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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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CURRENT ACTIVITIES
As of February 2017, volunteers of the Texas State Railroad Society are currently working on the following projects:
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1. Improving communications through increased activity on Facebook and resurrecting our website.
2. Increasing membership to provide a functional volunteer force for the diversity of projects that ought to be addressed.
3. At the Rusk shops of the TSR, disassembly of the "Willoughby" depot, the mock station building that was erected for the NBC TV series, "Revolution". The building is to be rebuilt in the Rail Yard Park in
Palestine.
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4. At the site of the future Museum in the Rail Yard Park, Palestine, preparing the interior of the building
for the receipt of the magnificent Paul A. Domis Model Railroad, and exhibits and displays that are
currently housed in the Carnegie Library Building
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​Future Projects
A prime purpose of the Texas State Railroad Society (TSRS) is to provide volunteers for a variety of tasks at the Texas State Railroad (TSR). Projects are proposed by the TSR, the TSRS, or individuals. All projects are approved by the General Manager of the TSR annually.
The Society's mission, however, has always included the environs of the TSR. Last year (2016), we took the opportunity to do so more positively via the proposal to the City of Palestine to create a Rail Yard Park. The proposal was accepted; the Society now leases land and buildings for that purpose.
We have always wished to be of appeal to those with a love of the history of the area, both in terms of the nature of the East Texas Piney Woods, as well as its industry. With the Society's expansion of operation via the Rail Yard Park project, there will be many opportunities for the expression of such interests, including other facets of the railroading hobby, namely model railroading, and miniature railroading.
We do not believe that volunteerism for projects at the TSR will be adversely affected by tasks for volunteers at the Rail Yard Park. On the contrary, we believe that the development of interest in railroading through volunteerism at the Rail Yard Park will stimulate participation in activities at the Railroad. From the aspect of tourism, we believe that the creation of additional railroad-related attractions in Palestine will have a synergistic effect with those of the TSR.
Projects that are expected to arise are presented in our page entitled Future Projects. Presently, there is no particular order; that will be determined by funding, availability of volunteers, etc.
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Earlier Projects
A summary of our previous projects is presented on a separate page, for the period from late 2011 until summer 2016.
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