IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

This old train depot was converted into a charming home — with caboose bedrooms

Here's how they did it!
This home used to be an old train depot.
This home used to be an old train depot.L'oeil L'esprit
/ Source: TODAY

Pam and Robert Bryant were looking for a new house back in 1993, but were a little surprised when their realtor took them to an old train depot. It was over their budget and not what they were looking for, but they ultimately bought it.

“We stayed two hours looking at it,” the couple told TODAY Home. The Missouri Pacific Depot was originally located in Buda, Texas, but the previous owners moved it to the current property and converted it into a house.

At the time the Bryants bought it, the 2,000-square-foot depot only had two bedrooms. They got the idea to create three more bedrooms for their adult children by using vintage cabooses.

Train depot house
An exterior shot of one of the caboose bedroomsL'oeil L'esprit

The couple wanted it to feel authentic, so they enlisted a company to lay 40 feet of track for each caboose. “After the first one (the crew members) were sweeping up any wayward gravel,” Pam Bryant reminisced. “My husband told them they really didn’t need to do that but they replied that they’d never laid track in someone’s yard before and wanted it to look nice.”

Train depot house
The raw interior of one of the cabooses, before the Bryants transformed it into a cozy roomPam Bryant

Unconventional, yes, but the caboose rooms turned out totally charming thanks to the work the Bryants put into it.

While they left the exterior of the cabooses untouched, they gutted and decorated the interiors.

Train depot house
One of the caboose bedrooms after the transformationL'oeil L'esprit

Furnishing the spaces was their biggest challenge.

“The doors are so narrow that in order to get furniture into it, my husband built a hatch, like boats have, into the floor to open and lift things in or out of the caboose,” Pam Bryant said.

Train depot house
Another caboose bedroomL'oeil L'esprit

In total, they added four cabooses. One is used as the couple’s office while the other three each have a sleeping area and full bath.

The main home includes a light and airy living room with a tall ceiling and fireplace.

Train depot house
Living room in the main houseL'oeil L'esprit

In the kitchen, Robert Bryant built a wall of shelves and added an antique library ladder to get to the hard-to-reach items.

There’s also a wooden island that provides an extra place to prepare food or eat.

Train depot house
KitchenL'oeil L'esprit

The bathroom features his-and-her vessel sinks, antique light sconces and a vintage vanity.

Train depot house
Bathroom in the main houseL'oeil L'esprit

Outside, there’s an oval swimming pool and old hunting shack that the previous owners had turned into a guest house — it includes a living and sleeping area, plus full a bath.

Train depot house
Swimming poolL'oeil L'esprit

The six-bedroom, seven-bath property is currently on the market for $2,985,001. While the Bryants have nothing but love for it, they’re parting with it because they’ve built a bigger house to accommodate their growing family of grandkids.

See more photos of the train depot home at the listing.