Cozy Up, Texas: The 6666 Pullman Train Car

Article by Vincent Friedewald; Photos by Caleb Kerr

We’ve now taken you on tours of a jail cell, a treehouse, and a ghost town mansion. You’re practically an expert on coziness, so we know you’ll be enamored by this tour of an 1894 train car in Fredericksburg, Texas. The 6666 Pullman Train Car Bed & Breakfast, as it’s called, is available for your private overnight lodging during weekend getaways to the Texas Hill Country.

As before, we begin with notes from our visit, followed by the photo tour.

Name: The 6666 Pullman Train Car Bed & Breakfast

Location: Fredericksburg, Texas

Overview: An 1894 Pullman Palace train car, restored to historic accuracy yet modernly appointed for overnight comfort. Amenities are plenty: one bedroom, one and a half bathrooms; plus a living area, small dining/sitting room, and an all-stainless steel galley. In its days as an active rail car, distinguished passengers included President Theodore Roosevelt, Comanche leader Quanah Parker, and Texas cattle baron S. Burk Burnett, who owned the car and gave it its name.

Appreciate: The decorative touches. It’s an intimate space, and there are many details to inspect and admire. The front parlor room gives a nod to President Roosevelt’s 1904 journey from Fort Worth to Oklahoma for a wolf hunt, with both a bust of Teddy himself and a teddy bear, awaiting your company. You’ll also find relics such as an old compass, whiskey flask, a claw foot tub, a blue sky mural above the bed, and ornately engraved fixtures throughout.

Know: The 6666 Pullman Train Car is owned by Fischer & Wieser, a Fredericksburg-based gourmet foods company that makes award-winning jellies, sauces, and other flavorful condiments. They often use the train car as the temporary quarters for visiting chefs. The “6666” refers to cattle baron S. Burk Burnett’s Four Sixes Ranch. Burnett owned the rail car during its glory years of service, using it as his personal transport between his home in Fort Worth and the outer boundaries of his ranch, in Kentucky. The “Pullman” in the title refers to the Pullman Palace Car Company, which built the car in 1894.

Notably Cozy: The small dining/sitting room, just past the bedroom. It’s small, to be certain, but has just enough space for you to tuck away with a book and a nightcap, or to share a meal with someone (it’s the only dining surface on board).

Nearby: Fischer & Wieser’s country store, Das Peach Haus, offers a variety of delectable gifts and treats, and as a guest of the 6666 Pullman Train Car, you’ll receive a $25 Gift Certificate to spend there (for each night you book!). And of course, Fredericksburg’s Main Street is just blocks away, where you’ll have your choice of many great German beer gardens and bakeries for more food, and more than a few antique shops in which to browse.

Special Comments: The steep steps up to the train car, together with the extraordinarily narrow interior corridor, may present challenges for some guests. Consider this before booking if you prefer or need more room to move around.

Rates: $200 per night.

Website: At this time, there is no active website for the 6666 Pullman Train Car Bed & Breakfast, but you can call to book your stay at 866-997-8969.

You enter the train car by way of the front platform. Watch your step; the stairs are steep.

The AQ&P stands for "Quannah, Acme & Pacific."

The interior tour begins where it should: at the front door.

The first room is the most leisurely of them all, outfitted with a full-sized couch, upholstered chair, and coffee table.

Tributes to Teddy Roosevelt are subtle but proudly present.

Follow the (very) narrow hallway to find the first of two bathrooms.

A classic claw foot tub, not a typical amenity in most modern train cars.

Details such as light fixtures are authentic from the period. The restoration that was necessary to be performed has stayed true to what would have been there when Teddy Roosevelt was a passenger on the way to his wolf hunt.