By Kelly Young
countybeat@jacksonvilleprogress.com
Some want the Texas State Railroad to remain state property. Others want to take a chance and give privatization a try. And many don’t care one way or the other – they just want the steam engines to keep running.
Judging by the turnout at Friday evening’s town hall meeting in Jacksonville, the Texas State Railroad is not lacking local support — its finding champions of the trains among the Austin legislature that remains the park’s dilemma.
Approximately 150 supporters gathered at 5 p.m. Friday at the Norman Activity Center to hear the latest information from Austin regarding the TSRR.
Freshman Sen. Robert Nichols (SD3) led the meeting, focusing on the two principal options for the TSRR – continued state operation and private ownership.
“I don’t think it is any secret that the collective mission of everyone in this room is to keep the Texas State Railroad open and running,” Nichols said. “I have heard some pieces of misinformation floating around, and I wanted to have this meeting to inform the public about what is going on and what needs to be done.”
State Rep. Chuck Hopson (HD11) spoke of the work he will be doing to ensure the TSRR doesn’t close.
“I really don’t know what committees I’m going to be on yet, but I expect that I will be back on Appropriations. If I am on the Appropriations Committee again, the trains will be one of the items that I work the hardest on,” Hopson said. “I cannot imagine a worse thing in my legacy than to have it said that during my watch they closed the Texas State Railroad.”
According to Hopson, work is being done simultaneously to ensure the TSRR is given the best possible shot at garnering state funding and to attract private companies.
“We won’t know until the last two or three weeks of the session what is being funded, so we need to be prepared for whatever may come,” he said.
Steve Presley, chairman of the Texas State Railroad Preservation Task Force, presented a timeline chronicling the work already being done to ensure the trains operate in some form. Task force members have made numerous trips to Austin to gauge the leadership’s interest in having the state run.
“Every conversation we have had with legislators, the feeling is that the likelihood of the state funding the railroad long-term, at the level that it needs to be funded, is minimal or none,” Presley said. “The likelihood of the railroad being funded, even at a level enough to just save it for a private partnership is not real good either, but they feel it is much better than the chance that the state will fund everything.”
The task force has also worked to establish an interlocal agreement between the cities of Rusk and Palestine which allows for the creation of an entity to oversee the operation of the trains, should an arrangement with a private company be reached.
American Heritage Railways and two other private businesses have expressed interest in taking over operation of the TSRR. Several protections have been established to protect and preserve the assets of the trains if they are privatized. The private operator will need to preserve the historical accuracy of the trains and will be required to maintain the tracks themselves and conduct regular safety checks.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Commissioner John Parker spoke briefly during the meeting and called the TSRR “one of the three crown-jewels of the Texas State Parks system.” According to Parker, TPWD has been forced to cut its spending during each of the last four bienniums. Parker also pledged his support for the TSRR, and promised that he will be a strong proponent of the trains from within the department.
Nichols shared a few experiences he has had in the senate which have given him hope regarding the TSRR.
“I have been working with the other senators to find out what the will of the Senate is, and I will tell you that some of the work that you have done to bring awareness is working. I have had members of the senate come across the floor of the senate to tell me that we have to save the Texas State Railroad,” he said. “I had a senator from Dallas tell me, ‘I used to ride the Texas State Railroad, I’ve brought my grandkids down to ride the trains, and I will do what I can to help you save the railroad.’”
The Texas Legislature has granted funding for the TSRR through the end of fiscal year 2007. The legislature’s final decision whether to remain in control of the TSRR should be made by the end of May. Should Austin decide to cut the trains loose, the task force and local leaders are doing everything possible to ensure that everything is in place for a privatized TSRR to survive and thrive – keeping steam locomotives churning through the Pineywoods for years to come.
