Southern Pine Locomotive Company

10/11/2026

Enjoying the sights and sounds of the Tyler Big Band tonight in Rusk! Been a fantastic day at the SPLCo!!!

10/10/2026

A massive thank you to everyone who has come out to see us so far today, and to the Rusk Good Samaritan Food Pantry and Thrift Shop for hosting such a fantastic event. The Cotton Belt yard in Rusk is coming alive!

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10/09/2026

One last reminder that our open house will be going on tomorrow, Saturday, October 10 from 10am-4pm. This will be followed by our fundraiser concert from 7-9 PM. We welcome anyone that’s in the area to come out and see some of our progress!

Southern Pine Locomotive Company
440 Barron St. Rusk, TX 75785

09/10/2026

Come out and support our nonprofit on October 10th at 7 PM to hear the Tyler Big Band play two hours’ worth of classic music under the stars!

Tickets are $25 per person. Please contact Aaron McCreight at 903-721-4133 if you are interested in purchasing a ticket!

09/10/2026

Come out and see us!

08/24/2026

Today a rather unique and interesting piece of East Texas railroading history followed us home.

Originally belonging to the Waco, Beaumont, Trinity and Sabine Railway, this Fairbanks-Morse No. 28 motorcar was used almost daily by Willie Reinhardt to perform his duties as a "Pump Man" along the Railroad's Trinity-Colmesneil Branch.

Ahead of each day's trains, he would ride this motorcar to each of the line's four pump stations (Chester, Stryker, Woodlake and White Rock Creek) to operate the pumps, topping the tanks off with water to be used by the steam locomotives pulling the coming trains.

In the late 1930's, as the WBT&S fell into financial difficulties (and the Trinity-Colmesneil
branch faced abandonment), Willie's time at the railroad came to an end and, through unknown circumstances, he ended up keeping his motorcar!

For the next 80+ years, the Fairbanks remained in the Reinhardt family. Stored indoors, the relic has stood the test of time exceptionally well. It is largely complete, with the exception of its outriggers, which we will likely fabricate new.

We are deeply grateful to the Reinhardt Family for entrusting us with this special piece of their family's history and we cannot wait to share it with generations to come.

To help support this effort, and others like it, consider donating today at www.southernpineloco.org

07/19/2026

July Update!

Today, the remaining tubes were removed from 20's boiler, allowing us to see the entirety of the boiler's interior for the first time since the 1950's!

While there is still clean up to be performed and tube ends to be removed from the sheets, we are thrilled at what we have found so far. Preliminary UT readings look promising, but we will be able to more accurately address the scope of work once the boiler has been fully cleaned and gridded.

Along with this, the two Ohio #10 injectors and associated piping were also removed from the locomotive to facilitate the removal of the cab in the future.

07/04/2026

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Happy Fourth of July from the Southern Pine Locomotive Company!
Wishing everyone a safe and happy Independence Day. Thank you for supporting our mission to preserve East Texas railroad history!

06/21/2026

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT FROM SPLCO!!

After considerable planning and negotiation, SPLCO is pleased to announce the acquisition of our second steam locomotive: former AT&SF/Temple Lumber Co. No. 1140.
Built by Baldwin in 1903, No. 1140 was acquired by the Temple Lumber Company from the AT&SF in September 1952 and remained in service until the engine house fire of August 1958. Following its retirement, the locomotive sat in Pineland alongside stablemates, No. 20 and No. 28, until the late 1980s, when the Red River Valley Railroad Historical Society acquired the engine and relocated it to Shreveport, Louisiana.
For more than three decades, No. 1140 has been stored at Camp Minden, east of Shreveport, along with other pieces from the RRVRHS collection.
In recent months, a series of discussions with the Shreveport Railroad Museum led to an agreement to complete the locomotive’s acquisition. We are honored to play a role in preserving two of the last three surviving Temple Lumber Company steam locomotives.
In the months ahead, preparations will begin for No. 1140's relocation to Rusk, where the locomotive will receive a cosmetic restoration. At the same time, evaluation and operational restoration efforts will continue on No. 20. Upon completion, No. 1140 will be permanently displayed alongside our original 1915 Santa Fe Pineland depot. We look forward to providing updates as work on this project progresses.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this acquisition possible. We are excited for the future of No. 1140 and its continued preservation for generations to come!

06/20/2026

Did you know that in August of 1958, the Temple engine house in Pineland, Texas caught fire and burned? Our #20 escaped unharmed and #28 suffered minor damage. Unfortunately, Temple Lumber Co. #1140 wasn’t so lucky.
One of the lessor known events in East Texas railroad history.