could be used for the engine. Breed, who is involved with Route 66 efforts and the train restoration, said he would like to see the city's railroad and automobile legacies tied together. "When they were looking to make the first interstate highway, which was Route 66, they studied the way the railroad lines had been laid out," he said. Among the possible spots for the train are near the entrance of Webster High School, by the Cyrus Avery Bridge at 11th Street, or downtown, Breed said. Wherever it ends up, Yowell said, he envisions teachers bringing their students to the train for a presentation featuring actors and railroad sounds to "bring history to life." Donations can be made payable to Tulsa Park Friends and mailed c/o the Southwest Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 571292, Tulsa, OK 74157-1292.
