It was a celebration for a soon-to-be restored local landmark.

Dozens of guests joined members of the Carbon Chamber and Economic Development Corporation for the dedication of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Caboose at the Lehighton D&L Trailhead Friday afternoon.

The caboose will be a reminder of local railroad history for years to come, according to Kathy Henderson, director of the Carbon Chamber and Economic Development Corporation.

“It was a team effort among a lot of different people who have a passion not just for the caboose, but for the history of Lehighton,” Henderson said. “It’s back again, and we’re trying to preserve its history for everyone.”

Henderson said the Carbon Chamber, which owns the caboose, received a grant to do a landscaping project, and that the plan is “to turn it into something really special.”

As for the restoration of the caboose, Henderson said they will apply for funding through the Pocono Mountain Visitors Bureau.

It took two years for the chamber to secure the funding to purchase the caboose from the Reading and Northern Railroad. There were anonymous donors who helped fund it.

From there, Henderson said it was a matter of going through the process of the Lehighton Water Authority, which owns that portion of the property; receiving approval from the borough; and scheduling the trucks, trucking company, crane, Jim Thorpe Police Department and Lehighton Police Department so they could deliver it.

Volunteers placed the ties on the track. The Lehighton Borough Public Works Department, with supervisor Kris Kunkle, pushed down the crushed stone and bed itself.

The railroad donated the track and had it delivered to the site.

To date, she said volunteers have cleaned up the inside to secure it from the elements.

Dedication

Henderson then recognized officials on hand, including Bill Richards, representing state Sen. David Argall, state Rep. Doyle Heffley, Lehighton Borough Councilwoman Autumn Abelovsky, and borough police Chief Troy Abelovsky. Also on hand were Barb Green and Jared McEvoy, members of the chamber’s board of directors,

Heffley said the caboose is “a cool thing to see” and promotes the area’s “railroad heritage.”

Richards said it’s another great addition to the county, and is “really going to be an eye-catcher for sure.”

Matt Fisher, senior vice president and general manager of the Passenger Department of the Reading and Northern Railroad, thanked Andy Muller Jr., owner and CEO of the Reading & Northern Railroad, and Robert Van Camp, the owner before the railroad. The Chamber purchased it from the Reading and Northern Railroad.

Fisher said that the Reading and Northern Railroad likes to preserve as much as it can.

“In this case, getting the caboose back that was in Lehighton many times, we do worry about the history of it,” he said. “And we want to make sure that people can enjoy the history of railroads, and the caboose is a great example of this.”

Fisher said they were also pleased with the many volunteers, along with the cooperation from government, including the Carbon County Commissioners, Heffley’s office, Lehighton Borough, and others.

“This is at a perfect location for people visiting the trail and visiting the town,” he said. “We look forward to seeing what the volunteers do with the caboose in the future.”

Also on hand were Danny Bednar, the former owner of the caboose; Bob and Cheryl Daumer, owners/operators of R E Daumer Trucking, which delivered the caboose; Al Sellers, project restoration manager; Paul Carpenito, president of the Phillipsburg Railroad Historians; Robert Fink, Mark Hoffman, Jack Finnegan, and Shelley Finnegan, volunteers.

Henderson said the next step is to finalize the landscaping plan, and from there, focus on the outside to get it sanded, prepped, and painted to be restored to as close to its original condition as possible.

At that point, she said the plan would be to install historic markers, and storyboards detailing railroading in Lehighton and Carbon County, including some old photographs of the train station that used to be in that area, and then signage naming the volunteers, donors, companies, and everyone who had a hand in putting it there and restoring it.

“We just want it be a destination for visitors and tourists alike to learn about the history of Lehighton and railroading, and to help with the revitalization of downtown Lehighton,” Henderson said.

Henderson then welcomed guests to take a tour of the inside.

Greg Comp, who serves as interim pastor at Bethany Evangelical Congregational Church, Lehighton, but lives in Nashville, Tennessee, was among the first to go inside the Caboose.

“I think it’s very impressive to have something like this (in the community),” Comp said. “I am looking forward to seeing how they develop it.”