The Red Caboose Motel at Paradise Station


"There's beauty in being unique and different." The Little Red Caboose by Marian Potter, published 1953. 


If you're planning a visit to the Amish Country in Pennsylvania and want to stay somewhere out of the ordinary, check into the Red Caboose Motel at Paradise Station in Ronks where you can sleep in an authentic 25-ton railroad caboose! 


The concept for the Red Caboose Motel began way back in the summer of 1969 when hotelier Donald Delinger placed a bid on 19 cabooses that had been decommissioned and were being sold off as surplus by the Pennsylvania Railroad. Six months later he found out that he had won the auction and on Mother's Day in 1970, his nostalgic concept came to life.

In February of 2016, the iconic Red Caboose Motel & Restaurant was bought by the father and son team of Todd and Tyler Prickett who, along with their wives Debra and Katherine, continued to take great pride in offering guests a unique and exceptional experience in the heart of Amish Country. 


When the unique motel first opened, all 19 of the cabooses were painted red but since then, the inventory has grown to 38 cabooses - some of which have been painted a variety of colors to reflect the color schemes of the most famous railroad lines in American history. In addition to the cabooses, the motel also offers sleeping accommodations in a baggage car, a mail car, four efficiency units in their Victorian farmhouse and the newly-constructed Conductor's Quarters which opened in 2023.


When my cousin Amy and I wandered down to Amish Country for an overnight visit, we spent the night in Caboose #6 which is a double-double caboose that had the bathroom in the middle separating two sleeping areas. There was also a small sitting area, a microwave, air-conditioning/heating units, a mini-fridge, a coffee maker and flat-screen TV. 

Cabooses sleep anywhere between 1 to 6 people in a variety of configurations and handicap options are available for those requiring them. With two double beds, our caboose could fit four people but to be honest, it would be a tight fit if you were trying to do more than simply sleep there. 





A couple other cabooses across from ours that had the more unique paint themes. 












The Strasburg Railroad which offers historic steam train rides through the Lancaster area, runs past the Red Caboose Motel and we had a nice view of it from ours. As a train lover, I thought this was mega-cool! 

In addition to the unique sleeping accommodations, the Red Caboose Motel also offers year-round dining at Casey Jones' Restaurant. Located in two original P-70 80-ton dining cars that were used by the Pennsylvania Railroad in the early 1900s, the 175-seat restaurant is open 7 days and offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. There's outdoor seating available also along with take-out and even "caboose-service" should you wish to dine in yours! 





We only had breakfast at the restaurant but the coffee was good & hot and the food was plentiful and delicious! The waitstaff was quite nice and the views from the windows of the Amish countryside were pretty nice, too! 




The Depot Gift Shop has a huge selection of train-related gifts, memorabilia, clothing and more so be sure to leave yourself some time to take a good long look around and find a nice souvenir to take home with you. 


It should be mentioned that because you're sleeping in a converted caboose, the accommodations are going to be tighter than what you'd have in a motel room and you're also not going to have the same amenities. If you're looking for spacious along with all of the bells and whistles, this may not be your best choice of a place to stay but, if you're looking to stay somewhere that's beyond the ordinary or are a train lover like myself, then the Red Caboose Motel is definitely going to put you on the right track!  

The Red Caboose Motel at Paradise Station is located at 312 Paradise Lane, Ronks, Pennsyvlvania, 17572. 

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