Bert Dockell sits in the cab of an Alco engine waiting for his crew members to finish tying up the train after driving the Hill Country Flyer from Cedar Park to Burnet, Texas. It’s something he’s been used to in his retirement years and he’s made the hour-and-a-half trip countless times during his time with the Austin Steam Train Association.
Prior to joining the association, Dockell worked for over 40 years with Amtrak, Santa Fe and Burlington Northern and Santa Fe, working mainly out of the BNSF yard in Temple, Texas. Now the eldest engineer at ASTA, he helps train other prospective engineers looking to help out on the all-volunteer railroad.