Editing Palestine, Texas (section)

===Railroad===
[[File:O. W. Gray & Son Palestine, Texas ca. 1885 UTA.jpg|thumb|Map of Palestine, circa 1885|left]]

The International Railroad and the Houston and Great Northern Railroad first connected Palestine to the city of [[Hearne, Texas|Hearne]] in 1872.<ref>{{cite book | title=The Texas Almanac for 1872, and Emigrant's Guide to Texas | year=1872 | url=https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth123777/ | access-date=August 26, 2022 |  work=The Portal to Texas History}}</ref> Later that year, it was connected northeast to [[Longview, Texas|Longview]]. The railroad merged in 1873 to become the [[International–Great Northern Railroad|International and Great Northern Railroad]] (IGN).

The IGN later became part of the [[Missouri Pacific Railroad]], and ultimately, the [[Union Pacific Railroad]]. In 1875, IGN president H.M. Hoxie moved to Palestine and built the first Victorian mansion there. Successful merchant owners and railroad executives built other elaborate homes along South Sycamore Street.

The IGN built a major depot in 1892, and a modern passenger coach shop in 1902, making Palestine an important locomotive and coach location. These shops continued to operate until 1954. At that time, the present facility was built, which is exclusively for freight-car repair.

Today, the Palestine Car Shop is one of only two car shops on the Union Pacific Railroad that perform major modifications and repairs to freight cars. The Palestine UP workforce has more than 100 employees.<ref name="Union Pacific Railroad History: Train Towns">{{cite web|url= http://up150.com/towns/Palestine/TX|title= About The Union Pacific Railroad|access-date= September 2, 2016|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160327163026/http://up150.com/towns/Palestine/TX|archive-date= March 27, 2016}}</ref>

After the state completed the Rusk Penitentiary near the city of Rusk, the state leased [[convict labor]] to the railroad as workers. The railroad originally transported raw materials to the [[iron]] [[smelter]] located at the Rusk Penitentiary. In 1906, the line reached Maydelle, and by 1909, the line was completed when it reached Palestine.

Regularly scheduled train service ceased in 1921. The line was leased to various railroad companies until 1969, when they abandoned it during national restructuring of the industry. The [[Texas Legislature]] adapted the railroad as a state park in 1972, to be devoted to operating trains that showed some of the state's railroad history.

The Texas State Railroad is a [[state park]] that allows visitors to ride trains pulled by diesel and [[steam locomotive]]s between the park's [[Victorian architecture|Victorian-style]] [[train station|depot]]s and through the [[forest]]s of [[East Texas]]. This short railroad line dates to 1883.