LOUSVILLE, Colo. — The city of Louisville has stepped in to save a historic caboose and boxcar, purchasing the train cars and the property they sit on after the resident who restored them was forced to put them up for sale.
Denver7 brought you the story of Travis Ramos back in 2020. He spent the last five years restoring the train cars to serve as the Eastern Gateway to Louisville. But after facing financial struggles and difficulties working with the city, he put the project up for sale last fall.
The Louisville City Council recently voted to purchase the train cars and half the property, ensuring the historic pieces remain in the community.
"When city council voted to purchase the train cars and half the property to keep them in Louisville, the feeling was overwhelmed joy, happiness and the story we started six years ago to be carried on, and to become financially whole again, it was huge," Ramos said.
Ramos, who restores old Volkswagen buses for a living, first found the caboose abandoned and in rough condition.
"When we found the caboose there’s this giant tree growing into the end which is still on there and it was just buried under bushes and trees. It was boarded up, and in pretty horrible shape," Ramos said.
The community helped him move the caboose to town six years ago. Later, he found a historic boxcar in a nearby field.
"This story is just amazing. One of two remaining Colorado and Southern boxcars built in 1898," Ramos said.
The boxcar was donated to the project.
"It likely would have ridden on these tracks 100 years ago. They just donated it. It’s such a perfect addition," Ramos said.
Despite the progress, Ramos began hemorraghing money and struggled to coordinate with the city, leading to his decision to sell the project.
"I was trying to bring something beautiful to our community. Seeing that go away for reasons out of my control, it was hard, really hard," Ramos said.
"I’m immensely sad. I’ve been grieving this process, realizing we have to give up this dream," Ramos said last fall.
Now, the "miracle on Pine Street" means Ramos and his family will no longer own the trains, but his vision for the town will live on.
"We’re no longer the caboose family, and the kids are bummed, they understand," Ramos said. "I look at both of these cars, so exciting. We won’t own them anymore but we feel we’ve added something amazing to the town of Louisville and that’s worth it."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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