21 Vintage Train Cars That Have Been Converted Into Airbnbs
It's tiny-house living meets old-fashioned train-car travel.
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By now, you may have spent a night in a treehouse, a tiny house or even a converted church, but have you ever had the privilege of calling a converted train car your home for the weekend? Whether you're a train buff or just into quirky Airbnbs, here are 21 of the coolest vintage train cars in America and beyond to book for your next trip.
Maryville, Tennessee
$150
This World War II troop kitchen train car has been given the full Fixer Upper treatment at its new home in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. With a queen-size bed plus a sleeper sofa, four guests can spend the night here and enjoy the full kitchen outfitted with Smeg appliances, plus a full bath with a claw-foot tub.
Joseph, Oregon
$120
Located in the northeastern corner of Oregon state, this little green caboose-turned tiny house has been lovingly renovated by a mother-daughter team who live in the 1906 train depot in front of the Airbnb. Inside, you’ll find a small kitchen, shower and toilet, plus a double bed and bunk beds, making it an ideal family getaway.
Waynesville, North Carolina
$259
This 1926 wooden train caboose used to be part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway before it was repurposed into a tiny house just nine miles outside of Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The caboose fits four guests between a queen-sized memory foam mattress and a fold out couch and is attached to a custom-built bath house called the “The Depot” with luxe amenities including Vera Wang towels and oversized bathrobes.
Upper Lake, California
$150
Even though the “TropiCaboose” is decorated with retro tiki décor, it’s located inside a repurposed Southern Pacific train car on the shores of Clear Lake just north of Napa County. There are eight other theme-decorated vintage cabooses that make up Featherbed Railroad Bed and Breakfast.
Golden, British Columbia, Canada
$119
Wake up in the Canadian Rockies in this 1912 train caboose located in the heart of the historic small town of Golden. While small, there’s enough room for three guests to sleep between a queen-sized bed, a fold-out couch and a built-in couch that is perfect for kids.
Clyde, North Carolina
$135
This renovated 1960s-train caboose is located on a 65-acre bison ranch in North Carolina’s Smoky Mountains. Inside, you’ll find a spacious living room with kitchen, plus a bedroom with a full-size bed, a sleeping loft with another full-size mattress as well as a twin-size fold-out couch in the living area. They also have a bright-orange Seaboard Coast Line train available to rent, too.
Cupertino, California
$180
You may be in Silicon Valley during your stay in this Southern Pacific caboose, but you’ll feel worlds away in this rustic space located in a grove of giant redwoods. With enough room for four guests, the amenities inside the train car include a claw foot tub, a fully-working kitchen and a wood-burning stove.
East Cook, Minnesota
$88
Tucked into the forest in Minnesota’s far northeastern corner with views of Lake Superior, the Little Lost Caboose—as the Airbnb hosts call it—has been described as the “perfect blend of camping and staying in a cabin,” by one recent guest. There’s enough room for four guests to spend a cozy weekend together between a sleeping loft with a queen-size mattress and a fold-out couch downstairs.
Utopia, Canada
$127
If you drive one hour north of Toronto, you’ll find this Canadian Pacific boxcar train turned two-bedroom cottage with enough room for up to four guests. If you’d like you can also swim in the property’s indoor pool, soak in their hot tub or take a yoga class from the host, Vera, who runs the Healthy Earth Farm and Retreat on which the train car cottage is located.
Bryson City, North Carolina
$199
Located right on the banks of the Tuckasegee River, this tiny home is made from two cabooses. The first one is where you’ll find the kitchen, dining room and living room and the second houses the full bath and bedroom. Train enthusiasts will enjoy watching the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad pass by from the comfort of the covered deck that connects the two cabooses.
Natural Bridge, Virginia
$200
Inside this restored 1926 bright-red caboose in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley you’ll find 200-square-feet of living space for up to three people with a full bathroom, galley kitchen and cupola where children can sleep if you bring along sleeping bags. Outside, you can enjoy the patio with a gas grill and “hobo fire pit” for roasting marshmallows at night.
Homer, New York
$250
If you’re traveling with a larger group, this 110-foot-long 1930s rail car located in New York’s Finger Lakes region is ideal. With three bedrooms and two full bathrooms, seven guests can enjoy the train car cottage plus the large yard that has a 20-foot dock leading right into Skaneateles Lake.
Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
$71
This 1941 vintage caboose is located directly behind the Castanea Railroad Station in central Pennsylvania and has been retrofitted so that two train enthusiasts can spend the night enjoying the retro stylings inside including classic train bunks and mini dinette.
Bandera, Texas
$115
Located in Texas Hill Country, this caboose-turned-tiny home is fitted out with a queen platform bed, a small bathroom and a basic kitchen overlooking the Medina River below making it an ideal country getaway for a couple looking to enjoy nature.
South Bloomingville, Ohio
$129
You’ll find this bright-red caboose in the heart of Ohio’s Hocking Hills with enough room for five guests to sleep in twin bed bunks, plus a full bath and kitchenette. Outside, the Airbnb host has recently given the outdoor space a facelift with a new deck, grill and fire pit to enjoy in the summer months.
Prince Edward Island, Canada
$116
Relocated from New Hampshire to Canada's Prince Edward Island in 2013, this darling blue caboose has been welcoming overnight guests since 2014. With a separate master bedroom featuring a queen-size bed, the caboose can also sleep up to two more people on the pull-out sofa in the common space where you'll find the kitchen with a vintage stove.
Biarra, Australia
$275
This restored luxury train car attached to an Irish pub outside of Brisbane, Australia, has enough room to sleep 18 guests. While the Irish pub doesn’t actually sell anything, you are your friends are welcome to BYO and treat it as your own during your stay.
Saint Austell, England
$172
Originally used as a commercial train carriage to transport milk around the U.K., the Siphon—as this Airbnb is called—has been restored into an off-the-grid glamping home in Cornwall that sleeps up to six people in three bedrooms today.
Schmilau, Germany
$119
This double-decker train car that sleeps five is in the middle of northern Germany’s Lauenburg Lakes Nature Park. Converted from a carriage of an old “Mecklenburg adventure train,” a second floor was added for the bedroom while the main floor is where you’ll find a kitchenette, bathroom and living room area.
Forrest, Australia
$173
Just outside of Australia’s Great Otway National Park, this Victoria-era train carriage has been converted into a three-bedroom vacation house that can comfortably sleep four people and has a wood-burning fireplace in the living room area.
Lyndsey Matthews is the Destination News Editor for AFAR; previously she was a Lifestyle Editor across all of Hearst Digital Media's brands, and a digital editor at Martha Stewart Weddings and Travel + Leisure.
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