Mission Statement
The mission of the Austin Steam Train Association is to preserve, interpret and re-create the first-hand experience of historic steam-era railroading for the enjoyment and edification of today’s families and the generations to come.
Brief History of ASTA
Central Texas’ popular excursion railroad grew from the happy confluence of an historic steam locomotive and an historic rail line, after the two both became the property of the citizens of Austin.
The locomotive, Southern Pacific No. 786, had been donated to the city in 1956 as the SP was retiring its steam fleet in favor of diesel power, and she was put on static display in downtown Austin’s Brush Square. Twenty years later, the SP ended its operations in the Austin area and sold the city 167 miles of its track from Giddings through Austin and into the Hill Country to Burnet, Llano and Marble Falls.
A number of local rail aficionados, led by businessman and private-railcar enthusiast Arthur U. Boone, saw the possibilities of bringing together the city’s steam engine and the city’s new railroad into an authentic re-creation of historic passenger railroading in Central Texas, and they incorporated in 1989 as the non-profit Austin Steam Train Association.
The SP 786, a Mikado-type engine built in 1916, was restored to operating condition in a privately financed two-year effort, period passenger cars were acquired, and ASTA’s first Hill Country Flyer made its run on July 25, 1992, the first passenger train between Cedar Park and Burnet in 55 years.
A year later, ASTA moved into its 16-acre rail yard in Cedar Park, donated by Texas Commerce Bank and developed with a grant from the State of Texas. In recent years, part of the yard was subdivided for a retail development, which allowed the association to build convenient new boarding facilities in the yard for passengers, and to move its administrative headquarters to Cedar Park as well. The association’s weekend passenger operations, proudly operating as the Austin & Texas Central Railroad, have continued uninterrupted since that first Flyer in 1992.
Throughout ASTA’s history, the operating crews of all its trains have always been volunteers, each fully trained and qualified for his or her responsibilities, who have not only run the trains but have provided the heart, brains and muscle for countless other projects such as equipment maintenance and restoration, tracklaying and restoration of ASTA’s historic 1912 country depot in Bertram, that opened in 1997.
After seven years and 60,000 miles of service, the SP 786 was sidelined in 1999 for a repair which turned into a complete overhaul of the locomotive, which is still under way today. Passenger operations, of course, went on uninterrupted with diesel-electric locomotives, first borrowed from ASTA’s freight-hauling partners on the line and then with the acquisition of the A&TC’s own diesel, the 1960 Alco-built No. 442, which reliably powered almost all of ASTA’s trains from 1999- 2016.
As with all history, ours is constantly being written. We are currently leasing HZRX #3134. The 3134 is our current locomotive, temporarily replacing the 442 while it is being restored! This EMD GP40-3 was overhauled in 2016 after an alternator fire that spread throughout the electrical locker and into the cab. The team at Horizon in Euclid, Ohio rebuilt this engine, and it is now equipped with a TMV control system, self-load, motor shunting, full diagnostic/self-test functions, motor-cut-out and much more! The cab even got a facelift with fresh interior, Microphor toilet, air conditioning, 110V and 12V power, upgraded seating and heaters. This powerful performance engine boasts of a 16-645-E Engine producing 3,000 horse power!