On Sunday, 6/5/2011, a special train was operated on the Tulsa-Sapulpa Union Railway in West Tulsa. The cargo was a little unusual for the interurban-turned shortline; a outside braced caboose, a former New Haven parlor car, and most unusual of all - Frisco 4-8-4 4500. Clad in Zephyr Blue and white, the steam locomotive looked somewhat out of place between the two red and yellow TSU diesels, much like the Northern type did when it originally entered service among a sea of mostly black (but occasionally pinstriped) Frisco locomotives.

Although Frisco's three passenger northerns all wore red "Meteor" lettering on their tenders, legions of Tulsans came to identify the 4500 as "The Meteor" while it was on display at the Tulsa Zoo. After an abortive restoration attempt, the 4500 sat in the elements for several years until the Townwest Sertoma Club stepped in with a plan to not only restore the locomotive but also to eventually place it on public display once again. The pictures in this gallery are the result of their efforts.

Aside from a few minor details, the 4500 looks virtually identical to the way it did when it left the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1942 for service on Frisco's premier passenger train - "The Meteor" - between St Louis and Tulsa.