A former Boston & Maine caboose is planned as an addition alongside the Salem Rail Trail as part of the proposed Depot Park project. The Friends of the Salem Rail Trail will provide the train car.
The plan folds into the town's broader Depot Village conceptual proposal, which, as reported by derrynews.com, seeks to maintain the historical charm of the area and bring recreational and communal uses to the space. Committee members had floated the caboose idea months ago as a way to tell the history of Salem's rail trail, alongside other concepts like a train station-themed arcade.
A Weathered Rail Car Finds New Purpose
According to the Eagle-Tribune, the Friends of the Salem Rail Trail has secured the caboose for the project and will provide the train car itself.
Approvals and a 2027 Timeline
The project still requires approvals and site preparation. The caboose is expected to be installed sometime in 2027, and formal acceptance of the donation remains pending.
The Depot Village conceptual plan outlines proposed changes and amenities for the area around the town center.
Depot Village's Bigger Picture
The caboose is one piece of a much larger vision. Per derrynews.com's earlier reporting, the Depot Village concept carries an estimated price tag of around $3.5 million, to be raised through grants and fundraising efforts, and it still needs to clear public hearings, Planning Board adoption, surveying and finalization of a related land swap before it can move forward. The concept also envisions a hub of activity tied to the rail trail itself.
The trail at the center of all this, the Salem Rail Trail, is a 5.2-mile community pathway and the southernmost section of the Granite State Rail Trail, according to the Friends of the Salem Rail Trail. The corridor links New Hampshire to Massachusetts, giving it a regional reach beyond Salem's town line.
Cabooses Elsewhere on New Hampshire Trails
A blue former Boston and Maine caboose is on display at Windham Depot.
The Derry Rail Trail is part of the region's paved trail network.
