Hill Country Flyer
The Hill Country Flyer is a steam train operated by the Austin Steam Train Association. It makes the run from Cedar Park to Burnet and back on most weekends. We took the trip just before Christmas of 1998. During the holiday season the train goes out in the afternoon and comes back after dark so that passengers can view the Christmas lights at houses along the tracks.
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The train is made up of a mixture of first-class sleeper and coach-class commuter cars, plus a concessions car, an engine, and a caboose. The cars are from various periods and railroads. |
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The engine is a Mikado built by the American Locomotive Company's Brooks Locomotive Works at Dunkirk, New York in 1916. It burns oil to generate the steam. |
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A group of us rented the caboose. Having a car all to ourselves was fun! We spent a lot of time hanging out on the back platform. The best seats were the two up to in the cupola. The Christmas lights were nice, but the stars were more spectacular. |
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The track runs through the Texas hill country. There are some spectacular views, including this one of the San Gabriel river from up on the trestle. |
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