On our way back home from visiting Lawton, Fort Sill and the Wichita Mountains, we found BN 12097 on our way through Chickasha. Unfortunately, the museum where it is located was not open, which is a shame.
The caboose is located at the Rock Island Depot, on N 1st Street and W Chickasha Avenue. It is kinda hidden off of the main highway, but Google Maps will help you find it. Just wind your way down to the rail tracks from downtown Chickasha.
The Rock Island Depot is a nice museum, and looks to have a fair amount of historical items there. It’s too bad that it was not open–it would have been fun to go in and learn more about Burlington Northern 12097. We passed through town on a Saturday afternoon, so I would have expected the Depot to be open–that makes me suspect it was closed due to COVID.
The caboose itself is in fair shape, showing some signs of rust. We could not get through the fence to get a closer look, or better photos. It was by itself, without attachment to any other cars. I need to contact the Depot, and see if I can get more info on the museum itself, and the caboose in particular.
As we were passing through Chickasha, we did stop at the Dairy Queen ("the DQ" to you outsiders!) for a dipped cone. Those are like crack to Traci! The downtown area seemed to be thriving, with most stores occupied and the place cleaned up. That is always a sign of a town that is doing well.
Marc
Date Visited: 7/7/2020
