Last Saturday, Traci I went up to Kellyville, Oklahoma for what is known as "Fiber Christmas." She enjoyed herself looking at yarns, wools and other crafts–and I used the time to scout for local cabooses! Luckily we found one in Sapulpa.
The Fiber Christmas event was actually fun. There were more people there than I expected, about 50-70. Everyone was masked up, and practicing good hygiene. What impressed me was how friendly everyone was, and how willing they were to answer questions, teach what they knew and just generally be Good People.
After we left there, we drove up to Sapulpa, where a caboose was listed on ok.railfan.net. Sure enough, it was still there, in a local rail museum, the Tulsa-Sapulpa Union Railway. It is located on Route 66/E Dewey Avenue, between N Birch and Maple Streets, across from Torchy’s. Like many others, the museum was closed, either because it was Saturday or because of COVID. We could not get up close to the caboose, TSU EMG 1, because of the fencing, but we were able to get some good photos.
The caboose itself looks to be in very good shape, and is part of a display with a trolley from a former local rail that ran back to Tulsa. I was able to move around to the far side and get some closer photos, especially of the trucks underneath. Unfortunately, there was a huge bush in the way that obscured a good part of that side.
I also started using my Nikon camera, instead of my lowly iPhone. That camera lets me zoom in better, and get some higher quality images of detailed areas.
At some point I will get in touch with the museum and try to get more details about the caboose, and see what its story is. As it was, we were able to drive around that part of Sapulpa, and even get some lunch at a local diner. (The food was only OK, nothing to write about).
After that, we headed down to Bristow to see if we could locate another caboose!
Marc
Date Visited: 7/25/2020
