The third caboose that Traci and I found on our Fiber Christmas trip was in the town of Chandler, Oklahoma. It took us a little driving around to find it, but we did.
The caboose, MP 13097, is located on Route 66 and Berry Lane, on the south side of US 66. It is an early-style flatbed and shed type caboose, with more of a deck arrangement on the ends than in more modern cupola-type ones.
The caboose itself is in fair shape, and has a faded Missouri Pacific logo and numbering on it. Traci and I both thought someone was actually living in the caboose–it had a jug of sun tea and a package of toilet paper. It also had some PVC piping running up to it where a toilet might be located, as well as power cabling.
Because of this, we did not go inside or try to get up on the deck. Taking pictures from the street is one thing, peeking into someone’s living space is another.
Finding the caboose at all was a little more challenging this time. The location given on ok.railfan.net said "across from the Wal Mart." What we found is that there is a NEW Wal Mart, which has some other kind of building at that location–not a caboose. So we looked down Route 66 for something that looked like an old Wal Mart building–and that is where we found MP 13097.
Which brings up a good point: Information on the Interwebs may be dated and therefore inaccurate. Buyer beware.
After finding this caboose, we drove through the town of Chandler proper to find another one. The town itself seems to be holding its own. It does not appear to be as thriving as Sapulpa or Bristow, but the stores downtown were filled, and the community seemed active.
I am not sure when I will circle back to finding out the story of this caboose. I think it will be easier to talk to folks about publicly displayed rail cars than private ones–especially ones used as residences.
Still–one more found, and we had one more to find that day…
Marc
Date Visited: 7/25/2020
