Ray Loranger in front of the train hotel at Footloose Caboose Lodge near Tofield, AB (Canada).
The settlement of Canada was helped in great part by the CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway company). I wasn’t too surprised, then, when I was told there was a train hotel and restaurant near Tofield, AB.
The Footloose Caboose Lodge is made up of a 1909 Canadian Pacific Railway observation car (restaurant), and two CN and BC Rail steel cabooses (accommodation). They’re a bit out of the way, about 55 km southeast of Edmonton near Tofield, Alberta.
I dined in the observation car for lunch, digging into my delicious plate of banana pancakes. The car is small, so reservations are recommended and it’s also good to confirm they’re open, as it would be a pain to drive all the way out there and have them be closed.
Dining Car from the CPR at Footloose Caboose near Tofield, Alberta (Canada).
I met Ray Loranger, half of the couple who runs Footloose Caboose Lodge, while Eva cooked up the meals and made a few appearances to deliver diner’s orders. Every time the server had an order up, she’d pull the whistle and I’d giggle at the charm of it.
If the dining car is full, the Loranger’s have also created a pizza business, where people can order to go and be on their merry way. Again, it’s good to call ahead, as they close for part of the winter and don’t have exact re-opening dates (weather dependant).
Inside caboose of the train hotel (with clamshell bathtub!) at Footloose Caboose Lodge near Tofield, AB (Canada).
After lunch, I toured through the train hotel, two cabooses with wild interiors (see photos). The novelty of staying in one of these is clear, but would it be practical? Anyone ever stayed in a train hotel before? I think I would love it!
What I liked:
- Well, dining and staying overnight in a train car is a pretty neat concept. 10 points for originality (where else can you find them? The Maritimes in Canada, Pennsylvania…).
- The food in the restaurant was good. Nothing fancy, yet fresh and plentiful.
- A great special occasion place and definitely worth the stop if you’re anywhere near Tofield, AB.
Copyright 2009 Lori Henry
This is another “Train” Caboose Motel in Washington, close to Mt.Raineer.
Thanks for the tip, Wendy. I didn’t know that caboose hotel was there.