Rentals
Several of our historic railcars are available for rent as some of the most unique event venues available! Whether you’re planning a birthday celebration or a corporate retreat, consider using your event budget to support our local non-profit organizations. Our experienced event planners will help you build an event with equipment, service, and atmosphere that exceeds your expectations, all at a reasonable cost. You can even rent all of the cars listed below at the same time for a truly memorable experience!
To rent any of the cars below, please email us at info@erieturntable.org and we’ll happily work with you to make your railroad-themed event a reality.
Dining Car
Our dining car is a fully-operable restaurant-on-wheels. It has a complete, compact restaurant kitchen with two ovens and eight stovetop burners (propane-fired), sanitary sinks with hot and cold running water, and ample refrigeration. The kitchen is fully stocked with china, flatware, glassware, and kitchen utensils, and a small bar occupies the opposite end of the dining area. Chest freezers and industrial dishwashers are available in the adjacent support railcar.
The dining area can seat 48 guests at twelve four-top tables (six tables on each side of a center aisle). Chairs and/or tables can be removed to create a different atmosphere; we have operated events with the car in the following configurations:
half of the chairs removed to create twelve two-top tables (perfect for couples!)
all tables and chairs removed from one side of the car to create a wider aisle
all tables removed and chairs set along the walls to create a lounge/meeting space
This car is available for rental as a “kitchen takeover” by a local restaurant or catering firm, a venue for a unique birthday or anniversary celebration, or a corporate meeting room. If you don’t have an outside food solution for your event, we can also handle that for you. Our expert chefs and staff can prepare anything ranging from soft drinks and hors d’ouvres to full five-course meals. Contact us to discuss your menu needs, and we may even be able to take your ideas and build you the “full railroad experience” using historic railroad dining car recipes from our archival collection!
Caboose
Our historic and fully-operable caboose features all-original seating for about 10 people, making it a great venue for a small birthday party or an intimate corporate meeting. Amenities include a built-in icebox (cooler) with a separate ice compartment - perfect for keeping water and soft drinks available to your party throughout your event. This caboose can be moved easily to any location within our railyard for your special event.
Theater Boxcar
Our theater boxcar can seat about 20 people comfortably. The theater is equipped with a 7-foot-wide screen with an HDMI-compatible Epson digital projector that can be reconfigured for multiple screen ratios. It also features a small sound system and a dedicated Windows laptop. The boxcar is available to be rented for presentations, films, or other audio-visual uses with a relatively small audience.