The Texas State Railroad

When I was about 12 years old, my parents took the whole family to ride the Texas State Railroad. TSR #201 pulled us that day and I distinctly remember being in absolute Heaven. On the return from Rusk I rode the entire way standing on the platform of the lead coach just behind the tender, soaking in the sights, sounds, and smells of an operating steam locomotive. That first experience with steam had a rather profound effect on me and I've got a special place in my heart for this East Texas short-line built in 1881 and still operating through the piney woods.

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The highlight of my experiences with the TSR has been, by far, the documentary I produced in 2014. This was a fundraiser and all proceeds went to the railroad. The project gave me an incredible amount of access to the railroad and the railroaders and, though it was a tremendous amount of work, it was a heckuva lot of fun!

 

Exploring the Texas State Railroad: 2014 Edition

 

TSR Mile-by-Mile Map

 

The 2014 TSR Documentary and the TSR Map are dedicated to the memory of

Ed Stabler