6:05am Westbound No. 27 The Antelope
7:52am fEastbound No. 12 The Chicagoan
10:15am Eastbound No. 16 The Chicago Express
3:45pm Westbound No. 5 The Ranger
2:35pm Eastbound No. 6 The Ranger
8:05pm Westbound No. 15 The Fast Fifteen
11:20pm fWestbound No. 11 The Kansas Cityan
11:20pm Eastbound No. 28 The Antelope
The crossing point for the former BN (Frisco) Avard sub and the Santa Fe's Oklahoma Division 1st district is located approximately 5 miles north of Perry near Black Bear. Today this crossing is busier than it has ever been and therefore Perry is an interesting place to watch trains. The increase in freight activity has occured due to the merger of the Santa Fe and Burlington Northern and resulting track improvements in Perry proper. There is now a high speed connection between the ex-Frisco trackage and the ex-Santa Fe trackage.
This is a county seat and a junction point so Perry received a hansome depot as is shown below. Note the missing cover for the outdoor waiting room. It was torn down probably sometime after Amtrak discontinued the Lone Star in 1979. The Lone Star was the name given to the replacement for the Texas Chief. The reasoning behind this partial demolition is unknown. In fact, pinning down a date that it occured is also difficult. Photos of the depot with its outdoor waiting room intact exist in the Cherokee Strip Museum in town.
This is the Perry depot in 1996. Note the concrete bench in the left side of the photo. This was where the outdoor waiting room was located. Now it is even more open.
This wig-wag was located at the fairgounds several blocks north of the depot. It was in place as late as 1993 but it has since been removed.