Earlier this year, back in late April, Lerro Productions ran a two day photo charter at the Texas State Railroad between Palestine (pronounced "Palesteen") and Rusk. A fantastic place to visit, friendly staff, fascinating history and a spectacular collection of equipment - attributes that reminded me just a little bit of another favorite place - the Monticello Railroad Museum. Lol - both railroad's also have re-boilered locomotives, as well, but that's a story for another time!

The original Texas State Railroad dates back to 1883. The line was built with inmate labor and the original purpose of the railroad was to transport raw materials for an iron smelter located at the Rusk Penitentiary. In 1906, the line reached Maydelle, TX, and by 1909, the line was completed when it reached Palestine where it connected with the International & Great Western Railroad. (Wild history, right?) The railroad grew and eventually expanded to freight and passenger service, but it could not maintain a profit. Regular train service by the state ceased in 1921, and the line was leased to various railroad companies until 1969, when all operations came to a halt. According to a mural inside the depot at Rusk, original Texas State Railroad owned only one steam locomotive; a 2-6-0 built in 1915, numbered 7. Purchased by the Arkansas Railroad the locomotive was sadly scrapped in 1957 when they ceased operating.

While editing some pics, despite hours of research on the Limited Wide Web, I was unable to find answers to some curiosities -

When were "new" the depots (and water tanks) at Palestine and Rusk built?
Are there any images of the original depots?

A good portion of the line's bridges have been replaced with new concrete structures - good for business, not so much for nostalgia - can't seem to find the date they were built.

A mural inside the depot at Rusk states that the railroad, founded in 1883, was originally built as a narrow gauge line and that the original Texas State Railroad only had one sole locomotive - a handsome 2-6-0 which was built in 1915 and later went to a short line in Arkansas which scrapped her in 1957. If so - what was used prior to 1915??

When was the line converted to standard gauge?


Thanks in advance for any information anyone can provide!

/Mitch

An assortment of photos from the Texas State Railroad:

/Mitch

Couple of night shots - former Tremont and Gulf 2-8-2 No. 30 at Maydelle, and well known, rarely seen Texas & Pacific No. 610, a 2-10-4 built in Ohio by Lima Locomotive Works in 1927. No. 610 was brought out of the the Texas State Railroad shops and fired up for patrons on April 28th, 2019. The locomotive, however, did not move very far, as the idling plumes were the effects created with a handful of smoke bombs for photographers.

/Mitch

Nevertheless Mitch, the effect of the big 2-10-4 with a fire is inspiring! Thank you for the elegant night shots!

Much of your questions can be answered in this book, which I've had for years: https://www.amazon.com/Texas-State-Rail ... B0006XI9SQ

The concrete structures are all fairly recent, replacing wood structures that failed due to floods or fires as I recall. I'll agree that wood would be better for appearance purposes, but replacing a lengthy bridge with wood is impractical and expensive nowadays.

CD

A bit of TSRR History for everyone.

The first part of what became TSRR was a narrow gauge connection between the penitentiary in North Rusk and the Kansas and Gulf Short Line in Rusk, built in 1881. TSRR used the K&GSL - Cotton Belt depot in Rusk.

Starting in 1893, a narrow gauge line was built west, on the present alignment to about 1 mile west of the current Rusk Depot where it turned south to a prison lumber camp named Camp Rice.

In 1903, this line was standard gauged to one mile west of Rusk (which was at the time called Woodlawn Farm) and the narrow gauge portion south of there abandoned. A new standard gauge line was built west from that point to Camp Searcy Baker (later Camp Wright in 1907, and now the town of Maydelle).

In 1907, the railroad was extended from Maydelle to Palestine and another prison timber camp was built at Camp Gill, near the present abandoned siding of Crystal Lake.

The prison timber camps were housing for the prisoners used to log the state lands to cut timber for the charcoal ovens at North Rusk which was used in the iron furnaces at the prison.

Up until 1915, the railroad made do with various used locomotives acquired by the state and #7 was acquired that year as the only NEW locomotive ever owned by the RR.

Only in Palestine did the railroad have its own depot since it terminated on the south side of the present UP tracks from the business district. The photo below is the only one that I have of the old depot and it is from the collection of Kevin Gentry.

The new Rusk Depot in what was then the Rusk City park, was completed in February, 1977, and the Palestine depot in October, 1977. Original plans called for campgrounds at both depots, but the money was never appropriated for the one at Palestine.

Purchased! Thanks - should make for some fascinating reading!



Much appreciated!

/Mitch

I worked at TSRR for two years, just before Y2K. The concrete trestles were done in the last few years of the 20th century, sorry I don't have the specifics for you.

The Tremont & Gulf treatment for TSRR 400 looks great, but I must say that the smoke is WAY overdone. I'm amazed you guys didn't have a fire under the engine to go with it.

The shot of 610 looks WAY better, much more like the way an oil burner is SUPPOSED to look....

Those water tanks seem really strange, especially for the south.

I wonder if the plan is to keep TSR 400 in the Tremont & Gulf # 30 scheme? I guess I'm a bit partial to her appearance as Magma Arizona # 7, but either T&G 30 or MA 7 are good heritage looks.

Les

Actually, when I was there back in April (I think it was April...), #30 was lettered under the cab and logoed on the tender for Texas State Railroad. The Tremont & Gulf lettering is magnetic signs, as visible in closer photos.

Why the long trestle or low viaduct, and not fill? Is that a flood plain?

Yes the concrete trestle is over the entire Neches River Floodplain. If you would see the river in flood, the water can be as much as 20 feet deep at the spot that the photo was taken. The original bridge here was a wood trestle that was a maintenance headache for more 70 years. When the State of Texas decided to replace it, they wisely chose the concrete trestle option, rather than fill with culverts and a shorter bridge over just the river. On the LIDAR imagery of the area most of the logging railroad grades simply went down on the flood plain, and did not operate when flooded. There are approach cuts next to the current railroad grade that suggest that the TSR may have done something similar in the early years.

The bridges were replaced in 1979-80. The bridges were built from plans loaned by the Missouri Pacific, so these are Class One quality bridges.

As far as 400 is concerned, I'd like her back in her Magma Arizona outfit...