Also clipped from Trains.com's Trains Newswire, posted here only because of the recent discussions on this forum about the TSRR--I'm hoping someone will seek out the newspaper articles for Flimsies:

PALESTINE, Texas - The Texas State Railroad may turn to a private operator to keep its trains running after the current season. The Texas State Railroad Preservation Task Force, made up of area and state officials and residents, has contacted American Heritage Railways to consider taking over operations, the Palestine Herald reported. American Heritage currently operates the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in Durango, Colo. and the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City, N.C.

The task force is concerned that the state legislature will not provide the funding necessary to keep TSR trains running after this season ends. One avenue the group is pursuing to maintain operations is asking private companies to take over the railroad. The legislature has told TSR that it will not be funded beginning Jan. 1, 2007, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, which runs the line, said it will only be funded as a static display. The task force is promoting an agreement between the state and a private company where both would benefit, including asking the state legislature to create a special railroad district that would own the rail line and lease it out.

Allen Harper, who owns American Heritage Railways, said his company looks forward to potentially adding the Texas State Railroad to its other two operations. "We're really excited about our opportunity," Harper told the Herald. Harper met with TSR representatives and local officials earlier this year and toured the facilities and communities involved. He said his company and the groups involved continue to work toward an agreement with the state to run the railroad. "I believe in a very short number of years we can turn it around into a very profitable operation," Harper said.