Caboose Makes One Last Trip

Charlie Brewer of La Grange purchased the old railroad caboose that used to sit outside Moravia Store south of Schulenburg. There aren’t any tracks between Moravia and La Grange, so she hired Ray’s Crane Service to move the 60,000 lb. behemoth.

“Isn’t just amazing,” Brewer said as the crew from Ray’s Crane carefully picked up the rail car and situated it into place on her property.

According to Brewer, the caboose was built in 1977. The railroad industry began phasing-out these end-of-train crew quarters in the early 1980s. Henrietta Filip, owner of Moravia Store, purchased the caboose some years back and converted the inside into extra seating area for her bar. Brewer purchased the caboose after Filip put it up for sale a few months ago.

The big move took place last Thursday, Nov. 5. The crew from Ray’s Crane Service hauled the caboose on a five-axle trailer. They used a 175-ton crane to pick it up. The workers constructed a small length of railroad track for the caboose to sit upon at Brewer’s property, located at the corner of Von Minden and the SH 71 bypass in La Grange.

Brewer said she plans to convert the caboose into a bed and breakfast and then re-sell it.

“I’m going to sandblast and repaint it, but I’m keeping it red,” Brewer said.