Caboose Renovation
We began the restoration process of our five 1916, N5 cabooses in the
mid-eighties. It was a long and difficult process renovating these
cabooses into modern motel rooms, for they were at least seventy years old,
and they had been working units on America's railway system. We were very careful
to preserve the architecture, but we also made an effort to provide all of the
modern comforts of a conventional motel room.
The cabooses were purchased in an auction in Pennsylvania and transported by rail to Wayland, New York.
The railcars were then transported by a semi-truck from Wayland to the location of our motel.
In preparation for the delivery of the cabooses, we actually laid rail track
to support the weight of the cabooses.
The cabooses arrived in rough condition. There was a buildup of seventy years of dirt, smoke, and grease
that had accumulated on the interior of the cabooses. In order to even begin the real work of restoration,
all of the grime had to be removed. There was no easy solution to cleaning up the cabooses--it required simple
elbow grease and a lot of effort by all the members of our family.
The interior walls were completely stripped, and the exterior of the cabooses actually required some autobody
repair work. After seventy years, the rails-end for these cabooses would be a makeover.
Renovation cont'd |
We began the restoration process of our five 1916, N5 cabooses in the
mid-eighties. It was a long and difficult process renovating these
cabooses into modern motel rooms, for they were at least seventy years old,
and they had been working units on America's railway system. We were very careful
to preserve the architecture, but we also made an effort to provide all of the
modern comforts of a conventional motel room.
to support the weight of the cabooses.
