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Texas State Railroad Society
DEVOTED TO THE HERITAGE OF A 29-MILES LONG RAILROAD IN THE ANDERSON & CHEROKEE COUNTIES OF EAST TEXAS,
THE COMMUNITIES SERVED, AND CONNECTING RAILROADS
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NEWS & EVENTS
Here, we intend to inform you of our progress as well as that of the Texas State Railroad. Our aim is not to compete with primary sources of information, but to complement and supplement via our different aspect when possible.
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For a more current events and the very latest news, we encourage to you visit our Facebook page, as well as those of the Texas State Railroad, City of Palestine, and the City of Rusk.
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February 18th 2017: Some have been rehired
It's evident that there's a lot of activity directed towards getting the TSR's employees back to work. About eight have already joined the six or seven who were retained at the beginning of the year. More are expected to return soon. Inevitably, some have moved on to work elsewhere, and we hear that four r five will not be rehired.
In the meantime, the TSR website is active, so current information about the railroad's operation can be found there.
Jan 1st 2017: Our New Year Begins
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Our museum operation is closed at the Carnegie Library Building in Palestine. Exhibits have been stored and covered. As we have done for the past three years, we expect to operate the museum every day that the railroad is running passenger trains, at least until the new location is prepared for opening to the public.
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The site of the new museum will be the former Karate Academy at 808 West Oak Street. Air - conditioning units have been donated, overhauled, and are to be installed very soon. They must be in operation before we can take delivery of the Paul A. Domis HO Model Railroad from Dallas. When the layout is installed, then the disposition of the contents of the Carnegie Library Building will be determined. Space is a concern.
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December 30th 2016: Texas State Railroad 'Closure'
Following the uproar caused by the unofficial announcement of the closure of the Texas State Railroad, we have learned that about forty were terminated (as opposed to being furloughed) by the operator of the railroad, Iowa Pacific Holdings (IPH). Seven employees are still at work on tasks that are funded independently through grants.
The action is very difficult to understand given that the TSR achieved record ridership for excursion trains and the annual Polar express event in 2016.
The Texas State Railroad Authority is intimately involved and working diligently to resolve labor issues, with the goal of ensuring that the TSR returns to operation as soon as possible.
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