The Austin Steam Train Association (

reporting mark A reporting mark is a code used to identify owners or lessees of rolling stock and other equipment used on certain rail transport networks. The code typically reflects the name or identifying number of the owner, lessee, or operator of the equip ...

ATCX), also known as the Austin & Texas Central Railroad or ASTA, is a

heritage railroad A heritage railway or heritage railroad (U.S. usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) ...

based in

Cedar Park, Texas Cedar Park is a city and a suburb of Austin, Texas, Austin in the U.S. state of Texas, approximately northwest of the center of Austin. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 77,595, and in 2022 ...

, that operates passenger excursion trains over ex-

Southern Pacific The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the names ...

(SP tracks between Cedar Park and Burnet. The railroad offers coach and first class service and special seasonal trips.

History

In 1956, the Southern Pacific Railroad donated 2-8-2 "Mikado" steam locomotive #786 to the City of Austin. It was displayed at a vacant lot behind the Central Fire Station between 4th and 5th Streets

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

. In 1989, a group of railroad preservationists officially founded the Austin Steam Train Association to restore #786 to operation. Excursions officially began in 1992. In 1993, ASTA moved into its rail yard in Cedar Park, Texas. After #786 was sidelined for repairs in 1999, ASTA purchased a diesel locomotive to haul excursions,

ALCO RSD-15 The ALCO RSD-15 is a diesel-electric locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Schenectady, New York between August 1956 and June 1960, during which time 75 locomotives were produced. The RSD-15 was powered by an ALCO 251 16-c ...

#442 (ex-ATSF #842). #442 was the main power for ASTA excursions until it went down for repairs in 2016. In 2017, ASTA leased a rebuilt EMD GP40-3, HZRX #3134 (ex- PC 3118). In 2025, they purchased #3134 and renumbered it back to #3118. As of July 2025, the restorations of #786 and #442 are ongoing.

Trackage

The Austin Steam Train Association operates excursions over a portion of the ex-Southern Pacific Llano Branch owned by CapMetro. The ''Bertram Flyer'' runs between Cedar Park and Bertram, while the ''Hill Country Flyer'' runs between Cedar Park and Burnet. The ''Capital City Flyer'' previously operated between Cedar Park and Downtown Station in Austin, but it has not run since the mid-2010s. ASTA excursions share trackage with CapMetro Rail commuter service and Austin Western freight trains.

Equipment

Steam Locomotive

* Southern Pacific 2-8-2 #786 ''(under restoration)''

Diesel Locomotives

* Austin & Texas Central ALCO RSD-15 #442 (ex-ATSF #842) ''(under restoration)'' * Austin & Texas Central

EMD GP40 The EMD GP40 is a 4-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division between November 1965 and December 1971. It has an EMD 645E3 16-cylinder engine generating . The GP40 is longer than its EMD 567D3A-engine ...

#3118 (ex-PC #3118) ''(operational)'' *

Belt Railway of Chicago The Belt Railway Company of Chicago , headquartered in Bedford Park, Illinois, is the largest switching terminal railroad in the United States. It is co-owned by the six Class I railroads of the United States — BNSF, Canadian National, ...

ALCO C424 #605 ''(sold but still on property)'' * VLIX 158 ALCO S2 #158 (''sold but still on property)''

Passenger Cars{{Cite web , title=The Train , url=https://www.austinsteamtrain.org/the-train/ , access-date=2025-07-11 , website=Austin Steam Train Association , language=en

* ATCX concession car "Cedar Park" (ex-ATSF) * ATCX power car (ex-ATSF) (''under restoration)'' * Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (ATSF) lounge "Maurice Beckham" * Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (ATSF) lounge "Nambe" *

Denver & Rio Grande Western The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to ''Rio Grande'', D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow-gauge line running south fro ...

(DRGW) coach "Silver Pine" * Kansas City Southern (KCS) observation "Good Cheer" ''(awaiting restoration)'' *

Milwaukee Road The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States from 1847 ...

(MILW) coach "Buckeye Lake" ''(ex-DL&W)'' * Milwaukee Road (MILW) coach "Buckeye Trail" ''(ex NKP)'' * Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT) coach "New Braunfels" *

Missouri Pacific The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad ...

(MP) lounge "Eagle Cliff" *

New York Central The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midw ...

(NYC) lounge "Rippling Stream" * New York Central (NYC) lounge #41 * Southern Railway (SOU) business car #4 "Boonesborough" ''(under restoration)''

Freight Cars

* Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT) flatcar #13551

Caboose

* Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (ATSF) caboose #999418

References

# Shoop, Claire (2022-08-08). "Cedar Park nonprofit Austin Steam Train Association commemorates railroad history with hill country rides". ''Community Impact''. Retrieved 2025-07-11. # "Pictures of ATCX 442". ''www.rrpicturearchives.net''. Retrieved 2025-07-11. # "About ASTA". ''Austin Steam Train Association''. Retrieved 2025-07-11. # "Austin Steam Train Association - Austin's Favorite Vintage Train". ''Austin Steam Train Association''. Retrieved 2025-07-11. # "Locomotive SP 786". ''Austin Steam Train Association''. Retrieved 2025-07-11. # "Locomotive 442". ''Austin Steam Train Association''. Retrieved 2025-07-11. # "Locomotives". ''Austin Steam Train Association''. Retrieved 2025-07-11. # "The Train". ''Austin Steam Train Association''. Retrieved 2025-07-11.

External links

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Heritage railroads in Texas Heritage may refer to: History and society * A heritage asset is a preexisting thing of value today ** Cultural heritage is created by humans ** Natural heritage is not * Heritage language Biology * Heredity, biological inheritance of physical c ...