I recently attended a two week class for work in Oklahoma City, intending to visit the Oklahoma Railroad Museum on my enforced weekend away from home. Poor planning on my part failed to notice that it was closed on Sunday prior to my making other Saturday plans. This was serendipitous though, as across the street was the newly opened Oklahoma National Guard Museum. Located on the northeast side of Oklahoma City, just off Interstate 35 on NE Grand Boulevard, its so new that the satellite view in Google Maps shows it as a vacant field with a bulldozer starting the grading.
Google Maps Satellite View captured 9 August 2026
Have no fear though, that is far from the well laid out
modern structure that greeted me on my arrival.
I was so impressed with the “Gate Guards”, I failed to snap a photo of
the building. It can be partially seen in
the background. Lots of WWII flat car loads await.
M114 155mm Howitzer
No, the Saber Dog won’t make a flat car load, but I’m a pilot and the Sabreliners I flew had an F-86 wing with a biz jet fuselage. Most of the rest of the photos will be of crawly things, suitable for rail transport.
Most exhibits are no touch, but fitting into the Ford GPW is
encouraged. The museum’s deputy
director, Ted Hibbard, snapped this photo of me. It’s a tall step from the ground and not much
clearance on the steering wheel.
There’s lots of other displays, a DUCK, Command Car, Dodge 1.5 ton Truck, Korean War ambulance and more. Uniforms and flight suits from various OK Guard veterans are accompanied with their personal stories. One historical tidbit was learning that the Marine’s Navajo Code Talkers weren’t the first. Turns out the OK Guard’s 142nd Infantry, 36th ID used Choctaw talkers in the First World War to secure comms from Germans tapping into their phone lines.
Choctaw Code Talkers
All in all, an informative visit that yielded numerous
detail photos for my open top cars carrying equipment to the San Francisco Port
of Embarkation for shipment to the Army forces in the Pacific.
John Barry
Lovettsville, VA
9 August 2026
81 years to the day after the “We have more than one” strike
that pushed Hirohito to surrender.
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