Having kids in Austin has indirectly exposed me to some of my very favorite things in Central Texas. One of those things was the Zilker Zephyr before it shut down in 2019. Though the Zephyr shut down after 60 years, what has happened in the previous two and a half years are a huge number of track repairs and improvements, new signage, new branding, and the Austin Parks Foundation taking over management of the fabled train… and also a new name: The Zilker Eagle.

Thanks to previously working with the Austin Parks Foundation, I was asked to photograph the delivery of the new train as it was being unloaded from the semi that hauled it from Arizona. Truly, it was everything my 39-year-old heart could have hoped: shiny cars, electric engines, forklifts, and an awesome group of Austin Parks Foundation and Austin Parks Department folks working together to finish up a project that will keep Austin wonderful for the next 60 years.