LEHIGHTON, Pa. — The trailhead off Sgt. Stanley Hoffman Boulevard in Lehighton used to be a train station. So, borough and county officials thought it would be fitting to buy a caboose and place it in an area known for its rich railroad transportation history.
"The railroad was here, and it was running through here, and they needed people to service it, work with it. There were stores that opened up with freight and everything, so the railroad was like the backbone of the economy," said Al Sellers, a volunteer with Lehighton Downtown Partnership.
The Carbon Chamber & Economic Development Corporation and the Lehighton Downtown Partnership were searching for ways to revitalize the borough, looking into the town's history.
This caboose lived in the Jim Thorpe railyard for several years before the chamber bought it from Reading and Northern Railroad.
Kathy Henderson, the director of economic development, says the caboose will eventually become a welcome center that will educate people.
"We'll have historical markers, plaques on the outside describing how it actually ran through on the tracks back in the day, back when it was operational. And so it will be an attraction, a welcome center for people and also residents to learn about the history," said Henderson.
Not only is the caboose here to teach people about the railroad's history in this area but to attract people to downtown Lehighton.
"Hopefully, that will help develop the town, and people will grow to come here, you know, for vacation or a day or two," Sellers said.
Officials say the next step is to restore the caboose.
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