PAULS VALLEY, OKLAHOMA

Passenger Train Schedule November 29, 1942

s2:36am No. 15 Southward Texas Express
s3:59am No. 16 Northward Texas Express
s8:15am No. 306 Northward Doodlebug ex Sun Lindsay to Pauls Valley
s8:20am No. 306 Northward Doodlebug ex Sun Pauls Valley to Shawnee
s11:19am No. 6 Northward The Ranger
s12:40pm No. 301 Southward Mixed Mon. Wed Fri Pauls Valley to Lindsay
s1:35pm No. 305 Southward Doodlebug ex Sun Shawnee to Pauls Valley
s1:45pm No. 305 Southward Doodlebug ex Sun Pauls Valley to Lindsay
s1:45pmNo. 302 Northward Mixed Tues Thurs Sat Lindsay to Pauls Valley
s3:50pm No. 86 Northward Mixed Pauls Valley to Byars ex Sun
s6:51pm No. 5 Southward The Ranger
s10:05pm No. 85 Southward Mixed Byars to Pauls Valley ex Sun

Pauls Valley was the most interesting point on the Gulf Colorado and Santa Fe in Oklahoma as it is today under BNSF ownership. Passenger service was available in four different directions. There were two junctions in town. North of downtown a wye lead to the Lindsay district. South of downtown a wye that actually was named had two names. The North leg of the wye was named Shawnee Junction and the South Leg of the wye was named Gulf Junction. In actuality Gulf junction lead to Shawnee as well. Gulf junction is a misnomer as the division between the Gulf Lines and the Atchison Lines was in Shawnee proper.

Although much of the trackage has been removed there is still a lot to see in town. Gulf/ Shawnee junction is all but a memory as the lines running east of Pauls Valley to Ada were abandoned in the early 1970's.

Lindsay junction is still in place but the North leg of the wye has been removed. There is a mile and a half segment of the Lindsay district still in place which serves as an industrial spur to Viskase. Plastic pellets are shipped to this location for use in making visqueen. Some of the flavor of the Lindsay district can still be seen in this location. A lone stone mile marker sits hidden by overgrown weeds. A fixed signal which was used to signal a pending junction still glows. A station sign sits near the U.S. highway 77 crossing. The trackage is overgown and 5MPH may be too fast as there are broken ties and washed out mud which long ago replaced the ballast used to support the track.

The city of Pauls Valley fought the Santa Fe hard in the 1980's to save its beloved depot. Deals were made with the railroad which allowed the Santa Fe. In exchange for keeping the depot the city apparently allows freights to run at high speed through town. It worked and the today the depot is shaken almost hourly by pounding freights which roll through town. It is quite a feeling to sit inside the depot and watch a freight moving through town at 45 MPH. The depot sat boarded up vandalized and in disrepair for years until 1992 when restoration of the depot began. In 1997 steam engine No. 1950 was moved from Wacker park to the depot grounds for cosmetic restoration. A wooden Frisco caboose was moved to the site as well. During the restorations many of the yard tracks around the depot were removed to the dismay of the depot museum curoriator.

The BNSF maintains a Maintenance of Way building in town just north of the depot. There are almost always some high railers in town. South of the depot there are many aging agricultural buildings from Pauls Valley's days as a bustling community.

The first thing that is odd in Pauls Valley is that the depot is not brick. This is unusual as Pauls Valley is the county seat of Garvin County. This photo was taken in 1991. It is interesting to note that the two middle windows have separate caps as opposed to the standard single cap. You can also see some of the original red paint through the chipped yellow paint that was used when the depot was first constructed. At this late date the depot had stood almost too long without attention. There was a sag in the freight room which actually made it impossible to open a streetside freight door.

This 1995 photo shows the depot in its restored state. Note the long length of the depot and the manditory fence built to keep people off the tracks. While I applaud the local residents of Pauls Valley for saving their depot I wish that they had paid more attention to Santa Fe historical standards when choosing a paint scheme. A smattering of green paint would have really helped to keep the building historically accurate. On another picky note the station name was omitted from the bay window area. It was G.C.&S.F. practice to place the station name above the bay window. Finally some of the restoration modifications would make a Santa Fe depot photographer cringe. French doors have been placed in front of the freight doors making the depot appear more as a french cottage than a depot. The attic vent above the bay window does not help the structures appearance either. However I still applaud the community for saving this grand structure. It is one of three frame depots which still stand on their original location in the state of Oklahoma. Davis and Boise City are the other two.

Rarely does one get a chance to see the framework of a Santa Fe depot...

The line to Lindsay is gone however the tracks still extend for quite a distance past what is now the end of the line at the Viskase plant. This sad crossbuck gaurds a crossing that has not seen a train in over a decade. The tracks are still there but covered with dirt. This segment was intact until about 1992 when the line was further cut back to the Viskase plant. Not that a train could have made it to this spot. A tree decided to grow inbetween the tracks just outside of the Amoco Pipeline plant several hundred yards from this spot. The land in this area is very photogenic and will grow just about anything. There is a berry farm in the vicinity which does quite a business. This location is in the Washita River Valley.

This sign once again sits outside on the depot wall. It was probably taken down in 1979 when the last Amtrak train stopped in Pauls Valley on its final run through town. It sat in a freightroom closet until the depot was restored. Pauls Valley hopes to one day have Amtrak return to their city.

The Pauls Valley Museum hosts quite a collection of railroad benches and church pewes in the depot. It has been said that the armrests on these benches served a dual purpose. First as an armrest and second to keep bums from grabbing a nap.

Here are some other places that you can view photos of this depot: Joe McMillian's Wheat Lines and Super Freights on page
The ??? 1992 Santa Fe Modeler's Organization Magazine on page???