Texas State Railroad - Rusk, Texas
Photos from May 2012, featuring U.S. Army 2-8-0 #300 (Baldwin built 1917) pulling trains between Rusk and Palestine in the Piney Woods of East Texas. In addition to #300, Texas State Railroad owns four other steam locomotives. Texas & Pacific 4-6-0 #201 (A.L. Cooke built 1901) runs infrequently as a backup for #300, requiring diesel assistance to haul the usual 7-car train over steep 2.5% grades. Tremont & Gulf 2-8-2 #400 (Baldwin built 1917) is undergoing maintenance and may return to service in 2013. A rebuild of Santa Fe 4-6-2 #500 (Baldwin built 1911), the largest operating locomotive at TSR, will begin after completion of #400. Finally, Texas & Pacific 2-10-4 #610 (Lima built 1927) is on display in Palestine; at 224 tons the locomotive is too large for operations at TSR. Trains run most weekends, with special events scheduled year-round. Visit the Texas State Railroad Website.