Runaway Train Cafe in Brownwood

Lunch in a Train Car!
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Don and I found this place in Brownwood, on one of our many Texas road trips.  

 

We had just had the adventure of spending the night in a teepee, so we were in the mood for a dining adventure to top it off.  Sleep in a teepee, then dine in a train car. Perfect.
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11 a.m. on Saturday

We'd had no breakfast or coffee in the Teepee, so we hit the cafe right when it opened.  It was sitting on some tracks on the edge of Brownwood. It seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, but I sensed some nearby suburbs. 

​Lots of Red
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Red, black and a little neon!  It felt like a 1950's soda fountain as much as it did a dining car.  But I guess that was the idea. We had our pick of cozy booths.
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Table with a View
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We picked the side away from the road, since the window view made it look like the train was traveling from Chicago to Illinois, like it once did in the 1950's.  I loved the original metal blinds that slid up and down.

The Other End
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Near the kitchen there was a counter with stools. If we'd sat there, we could have asked more questions.  But it started filling up pretty quickly and our server seemed a little distracted. I think she would have been happier answering questions about her high school prom than train history.
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Family Biz
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The family owned cafe has been open for about 10 years.  We spoke with a few locals who let us know the owners were very nice. They also told us to keep an eye out our window because we might see some deer.  We didn't see deer or the owners (in the kitchen?) but we saw about 5 different young groups in sport's uniforms.  Lots of happy and hungry kiddos, just off the soccer and softball fields. 
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The Dining Part
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Don let me slow him down for the photo before he devoured his burger and fries. We both had coffee with lunch, which made made us look extra elderly in the crowd of youngin's. I had a chili dog which was pretty perfect. I am not pictured, because I didn't look so good after sleeping on the ground in the teepee!
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Headed for the Washroom
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I felt just like I do when I'm waiting for the "lavatory" in the narrow aisle of a plane. I kept my gaze  on "Rosie the Riveter" and the Men's room "Chief", so the family at the table I was nearly touching, didn't feel my intrusion.  I was fully prepared to squeeze into a tiny bathroom like I remember from train travel 50 years ago, but to my surprise it was updated and somewhat roomy.  
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On Down the Road
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We left the packed dining car just in time and headed home to Sugar Land on back roads.  Always keeping an eye out for future dining adventures... or at least a picnic!