Monterey Caboose, Dining Car to Be Used For Events

A dining car and caboose in Monterey will eventually be used as event facilities for the public.

Cultural Administrator Julie Bohannon said the historical pieces will provide additional event space and be used for educational purposes.

“There’s a lot of interest in these kinds of artifacts,” Bohannon said. “This will give people the opportunity to be inside a [train] car and see the way it was built, the way they were heated or cooled… so there will be ways for you to see how people travel or eat on trains, all kinds of information that people are interested in the history of train travel.”

Once moved, Bohannon said some minor renovation work will need to be done on both the caboose and the dining car.

“The caboose has been mostly renovated. We’re hoping to do a few more details to it,” Bohannon said. “The electric’s already been run in [the dining car] and it has a new roof. Windows will have to be replaced. There will be several things to be done. But once it gets moved, most of it is just cosmetic.”

Bohannon said tracks were being laid to move the dining car and caboose and hopes the cars will be used within the next two to three months.