Home Green Design Washington’s Red Caboose Getaway B&B Keeps ‘Retired’ Train Cars ‘Running’

Washington’s Red Caboose Getaway B&B Keeps ‘Retired’ Train Cars ‘Running’

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SEQUIM, WASH.—Taking the concept of existing-structure “recycling” to heart, Olaf and Charlotte Protze have built a thriving bed and breakfast business out of retired cabooses. The Red Caboose Getaway B&B, located in Sequim, Wash., offers accommodations in six luxuriously renovated train cars that the owners have had transported from various U.S. locations. The couple have three additional cabooses on their three acre property that are currently undergoing renovation.

Olaf and Charlotte had long enjoyed visiting B&Bs and eventually fell in love with the idea of staying in renovated railcars. “Most are very rustic,” Olaf says. “I thought we could do better.”

Since 2000, the B&B owners have gradually built up their collection of cabooses that all sit on rails. Early on, Olaf bought enough rails for 10 railcars. Today, the 35-ton cabooses are positioned in a circular pattern around a duck pond and close to the 1937, 85-foot-long stainless steel dining car they use for breakfast.

Moving a Caboose is Not Easy

Olaf explains that recycling train cars is not easy. “First you have to find one worth moving,” he says. “It is easier to buy them than move them. It costs more to move one than buy one.”

Once a railcar is identified—one was even purchased off of eBay—Olaf goes to see it in person. He visits the train car again when it is ready to move. Moving a railcar requires a crane and two trucks. One truck takes the wheels and the other the car itself.

Olaf is passionate about reusing structures such as rail cars. “There’s too much tearing down in this country,” he says.

Throughout their business venture, Olaf and Charlotte have tried to minimize the environmental impact of their B&B. They selected a piece of land within the city limits of Sequim that did not require removing trees. Sequim has a water line with recycled water in it and the Red Caboose Getaway B&B is tied into it. That water is used to fill the duck pond and to irrigate native plants that have been planted on the property. The B&B is also tied into a second water line for drinking, bathing, etc.

“I did not want to set up a septic system,” Olaf says.

There are no overhead electric lines or cables. Much of the interior of each caboose has been retained. LEDs that consume from three to nine watts illuminate the train cars.     

“We don’t waste food,” Olaf says. “We buy local. We buy a lot of organic produce. We buy in bulk. We only buy what we need for the next day.”

Efficient Way to Travel

When Olaf needs to make a food run or run another errand, he hops on his scooter that gets 80 miles per gallon. The scooter trips account for just one gallon of gas per month.

Each caboose at the Red Caboose Getaway B&B is uniquely themed. The names for the cabooses include: Casey Jones, Orient Express, Circus, Western, The Lavendar Limited, and The Grape Escape. One car undergoing renovation will have a casino theme and another will have an ocean theme. Olaf says guests like coming back to try the different cars.

The Red Caboose Getaway B&B has appeared on Evening Magazine, Northwest Backroads, the local Channel 5 and also The Food Channel. The B&B has also been featured in The London Times, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle PI Newspapers, Coastal Living Magazine and recommended in Fodors Guide.

Go to the Red Caboose Getaway B&B.

Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.

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