Midnight Train to Marfa

Marfa, Texas. Built in 1948 and later condemned by the Santa Fe railroad, this cute little caboose met it’s final destination in Marfa in 2020. Having previously been a backyard mainstay for a family in Central Texas, after their kids had grown, the family moved the caboose out to a property they owned in Marfa…right near the railroad tracks. This caboose is one of only 3 of it’s kind built without a cupola (the little windowed nest you see on the top of some cabooses). Back in it’s working days, this caboose had a route with tunnels more narrow than most which required a special caboose without a cupola. Designer Ashlee Albrecht purchased the caboose in 2021 to convert it to a place to stay for everyone to enjoy while taking great care in preserving all the character. When people asked her if she was planning on doing a “restoration,” Ashlee would reply “there’s nothing that needs restoring, she’s perfect the way she is.” This is Ashlee’s typical organic approach to design where she lets the space, in all it’s uniqueness set the rules for the design.