It didn't take much for me to throw all my Saturday plans out the window last weekend—just the discovery that a mountain cabin built out of a Red Car trolley is for sale, and I could see it for myself during a two-hour open house.
So I drove two hours there and two hours back, two cameras and a cell phone in tow, to Crestline (technically, Cedarpines Park) in the San Bernardino Mountains—where Pacific Electric No. 510 is now part of the Red Car Cabin.
The wooden streetcar was built in 1902 as part of PE's 200 series—and it provided interurban streetcar service in Los Angeles until sometime before 1934, when it was decommissioned and moved to the Mountain Communities area to serve as housing for loggers. By then, it had been renumbered as part of the 500 class, known as one of the "Baby Fives."
In 1937, the makeshift bunkhouse was converted into a proper residence—and since then, it has been used as both a home and a vacation rental by several different owners.
Its current stewards, who've owned it since 2022, completely renovated it and put a lot of love and care into appointing the cabin with historically appropriate antiques, decor, and railroadiana.
Besides re-roofing the cabin, they also gave the exterior a fresh coat of paint and hired a signpainter to recreate the original "PACIFIC ELECTRIC" lettering on the side of the railcar.
The owners sadly have to move out of state—and they're selling the Red Car Cabin largely intact (save for a couple of pieces of furniture and maybe some appliances they're taking with them).
That means the original Red Car lantern (which they acquired as an antique) stays...
...as does the wall-mounted bell (not from a Red Car, but fun nonetheless).
And what prospective homeowners see now is pretty much what they'll get if they decide to buy.
Honestly, this would be a dream house for me. But, as I'm not even remotely close to homeownership, I had to just enjoy the journey through the cabin—entering from the deck and into the addition that's now the kitchen, and then moving on to the living room contained within the train.
The original metal step plate with its diamond-shaped tread—which passengers would've walked across when boarding the car—is still embedded in the wooden floor.
Original transom lights, once painted over, have been uncovered and still line the car's barrel ceiling...
...and the pocket doors still slide back and forth with a good tug.
In 2022, the owners laid down new carpeting (on top of the original wood flooring) and repainted the walls.
Their restoration effort revealed original woodworking around the window casings, which fortunately they decided to keep.
One end of the railcar, where the conductor would've stood, has been converted into a closet...
...separated by another pocket door with newly polished pulls.
Inside, there's the preserved lettering which once instructed passengers, "WATCH YOUR STEP."
The Pacific Electric No. 510 is part of the 500 series that was replicated for the now-defunct San Pedro line. But those Red Cars never looked like this!
The sitting room makes the Red Car Cabin feel more like one of those presidential rail cars once used for luxury travel...
...and provides access to a lower level via a staircase that cuts through the floor.
Down below, a simple bedroom offers a restful night for weary railroaders...
...who can wash off the traces of a long journey in an appropriately-themed bathroom.
For me, the Red Car Cabin would be incredibly livable as a seasonal home or weekend getaway home.
The catch is that at just 885 square feet, it would feel pretty small for two people, unless you were really in love with each other. Seems perfect for a writer type like myself who wants to act like a hermit now and then.
Then again, I had a good time spending a couple of nights in a caboose on the rails in Northern Nevada.
And I'm not alone, either. Whereas nowadays we've grown accustomed to structures made out of old shipping containers, once upon an olden time, it wasn't all that uncommon for folks to repurpose railcars as homes or restaurants.
Another PE Red Car, No. 530—which used to ride the rails in Glendale—also moved to Crestline in 1934 and was used as a cabin. In 2007, it was rescued by the Southern California Railway Museum (then known as the Orange Empire Railway Museum), where it now sits in storage, awaiting restoration.
PE 179 and 1046 retired to the woods in Crestline, too—and both are also part of the SCRM's Pacific Electric fleet.
Why did so many Red Cars wind up in Crestline? Maybe because back in 1917, Pacific Electric created a summer vacation camp up there (located in what's now considered the Blue Jay community), where its employees could escape the Valley heat. PE had deep ties to the area—both in terms of people and the land.
So maybe now a modern-day railfan will live out their next chapter on the mountain, too. And whoever buys the Red Car Cabin next, I'll be jealous of them.
To see what the Red Car Cabin looked like when it was for sale in 2021, click here.
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