East Texas Quarterly Magazine Spring 2014 | Page 5

By Keith Hale
Traveling between the cities of Rusk and Palestine
on Highway 84 is onaly about a thirty minute drive
through East Texas. But if you want an experience to
remember, why not make the trip by traveling on the
Texas State Railroad.

American Heitage Railway, which also operates
the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in
Colorado and the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad in
North Carolina.

It was during this time the railroad was named to the
The railroad was first established by the Texas state list of Texas’ Most Endangered Historic Places. Thanks
prison system in 1881. Built by inmates, it was used to the actions of the Texas State Railroad Authority, it
to transport hardwoods to the prisonoperated iron smelters to be used as fuel
for the furnaces. Prison crews extended
the line to Maydelle in 1906, and by 1909
they finally reached Palestine, allowing
them access to the main railroad lines. In
1913 the prison ceased operations of the
iron smelters and the prison became the
state mental hospital. By 1921 regular line
service was discontinued and the rights to
the track were leased to the Texas & New
Orleans line, a Southern Pacific Railroad
Company. From 1960 to 1969 the line
was leased to the Texas Southeastern
Railroad. In 1972 the Texas Legislature
turned the railroad over to the Texas
Parks and Wildlife Department to
be used as a state park. The state
brought in inmates to create the state
historical park and it opened on July
4th, 1976, as part of the nation’s
Bicentennial Celebration.
In 1981 the Texas State Railroad
purchased a turntable and installed it in
Maydelle. Built in the late 1890’s by the
St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad in
Paris, Texas, the turntable was first put
into service in 1902 as part of a six stall
roundhouse.
By 2007 maintaining the state park cost
Texas $1 million per year more to maintain
and operate than the revenue generated.
Because of budget concerns the Eightieth
Texas Legislature passed SB1659, allowing
for the creation of an operating
authority for the train with the ability to
lease it to a private operator. In September
of 2007 the train was leased to the

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