39th Street Aerial 4/4/76

[RadicalModerate]

That's a big 10-4 there, Good Buddy . . .
My GPS was a-gettin' all confused and whutnut . . .
Thought I's on the entirely other side o' The Grid.

[ctchandler]

Somehow I missed Pete's newspaper ad showing Leonhardt's Big L as the name. I don't know where my brain was (or is for that matter).
C. T.

[Tritone]

If I recall correctly the east end of the track was at Dub Richardson's. When the circus would come to town they'd store the train on the north/south part of the tracks south of 16th street. Am I correct, Uncle Pete?

[metro]

Metro,
Curious what you are questioning, the original name or whether Big L was called Leonhardt's Big L. I don't remember the Leonhardt's being retained but I could be wrong, but I am certain the Big L was originally Leonhardt's Lumber. We went there often before it became Big L. Now, I don't know if it was purchased from Leonhardt and renamed. I guess somebody will straighten me out.
C. T.

Again my dad was the VP for over 30 years. If anybody still alive would still know, it'd be him. I spent countless hours up there as a kid. I didn't call him tonight but will try to touch base tomorrow. To answer your question, I'm saying the Leonhardts was not really used. Most people called it Big L, some still called it Leonhardt Lumber. There was no change of ownership, it was always run by the Leonhardt family.

[metro]

since it is east of santa fe, that'd be "se" 59th. -M

Thanks, but good guess considering I was probably younger than 10 during most of it.

[UnclePete]

That East rail spur used to run all the way to May Avenue. In the late 60s/early 70s I remember a trestle that ran across Grand Blvd between 36th and 39th. The trestle was demolished and the spur east of Grand was abandoned when I-240 (now I-44) was built.

We still had a track East of Portland up to where the trestle was. Used the track to store unused Wilson & Company refrigerator cars.

[UnclePete]

Correct on the circus train for a few years. The end of the track was at Dub Richardsons (May) until the trestle was removed over Grand Blvd. The track originally went on to the power plant with a branch going on straight East to carry the interurban trains on downtown along Classen.

If I recall correctly the east end of the track was at Dub Richardson's. When the circus would come to town they'd store the train on the north/south part of the tracks south of 16th street. Am I correct, Uncle Pete?

[Bill Robertson]

Does that aerial bring back memories. The crew from Casa Bonita used to go to Shakeys and Bonaparte's after work most Friday and Saturday nights. We'd eat and then get together behind Shakeys and drink whatever someone could up with since we were all underage. Later when I had bought my first house I went to Big L quite a bit.

[Larry OKC]

I knew about Panchos (mainly because every so often folks will insist that it was Panchos where Casa Bonita was down the street at Portland, and folks are confusing them since they both had all-you-can eat setups with the "raise the flag" for refills)...but I didn't know about a Burger King and Shakeys over that way. Also the Taco Bueno near 50th & MacArthur was the first TB in the metro area. While TB left it years ago (when they weren't allowed to add a drive thru) the building remains. I went into Larry's Steakhouse only one time before they closed as I thought it was cool to have a place named after me ...LOL. Didn't they have the plate warmers built into the table tops?

[Okcbld]

Hey Pete, The "?" in the map just west of Meridian was a small retail shop that sold 8 track tapes and car stereo gear.

[Pete]

Hey Pete, The "?" in the map just west of Meridian was a small retail shop that sold 8 track tapes and car stereo gear.

Thanks for the info! I'll see what I can dig up.

[Okcbld]

Wasn't KFC just to the West of Panchos?

[Pete]

Yes, it was. I need to update my image.

But interestingly, KFC bought the old McDonald's property just west and built a new location while their old one is a pawn shop.

The old KFC on 39th was very small and had little to no inside seating if I recall. I remember it was one of the few places where my family would get carry-out, as my dad thought chicken was healthy. Of course, now we know fried chicken is one of the unhealthiest things you can consume!

[Tritone]

Plate warmers at Larry's? Absolutely. I miss the place and not just for the plate warmers.

[Okcbld]

Hey Pete, The new KFC is where Panchos used to be.

[BB37]

Correct on the circus train for a few years. The end of the track was at Dub Richardsons (May) until the trestle was removed over Grand Blvd. The track originally went on to the power plant with a branch going on straight East to carry the interurban trains on downtown along Classen.

I thought the rail line to the power plant came in from the east -- the Graffitti Bridge over Western was part of that spur. I've checked satellite photos of the area, and the overheads show remnants of the old spur ROW from Ann Arbor up to the back of the current Lowe's, but no trace of a rail ROW east of May avenue. If that spur from Ann Arbor ever did go to the Belle Isle power plant, it must've been abandoned in the late 30s or early 40s, before the area was developed for residential.

[Larry OKC]

Yes, it was. I need to update my image.

But interestingly, KFC bought the old McDonald's property just west and built a new location while their old one is a pawn shop.

The old KFC on 39th was very small and had little to no inside seating if I recall. I remember it was one of the few places where my family would get carry-out, as my dad thought chicken was healthy. Of course, now we know fried chicken is one of the unhealthiest things you can consume!

Hey Pete, The new KFC is where Panchos used to be.

The Panchos was definitely in that area as the one on southside has an old newspaper ad on their bulletin board and it gives the address as 4621 NW 39th (the all-you-can-eat was $1.49 in '73). Google shows that address as being KFC but cant recall what business was there prior to KFC built the new store (sometime past '85, possibly in the '90s). The old McDonald's building is still there and is part of some car dealership now, That McDonald's was essentially split and relocated into 2 of those McDonald's/Convenience gas station combos. One @ 39th & MacArthur and the other at 39th & Portland.

ON EDIT: Hilarious side note, ran across an article from the Oklahoman archives dated 1972 from an author called the "Underground Gourmet" describing the New Orleans Pancho's like this:

"...the food is of extraordinary quality. I have not tasted mexican food that is any better at any price in either Mexico or Texas...What distinguishes it from other chain restaurants is the manner of food preparation. Instead of shipping in frozen food to be heated on the premises, each restaurant has its own kitchen. ... Best of all, there is a bar featuring excellent margaritas (highly recommended) at 90 cents and good Carta Blanca beer. ... The New Orleans Pancho's is as good as the Texas ones. The major flaw in Texas was the lack of liquor and beer, a failure nicely remedied in New Orleans, where the bar is set up before the cafeteria line -- one can sip a drink while waiting in line."

LOL, now we know why he thought the food was so good, he was most likely drunk...

[bluedogok]

I worked on the train that came up to the location of the map from the South. We would then get on the East-West track and go East as far as Portland, and go West to just past MacArthur. Lots of customers for rail service--Wiley Bennett (butter house) and GE to the East, and a lumber yard West of MacArthur, and a team track East of MacArthur. The main customer at the team track was Kiespert's grocery store that would get carloads of paper sacks.

My friend and I got a ride on that train once, my parents house backs up to the right-of-way south of 16th.

If I recall correctly the east end of the track was at Dub Richardson's. When the circus would come to town they'd store the train on the north/south part of the tracks south of 16th street. Am I correct, Uncle Pete?

That storage track in that section was used quite a bit, most of the time it was boxcars or gravel cars. The storage tracks behind the church on 10th Street usually had enclosed hopper cars (I think that is what they are called) that had raw plastic pellets in them. We spent a lot of time growing up playing on the right-of-way in that section.

Hey Pete, The "?" in the map just west of Meridian was a small retail shop that sold 8 track tapes and car stereo gear.

That shop was on the south side, next to what is O'Reilly's Auto Parts now. In the early 80's the gas station on the corner where the Shell station is now was Fill-Ups, not sure how far back that name went. It was an independent gas station, I used to buy leaded premium gas there. I cruised 39th a bunch in my high school years (PCW-82), so I bought plenty of gas there.

There was an AMC/Jeep dealer (later adding Renault) between Big L and Putt-Putt. I think it was something like Midwest AMC/Jeep. The office building to the west of Fred Gang's was actually the office building for the restaurant group that had the Sirloin Stockade franchise in OKC and developed Fred Gang's and some other concepts. I used to work with their company architect in later years.

[UnclePete]

The track coming into the power plant from the East was from the Santa Fe mainline; the track from the South was the Rock Island that connected to their main near NW 3rd and Meridian. The track from East of May to the vicinity of the power plant was paved over by the Eastbound lanes of Northeast Expressway. When the Oklahoma Railway closed down in about 1947, the tracks were sold or given to the Rock Island RR and the Santa Fe Railway as a joint venture.

I thought the rail line to the power plant came in from the east -- the Graffitti Bridge over Western was part of that spur. I've checked satellite photos of the area, and the overheads show remnants of the old spur ROW from Ann Arbor up to the back of the current Lowe's, but no trace of a rail ROW east of May avenue. If that spur from Ann Arbor ever did go to the Belle Isle power plant, it must've been abandoned in the late 30s or early 40s, before the area was developed for residential.

[Tritone]

That makes sense to me. Can you fill me in about a line that ran along Grand Blvd around NW 23rd? As a lad I can halfway remember remnants. My dad said they ran north and south along Grand down to what became the new fairgrounds. Was it also CRI&P? I do know about the line that ran from the north side of the future fairgrounds past Acme brick, the "new" AMC, Purina, and into downtown. I am also trying to learn more about the location of the interurban lines from Guthrie to Norman and from OKC to El Reno. I know a little about the El Reno line but the north-south line is a mystery. Are we talking Shields, perhaps? Thanks.

The track coming into the power plant from the East was from the Santa Fe mainline; the track from the South was the Rock Island that connected to their main near NW 3rd and Meridian. The track from East of May to the vicinity of the power plant was paved over by the Eastbound lanes of Northeast Expressway. When the Oklahoma Railway closed down in about 1947, the tracks were sold or given to the Rock Island RR and the Santa Fe Railway as a joint venture.

[MikeOKC]

I know we're a bit off-topic here, but wasn't the big rail yard at Shields, the Oklahoma City home of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (FRISCO)? Which reminds me, does anyone remember the old "Texas Special" that FRISCO and MKT (Katy) ran mutually? A luxury train trip from St. Louis through Oklahoma City down to DFW and over to San Antonio. Among rail fans, (UnclePete?) wasn't that a rather storied passenger line in its day? I know Frisco dropped passenger service to become all-freight and I still miss their logo, for some reason, it just meant "train" when I was a boy.

[Jim Kyle]

Can you fill me in about a line that ran along Grand Blvd around NW 23rd?

I don't remember how far north it went, but when I attended Linwood school in 1939-40 (in 3rd grade and first semester of 4th) there was a rail line running where Grand was. It connected through a switch to the end of the streetcar line on NW 19, and was used (mostly if not all at night) to route freight cars. I remember arriving at school one morning to find most of the students down at the tracks, gawking at the site where a highschool student had fallen beneath a car the night before and lost a leg...

[UnclePete]

The Katy and Frisco Texas Special ran from St. Louis to San Antonio as stated, but the train went through Eastern Oklahoma through Muskogee and McAlester. The Frisco furnished one set of equipment and the Katy furnished one set. The hand-off point from one railroad to another was at Vinita. A very similar train called the Meteor ran from St. Louis to Oklahoma City and on down to Lawton.

I know we're a bit off-topic here, but wasn't the big rail yard at Shields, the Oklahoma City home of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (FRISCO)? Which reminds me, does anyone remember the old "Texas Special" that FRISCO and MKT (Katy) ran mutually? A luxury train trip from St. Louis through Oklahoma City down to DFW and over to San Antonio. Among rail fans, (UnclePete?) wasn't that a rather storied passenger line in its day? I know Frisco dropped passenger service to become all-freight and I still miss their logo, for some reason, it just meant "train" when I was a boy.

[OSUMom]

That Taco Bueno on the corner of 39th and Meridian used to be something else, Taco Villa I think, in the early 80's. Used to eat there for lunch alot.

[Pete]

Yes, was Taco Villa in 1976 -- I made a mistake there.

The first Taco Bueno was at 50th & MacArthur in the mid-70's.