The Texas State Railroad offers the public a memorible trip aboard working steam locomotives. The railroad operates seasonablly between Rusk and Palestine, Texas. Virtual Reality Tours of Rusk Depot | Roster of Engines

 

The Interior of one of the Texas State Railroad's coaches.

Palestine and Anderson County Anderson County and Palestine, its county seat, were established in 1846. The county was named in honor of K.L. Anderson, the last vice-president of the Republic of Texas. From its earliest days, Palestine has been synonymous with railroads. John H. Reagan of Palestine campaigned vigorously to attract the Houston and Great Northern Railway to Palestine. When the railroad came to the city in 1873, Palestine's old guard hated the noisy, puffing engines and the flying cinders that blackened lace window panels. Historians commented that a plague of locusts would have been more welcome. The regulation of railroads in Texas became

a leading political issue in Attorney General Jim Hogg's 1890 campaign for governor. The Texas Railroad Commission was created April 3, 1891. U.S. Senator John Reagan resigned his senate seat to assume the chairmanship, which he held until his death on March 3, 1905. Today, Palestine is the home of Union Pacific's Red River operation which employs approximately 450 individuals.

Texas organized Cherokee County in 1846. The county seat was named in honor of Thomas J. Rusk, who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico in 1836. Cherokee County has provided two native sons as governors of the state: James Hogg (1890) and Thomas Campbell (1906).

Two miles east of Rusk was the famous boom town of New Birmingham, heralded as the Iron Queen of the Southwest. In 1888, the city had a population of over 2000 residents, a street railway system, electric lights and a magnificent hotel with 65 sleeping rooms, a billiard room, hot and cold running water and electric call bells. The register recorded guests from 28 states, including President Grover Cleveland, along with numerous English lords. New Birmingham promoters soon discovered that the east was opposed to any iron development in the south. By 1893, the Iron Queen was virtually dead and the grand hotel was soon abandoned and subsequently burned in 1926. Today, few remnants of the city remain.

Special events are often planned for the children who visit the Texas State Railroad. On this day, miniature horses were there to greet the children on the station platform.

Operating a steam engine requires constant attention. In this picture, Fireman Weldon Wallace pours sand into the firebox of the locomotive to control soot buildup. The sand literally "sand blasts" the flues in the boiler resulting in greater fuel efficiency.

Even though the Texas State Railroad has served the state for 100 years, it doesn't hold a candle to the long history of this area. Hwy. 21, a few miles south of Rusk, follows the El Camino Real, The King's Highway, which is a segment of an old trail used by early explorers as they traveled from Florida to California. The Lone Star State's name is derived from the Tejas Indian Confederacy which was established around 1700 and consisted of about nine Caddo tribes from this area. In the early 1800's, Chief Bowles led a small group of Cherokees into this area and, by 1824, they were well-established in the area between the El Camino Real and the Neches River. Cherokee County, along with Bowles, One-Arm, Beans and Talles Creeks, are named for the Cherokee leaders of that day. Texas State Railroad History The State Prison System began construction of the Texas State Railroad in 1896. Inmates built the line to transport native iron ore along with wood, as fuel, to the prisoner-operated iron smelting furnaces located in the East Texas State Penitentiary at Rusk. The furnace supplied the State of Texas with iron products including the columns and dome structure for the Capitol building. In 1906, prison crews extended the rail line to Maydelle and, in 1909, the Texas State Railroad reached its final destination of Palestine. The prisoners were paid 50 cents a day and worked from sunrise to sundown. The total cost to construct the original 32 miles of the Texas State Railroad was $573,724.

Texas State Railroad Engine 400 pulling into the Rusk depot.

Engine 400 venting steam as it crosses the Neches River, which divides Cherokee and Anderson counties, is the site of the longest bridge on the rail line (1100 feet long and 35 feet high). Railroad legend has it that the civil engineer who designed the first bridge over the Neches came to a sad end. The story goes as follows: When the first locomotive crossed the bridge, the structure shook so badly that the engineer, feeling he had designed a bridge about to collapse, leaped off his own construction and fell to his death.

Prison crews made up the train crew, except for the engineer. When a passenger service was extended to Palestine, a full-time staff of nine was employed. With the exception of the superintendent and engineer, staff members were paid $1.01 for each day they worked. In 1913, the prison ceased operating the iron furnace and later, the East Texas State Penitentiary was converted into a state mental hospital. On May 1, 1921, all regular train service by the state was discontinued and the line was leased to the Texas and New Orleans (Southern Pacific Railroad Co.). The Texas Southeastern Railroad leased the line in the early 1960's and continued operation of the line until December 31, 1969. The railroad was conveyed to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in February, 1972 for the creation of a state historical park. Reminiscent of its earliest days, state inmates were again brought in to refurbish the railroad. State offenders rebuilt the line: clearing brush, building bridges, and replacing ties and rails. The Texas State Railroad State Historical Park was opened to the public on July 4, 1976, as part of the nation's Bicentennial Celebration. Today, the Texas State Railroad is dedicated to the "Education, Interpretation and Preservation of the Golden Age of Steam."

 

Crowds gather as departure time nears at the depot.		The Texas State Railroad is a historic, as well as an educational, site.

The Center for East Texas Studies has posted three VR panoramas of the Texas State Railroad's depot in Rusk, Texas.

• The front of the depot; , available in both large (better quality) and small (quicker load time) files.
• The inside of the depot; and is also availible in large and small formats.
• The rear of the depot; in both large and small formats.

©2000 The Center for East Texas Studies,
Stephen F. Austin State University, P.O. Box 6134,
Nacogdoches, Texas 75962 USA
Email: CETS@sfasu.edu
URL: http://www.cets.sfasu.edu/