Kingsland in Llano County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
The Antlers Caboose Rooms
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 7, 2013
1. The Antlers Caboose Rooms Marker
The cabooses were built by the International Railway Car Company for the Norfolk & Western Railroad. Each weighs 54,000 pounds and went into service in 1969 (Red), 1970 (Green), and 1976 (Yellow). The three different heralds painted on the sides refer to the railroads that served Kingsland, Texas.
During the 1920’s, over 30,000 “crummies,” or cabooses, were registered in the United States. Conductors and railroad crews used them as offices, watched for fires from the cupolas, and signaled the engineer the location of the last train car. By the 1980’s, modern railroad technology made cabooses obsolete.
The Antlers purchased the cabooses in 1996 at auction in Decatur, Illinois, had them moved by rail to Kingsland, and refurbished them into hotel rooms. Each has a living area, kitchen, queen bed, small bunk beds, and a bath. The observation cupolas are still intact. Reservation information is available in The Antlers Hotel lobby.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Man-Made Features • Railroads & Streetcars.
Location. 30° 39.602′ N, 98° 26.133′ W. Marker is in Kingsland, Texas, in Llano County. Marker is at the intersection of King Court and East FM Road 1431, on the right when
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. McKinley Coach (within shouting distance of this marker); Antlers Hotel (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Fisher - Miller - Grant (approx. 1˝ miles away); Sandy Mountain Cemetery (approx. 4.2 miles away); Hoover's Valley Cemetery (approx. 4˝ miles away); Longhorn Caverns (approx. 5.3 miles away); Longhorn Cavern Administration Building (approx. 5.3 miles away); Granite Industry in Llano County (approx. 5.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kingsland.
Also see . . .
1. Austin & Northwestern Railroad.
On April 29, 1881, the Austin and North Western Rail Road Company was incorporated to build a line from Austin to a connection with the Texas and Pacific at Abilene, along with branch lines including one to a point on the Rio Grande. The railroad carried all of the granite from Granite Mountain, nearly 16,000 carloads, used to build the state Capitol. Several cars derailed near Brush Creek in Travis County, and granite blocks can still be found in the streambed. The Austin and Northwestern was profitable throughout the latter half of the 1880s and the 1890s; most of its income was generated by the transport of mineral
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 7, 2013
2. Austin & Northwestern Logo Caboose
2. Houston and Texas Central Railway.
On January 1, 1853, Paul Bremond and Thomas William House broke ground for the G&RR at Houston. Although early progress was slow, considerable grading had been completed by the end of 1855. Track laying began in early 1856, and the rails reached Cypress City, the twenty-five-mile point, on July 26, 1856. On September 1, 1856, the company was renamed Houston and Texas Central Railway Company. By April 22, 1861, the railroad was open eighty-one miles to Millican, but the Civil War prevented any additional construction until 1867. The H&TC reached Corsicana in 1871, Dallas in 1872, and Denison in 1873. (Submitted on November 29, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
3. Texas & New Orleans Railroad.
The Texas and New Orleans Railroad Company was one of the antebellum railroads of Texas. It was chartered on September 1, 1856, as the Sabine and Galveston Bay Railroad and Lumber Company, for the purpose of constructing a railroad from Madison (now Orange) in Orange County to the tidewater of Galveston Bay. The railroad was used extensively as a Confederate supply line, and about 1,000
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 7, 2013
3. Houston & Texas Central Logo Caboose
4. The Antlers Inn. (Submitted on December 2, 2017.)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 7, 2013
4. Southern Pacific Logo Caboose
Credits. This page was last revised on December 2, 2017. It was originally submitted on November 29, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 472 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 29, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
