OKC Railroad Museum | Caboose

The OKC (Oklahoma City) Railroad Museum is a spot preserving vintage locomotives and train cars. Here, you can see a 1942 U.S. Army steam locomotive, a Santa Fe diesel locomotive, plus multiple passenger cars, freight cars, and maintenance cars from different eras. Unlike traditional museums housed in buildings, this one is repurposed from abandoned train cars—each car features unique exhibits: some display railway tools and signal equipment, while others showcase photos and materials documenting railway history 📜. Admission to the museum is free! From April to August every year, short "train rides" are offered on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays. Tickets cost $12 for adults and $5 for children; kids under 3 ride free on an adult’s lap. There are three types of cars to choose from: coach, open air, and caboose. The latter two have no air conditioning, and each type offers a distinct experience 😎. I chose a cupola seat in the caboose. A caboose is the last car of a train—historically, it served as the crew’s workspace and resting area, with a small table, benches, and a raised cupola (observation window) on the roof. You climb a ladder to reach the cupola, which lets crew members keep an eye on the entire train from above. Sitting there, you can see all the train cars ahead and the railroad tracks stretching out behind 🚂. This year’s regular train rides have ended, but the museum will host a special steam locomotive event on October 18-19, with tickets already on pre-sale! The star of the event will be the Leigh Valley Coal Company 126—a 1930s coal-fired steam locomotive nicknamed "Sadie" ❤️. #OKC #OklahomaCity#SteamTrain #Caboose#RailroadMuseum#TrainEnthusiast #RailwayFan