By Rob Houston
Director, Visit Enid
A Facebook post caught my eye earlier this week. It came from the Railroad Museum of Oklahoma, one of Enid’s inviting tourism attractions.
The museum was recently privileged to accept numerous boxes of historical material from the estate of the late Dan L. Harris. Thanks to his daughter and son-in-law, Allison and Lynn Angleton, along with Allison’s brothers Greg Harris and Kyle Harris, extensive documentation has been donated providing a detailed account of the formation of the Railroad Museum of Oklahoma, initially known as the Enid Model Railroad and Historical Association which began in 1974. For a time in the late 1970’s, it appeared the museum would be able to call the old Rock Island depot its permanent home. However, due to the bankruptcy of the Rock in 1980, that plan was never realized. It opened in its current location in 1989. Information about all these activities was carefully chronicled by Mr. Harris and will soon be housed in the museum’s research library. Thank you, Allison, Lynn, and Dan for making this wonderful collection available to the Railroad Museum of Oklahoma. We appreciate your thoughtfulness and your help in preserving the history of a great institution!
Dan passed away this past April. He was a longtime volunteer at the Railroad Museum, and was among a small group of model railroad enthusiasts who in 1974 formed the Enid Model Railroad and Historical Association, which became the forerunner of the current museum. He loved working on model train sets and was often found in an outbuilding in the museum’s railyard, working on new model train layouts to be featured. He also loved to share this passion with others. Dan was teaching a weekly class called “Model Railroading 101: Understanding the Beginning Model Railroading” until his death forced postponement of the final two sessions.
I featured Dan and the Railroad Museum this past January during a “4 or More Reasons to Visit Enid” segment. Of course, the video featured the new model train layouts. Dan was reluctant to be on camera at first, but fortunately for me, we had a shared history. His granddaughter Emily and my daughter Nicole played soccer together for 10 years, from the 8U Cheetah Girls to four years playing for the Enid High Pacers. Dan was at many of those games cheering on his Emily and the rest of the girls. So he agreed, and you heard his passion for model railroading again coming through. I am not at all surprised to learn that Dan documented the museum’s history and am thankful his family donated all that history.
A (figurative) show of hands: Who as a child cried out, “Choo-choo” when a train went by, sticking your arm high in the air and pulling down the imaginary rope mimicking the conductor blowing the train whistle? Who loved model train sets? My late father-in-law set up a model train track around the Christmas tree every year, and my children, nieces and nephews all loved getting down on the floor to watch the steam come out of the little engine as it went by. You can get that same feeling when you enter the Railroad Museum of Oklahoma, but their train sets are on a much larger scale. You get not only several model train sets but also a large selection of railroad memorabilia from the collection of the late Watermelon Campbell. Plus, go into the yard and get up close to engines, cabooses, a dining car and more. It’s a great experience for the kids and the parents alike.
For visitors to Enid, I encourage you to set aside a couple of hours to check out the Railroad Museum of Oklahoma. For Enid residents, I also encourage you to set aside a couple of hours to check out the Railroad Museum of Oklahoma. You’ll experience the incredible passion and handiwork of Dan Harris in each of those model train sets, and your smiles will bring back some warm memories.
Rob Houston is Director of Visit Enid and has been with the organization since its inception in 2010.
