austin steam train

We had a wonderful time on the 6 hour excursion to Burnet, TX and back. This is a MUST if you've ever wanted to try a short train ride. The people were amazing, the train ride was a blast and they had a gun fight for us at Burnet that was really cute. Please try this one Saturday if you get a chance. I would highly recommend this!

My family and I decided to take the Christmas train ride. We had 3 kids (8 and under) with 6 adults. Upon arrival we were greeted with hot chocolate. Thinking the "show" was about to begin...then nothing for a while. Mrs Claus made her appearance with cookies and took pictures-this was the best part of it all. The story teller was a little dull and Santa was nice, he passed out train whistles for the kids. Over all for a 2 hour ride it was boring, (while walking the carts many people were asleep) we thought there would be more action and more Christmas spirit. Some suggestions we would have would be to play Christmas music over the intercom, Santa sits and talks with each child, and an animated elf with each cart. The train was fun just not worth the money.

We rode the train yesterday to Bertram and back and had a really nice time. Santa and Mrs. Claus stopped by with cookies and train whistles and a nice Elf stopped in our car and read a Christmas story. The only snafu is their main engine had an issue with the earlier ride and we were using a borrowed engine that had some issues of its own. Our 2 hour ride ended up being more like 3.5 hours. The crew/volunteers did a great job explaining the issues and working to keep the kids entertained while it took us awhile to get back to Cedar Park. Although mechanical issues do happen (these trains are no spring chickens) , they have backup engine resources and we've ridden the train at least 3 times prior with 0 issues. Our lesson learned was not to stack activities up after the train ride to allow some buffer if they have issues. THANKS to the whole crew for dealing with a difficult and long day, and for all that you do every year to make this a special event for our children!

It was a fun experience overall thanks to the great folks on the train with us. The angry elf who read us the story seemed a bit kid unfriendly and that was a let down. Mrs Claus was awesome and kind and Santa himself was in for the photo op and not much else - good times for the kiddos but could be a better experience with a better story teller

Being a railfan I have been wanting to ride this train for some time. The day we road was cold and cloudy but still enjoyed the trip. The equipment is older vintage rail cars so you can't expect modern conveniences on board. There are different types of of cars From coaches to first class. There's a snack bar car well equipped with drinks, snacks and trinkets. This ride may not be for all but if your a rail fan I think you will like if. They are raising money to restore there steam locomotive which will make this trip great. So don' t complain donate.

Went on a Saturday with extended family & grandkids. Was fun, informative & our car attendant was wonderful. They had a continental breakfast on the trip to Burnett and snacks for the ride home. We spent 1 1\2 hours walking around the town and then were treated to a "wild west gunfight"......... Would definitely do it again!!! Maybe Polar Express with grandkids!!!!

I must preface this by saying that I received free tickets for the ride that I took. Had I paid full price, this review would be different.Seeing the train and the station was interesting. I had good expectations that the trip was going to be fun. We sat in one of front cars. The weather was perfect and the windows were open. The train was pretty full of passengers.We have been around the hill country many times. The morning before the train ride, we took the drive from Cedar Park to Marble Falls. It is a fairly scenic drive. We thought that since the train was going up the other side of the the Balcones Canyonlands would be scenic as well. Instead, we saw very little of the hill country. We saw the back side of many properties, lots of abandoned vehicles and equipment and other things that you see along a train track between towns. The route description said that we would cross a wood trestle bridge. We did. It was probably 5 yards long, easily missed. Because this track is used by commercial trains, we were parked on the track about 30 minutes waiting for it to clear. We reached the town of Bertram and were let off in a field next to the highway. There is a small station, but because of the crowd and the limited time (15 minutes) we didn't bother walking down to it. The ride back was much faster.The staff is all volunteer and pretty friendly. They will talk to you and give you lots of info if you ask, but otherwise, there is not much info provided.Overall, it was fun. It was neat to imagine riding cross-country. I It was an experience that I am glad we had. I don;t know that I would do it again. If I had paid what others did, I am not sure that I would be satisfied.

My wife and I went with her parents, sister and grandparents. Just an early heads up, it leaves at 10 and you get back around 4, but it was worth it. I want to break this down into two parts, the train ride and the town you stop in.First, the train and train ride. The train ride is fun. For older cars, the seat are pretty comfortable. The best part of the ride is taking time to stand in between the cars and watching the scenery go by. The train moves fast enough to enjoy it but slow enough you can take some decent pics. Water, coffee and tea is free and they do have soda and souvenirs for sale in one of the cars.The town you stop in, I forget the name, is a nice little town and there are plenty of little places to eat. There are busses that will pick you up at the train depot and take you around and back. There was a wild west gun fight that for younger kids would be cool but for adults and teens it is a little boring. All in all this was a nice way to spend a Saturday and bit have to worry about driving or walking around the Austin area.

Took 2 grandsons, ages 6 and 8, on the trip. I thought a little expensive but I understand they use some of the money for restoration. The kids enjoyed the trip because we were allowed to visit all the different train cars, which are just like they were "in the day". Good experience! Staff members friendly and dedicated to promoting the train. The only problem we experienced was FINDING THE PLACE!!! It is tucked away and very poorly marked! Impossible to see from the road, but fortunately we had the exact address and our GPS took us there. But once in the parking lot we still had to look hard to find it!

We went on a family outing to the fair. It took about 2 hours on the train to get there. The trip was relaxing. The attendant was friendly and gave us some history of the train car we were riding in. There were snacks and soft drinks as part of the package as well. When we pulled into the town and got off we found ourselves in the middle of the fair. The exhibition hall was air-conditioned there were antique cars and as we were leaving there was a Gun Fight show. We found the trip to be very laid back and relaxing. Our hotel was right next door and there was a Great Steak and Seafood Restaurant (not the name) within short walking distance.

I love the countryside but this is a rip off. And it could be so much more. Maybe OK for tiny kids. We had decent weather so rated it higher than it deserved. Another train issue put us sitting for nearly 40 minutes.

Austin steam train is not worth it. We spent the longest 3 hours in this train. We rode on the first class air-conditioned silver pine coach which cost $92 for 2 adults and a child. The whole trip was so boring with nothing scenic .............only trees and abandoned houses. Dont waste your money if you have already been on a steam train before.

this was absolutely terrible. they charge an arm and leg for a trip that did not not leave or arrive on time and. whose toilets smell worse than an outhouse. they offer mini waters and teas with store bought bite size muffins. it's dirty and the "scenery" is dilapidated housing with starving horses! don't waste your money!

The steam engine is being restored so they are using a vintage diesel engine to pull vintage passenger cars. Some were from the 20's, diners, lounge cars, Pullman cars, etc. A real treat for train buffs especially the little ones.

Growning up in NM near a train depot I am fascinated with trains. I took my mom on this train ride during one of her visits here to Cedar Park. She and I enjoyed it very much. Leave in the a.m. have lunch in Burnett. A shuttle is available to take you to a couple of cafe's. Back early afternoon. Very nice trip.