Texas State Railroad - Rusk/Palestine, Texas
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txoilgas
N 31° 48.349 W 095° 11.673
15R E 292254 N 3521010
The Texas State Railroad, established 1881, is truly a “Texas Treasure!”
This historic train travels through the scenic piney woods and hardwood creek bottoms of East Texas where rolling hills, nature and wildlife abound.
Waymark Code: WM5PAE
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/29/2009
Views: 12
The Texas State Railroad dates back to the late 1800's when the Texas Prison System opened the East Texas Penitentiary in Rusk, Texas. The land around Rusk was rich in iron ore and covered with immense stands of timber. A foundry was constructed on prison grounds in 1884 to convert the ore into cast iron. Using charcoal made from the native lumber and prisoners as the labor force, administrators believed that this process would be economically feasible.
By 1896 prison officials realized that transporting timber and iron ore by horse and wagon was impractical. It was decided that a railroad was necessary to provide the foundry with enough raw material to operate efficiently. Construction began on five miles of track, built in a southwesterly direction from the institution.
In 1906 the track was extended an additional five miles to the small community of Maydelle. By 1909 the track stretched all the way to the town of Palestine. The T.S.R. interchanged with the Cotton Belt railroad in Rusk and the International and Great Northern railroad in Palestine.
Foundry operations at the prison proved to be unable to compete with the burgeoning iron industry in Birmingham, Alabama and ceased production in 1913.
The Texas State Railroad continued to operate as a common carrier, providing both freight and passenger service, but consistently operated at a loss. This led to cessation of operation in 1921. All rolling stock was sold, and the line was offered for lease.
Visit Instructions:Provide a picture of something with the train. Possible photos include the entertainment on board the train, the train itself at any location along the route, a picture of the scenery with part of the train in view, the kids borrowing the engineer’s hat. Show us you had a good time visiting the train. If the train isn't running when you visit get a photo of one of the many railway related items that can be found in locations like this.