Replica Rail Car Giveaway

A replica of the Pioneer Townsite Museum's Frisco caboose will be given away in the Tillman County Historical Society's annual building reproduction raffle. The replica, pictured above, is mounted on trailer wheels which are not part of the prize. The caboose will be delivered free to a site within in Tillman County. Delivery to any site outside the county will be by special arrangement.

  

Caboose Replica Raffle Underway

Want to own your own private “railroad car”?

This may be your chance.

That’s because the Tillman County Historical Society has picked the Frisco caboose that is on permanent display at its Pioneer Townsite Museum in Frederick as this year’s replica reproduction building for raffle.

Tickets are $5 each or five for $20 and may be purchased from any historical society board member, the museum, the Frederick Chamber of Commerce, or several area businesses.

The winning ticket will be drawn during the historical society’s 2012 annual meeting in April.

The caboose replica, made of wood construction in a smaller scale than the original, will be a perfect children’s playhouse or one-of-a-kind backyard storage building. It is red and white with the Frisco logo painted in black, and measures approximately 10 feet in length, 6 feet wide, and 10 feet tall. It is designed as a stationary building.

The replica was built by museum director Jimmy Espinosa with assistance from Oklahoma Department of Corrections inmates from the Frederick Work Release Center who are assigned to work at the museum site.

Materials for construction of the caboose were purchased by the historical society from area merchants.

Numerous businesses have also supported the project by signing on as sponsors. The sponsor list is still growing but will be publicized by the historical society when the list is final. Signs listing sponsors have been attached to the caboose replica during the raffle period.

The choosing of a museum attraction for construction of a raffle replica is a historical society tradition. In past years, the historical society has raffled reproductions of the museum’s Horse Creek School, AME Church, red barn, and Frisco Depot.

The annual building replica raffle is the historical society’s most important fundraising project, with all proceeds to be used for the Pioneer Townsite Museum’s operational expenses. These expenses include utilities and upkeep of the townsite’s historical structures.

The reproduction buildings are usually constructed in the fall and raffles are conducted at Christmastime. This year, though, the caboose construction was completed much later than normal, just in time for an appearance in the December 15 Frederick Christmas parade. This year’s raffle period has therefore been scheduled to run through April, with the winning ticket to be drawn at the historical society’s annual meeting.

The caboose replica can be seen at the Pioneer Townsite Museum, and will be exhibited periodically at numerous sites and businesses throughout Frederick.

Locations where tickets are available include the following: BancFirst in Frederick; First National Bank in Frederick; KC’s Gift Store; Box, Inc.; Tillco Supply; Frederick ACE Hardware; The Frederick Chamber of Commerce; and The Pioneer Townsite Museum.

In Tipton, tickets may be purchased at Southwest Rural Electric Cooperative.

The following members of the Tillman County Historical Society’s board of directors also have tickets for sale: Merle Atkins, Jack Bohl, Cacy Caldwell, Su Clifton, Frances Goodknight, Dena Northcutt, Jay Oxford, Roy Perkins, Cathy Riggins, Jim Smith, Kent Smith, Gary Tyler, Virginia Walker, and Joe Wynn.

Information about the caboose project or tickets is available at the Frederick Chamber of Commerce, 580-335-2126, or by mail: Tillman County Historical Society, P.O. Box 833, Frederick, OK 73542.