Texas State Railroad 2-8-0 300 pulled the consist onto one leg of the Rusk wye where the engine would cut off to be turned on the wye then taken to the shop.
The steam engine reversed backed around another leg of the wye.
300 at the switch at the shop end of the wye.
300 pulled forward to clear the switch to the shops then reversed into the Rusk shop complex to be serviced for the return trip to Palestine later this afternoon.
The steam engine was on its way to the shop. By this time, I was hungry, so I walked backed to the Rusk station looking for something to eat.
For lunch I went to Eilenberger's, which is Texas State Railroad Harriman baggage car 621, history unknown, for a hot dog and chips for my birthday lunch then took my food down to Cherokee Lake to eat it (the food, not the lake).
Rusk station.
The semaphore in front of the station.
Cherokee Lake west of the station. After lunch and the enjoyment of the lake, I returned to be in position to photograph the steam engine returning to our train for the return journey.
The steam engine returned to the point of our train.
Then the train then returned to the station.
The train was now ready for boarding and we chose seats in coach 43 again and were ready to relax and enjoy the ride. We departed on time and were a trainload of very happy passengers.
The children had fun the whole trip in this coach.
Interior of coach 43.
Interior of coach 42.
Interior of coach 45.
Back inside my car, coach 43.
The Maydelle station.
Passengers still enjoying their trip aboard the Texas State Railroad.
One of the trainmen who loves to tell stories.
We crossed the Neches River.
We passed the other train at Mewshaw on its way to Rusk.
We travelled through low-lying flooded land.
Passing through the miles of forests.
We arrived back to the Palestine station on time and I detrained for some additional pictures.
The engine was cut off so the engine could take on water.
A view from the field to the south of the tracks.
The front of the steam engine. I bought a few post cards as the engine was then wyed.
The engine has been turned.
300 then reversed into the Palestine engine house.
Texas State Railroad MSR-1 8 then put the train away in a fenced-in track adjacent to the shops.
Next, New Years Eve in Dallas on DART and the trip home.
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