Ontario Northland Railway - Caboose 122
In 1977 the Ontario Northland Railway purchased eight “Extended Vision” Cabooses from National Steel Car Corporation in Hamilton, Ontario.
During 1979 and 1980 these cabooses were completed in the ONR's North Bay Car Shops and put into service system wide. They were numbered 120-127. They were all in service until the railway eliminated the need for cabooses by employing End of Train devices, combined with trackside defect scanners.
Cabooses were officially eliminated south of Cochrane in December 1996. After that they could be seen on the Kapuskasing Subdivision running between Cochrane and Hearst. 122 was fortunate enough to stay in service until 1999.
We purchased Caboose 122 in September of 2008 and brought it home from Ontario Northland’s North Bay Yard to Kilworthy on October 21, 2008. In the fall of 2020 Side Tracked in Muskoka was born. This would be Muskoka’s premier Railway Themed Lodging.
Located just off Highway 11, minutes away from Downtown Gravenhurst the Gateway to Muskoka.
A Life-Sized Piece of Ontario Northland History
Are you one of those people who loves to find one-of-a-kind hotels and Airbnb’s? Well, say hello to an Ontario Northland Railway- themed Airbnb lodging built out of old railway cabooses! Railway employees, rail fans and the general public alike will surely be blown away by the refurbished rail car situated in Kilworthy, Ontario.
We started looking for a caboose in the Spring of 2008 and after reaching out to Ontario Northland we discovered that three were going up to auction.
We made the trip to North Bay to view the cabooses and chose to bid on #122 as it was in great shape. In October of that year, the caboose made the 187-kilometer journey from Ontario Northland’s North Bay yard to its new home in Kilworthy with the help of two cranes and a shipping company.
Originally planned to be a “Man Cave”, a good friend was the one who brought up the idea of turning it into an Airbnb style lodging. In 2020, we started playing around with the idea and began searching the internet for other cabooses that were turned into Airbnb's. There were a lot of amazing ideas to be found, including Clearview Station B&B in Creemore, Ontario. We wanted to make this a unique, year-round Muskoka experience as well as keep the history of the Ontario Northland Railway alive”.
I have always had a love for trains – having many model trains growing up and supportive parents who took him all over Ontario and the Midwestern United States to photograph and video trains. As I grew up, I never lost my passion for the railway and worked as a track labourer for the Barrie Collingwood Railway in 2001 before becoming a career firefighter.
In the winter of 2020-2021, I started toying with design ideas for my Airbnb and in the late Spring, groundwork was officially started. Although I admit that I am more of the brains and design behind the project, and was able to use my background as a track labourer to help build a 50ft section of track for the caboose to rest on within our property. To help me with the build, I brought in skilled family members and professional contractors, plumbers, electricians, painters and metal fabricators, to bring my dream to life.
Transforming a 43-year-old rail car into an Airbnb lodging is no easy task with the team running into numerous challenges. The biggest issue was removing the old fuel tank which still contained product that had leaked into the flooring and areas of the wall over the years of service. They also had to deal with numerous leaks in the roof. “It has been a long project, it has taught me so many things about design, project management, construction and patience.”
The caboose is best suited for a couple or group of three with a master bedroom containing a queen-sized bed and a twin XL bed available in a loft we call the “Hobo Hideaway” above the washroom area. The Airbnb has all the comforts of home with a small kitchenette and three-piece washroom.
Guests will be comfortable in any season with air conditioning and two electric wood fireplaces on either end. In the coming years, we have plans to add more storage space, a deck, a hot tub and a fire pit.
Many of the design features inside the caboose pay homage to Ontario Northland’s history including the tiles in the shower stall featuring Ontario Northland's traditional paint scheme introduced in 1951 on FP7 locomotives built by General Motors Diesel in London, Ontario. “In the late fall of 2018 the Ontario Northland Railway released the heritage locomotive SD-40-2 1730. I made numerous trips up to North Bay and Englehart to photograph it and absolutely fell in love with the paint scheme.
Our team have also transformed the outer walls of the washroom into an old box car that wore the Ontario’s Development Road Logo. “The car number, 1902 0317 is unique to represent the date Ontario Northland/Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway broke ground.” We also intends on keeping the exterior paint of the caboose as original as possible.
When asked how we came up with the unique Airbnb's name, “the side-tracked part came from the railway. When a train is put into the sidetrack to await another train it can be used as a time to relax and reflect on the trip.” Also, “Muskoka is a world-renowned place; it is a year-round playground that offers so much. Travelling the backroads of Muskoka can get you easily sidetracked from the rigors of everyday life.”
Book your stay today and let us help you create the perfect experience.
