Rock Island 905 Museum & Gift Shop - Duncan, Oklahoma
N 34° 30.360 W 097° 57.960
14S E 594919 N 3818747
Located inside Duncan's Fuqua Park, the locomotive and museum are just one of the park's many features.
Waymark Code: WMHRHP
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 08/09/2013
Views: 4
Rock Island 905 has been one of Duncan's favorite tourist attractions since it arrived in town for permanent display in 1954; however, it almost didn't survive. In 2000, the City of Duncan was bent on dismantling it because corrosion had cause asbestos leakage. It was then that the locals made a concerted effort to save the old locomotive.
Older photos of the engine show it in a slightly different location in the park. It was originally behind a fence in the middle of Kiddieland. Moved to its current location at the park's south end, it is free of asbestos and is being restored. It is also free of its fence and is begging to be climbed on.
Adjacent to the engine, the restoration group built a replica of Duncan's original railroad depot which had burned in 1949.
The entire story of the 905, along with a number of photos of it days in operation can be found on its own website, listed below.
When you visit, don't ignore Fuqua Park's many other attractions - the historical museum, located inside the old National Guard Armory, a building on the National Register; a number of WPA projects still in excellent condition, including the park gates & the armory; most of all, Kiddieland. The last is a small amusement park run by the local Kiwanis. It has everything from a full-size carousel to a miniature train which travels through part of the park. For your picnic afterwards, you don't have to choose from a mundane picnic table or gazebo, you can feast under the full-size oil derrick built into a pavilion!
The best way to enter the park is from W. Beech Ave., just east of US 81.
The listed "Official Tourism" link is fro the Duncan Convention & Visitors Bureau site. Other "Official Tourism" links are to the:
City of Duncan's official website: (
visit link) ;
and the Chamber of Commerce's online brochure: (
visit link) .
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