The cabin train cars were once used by Norfolk Southern for employees working on railroad tracks.
Now, the cars — with bedrooms, bathrooms and living areas — are for sale in Hildebran from Innovative Bridge Company.
Burke County officials say the process is not as simple as buying one and setting it up on a property as a living space.
Landworx Construction Contractors, which is based in Mississippi, and Bradshaw’s Investments LLC, based on George Hildebran School Road, Hickory, bought 9.6 acres at 500 East U.S. Hwy. 70, Hildebran, in April for $400,000, according to Burke County land records.
Landworx describes the nature of its business as land clearing, excavation and temporary bridges.
The property where Innovative Bridge Company is located is next to railroad tracks in Hildebran. For weeks, cabin train cars have been lined up on the tracks and on the property. The company has been removing the cabin train cars from the metal rail beds to sell the cabins as living spaces.
The cabins have two bedrooms with twin beds in each and bathrooms for each bedroom. Each bathroom has a sink, toilet and stand-up shower. The units also come with a mini fridge and AC unit, hot water heater and holding tank, according to the company website. The units lack a kitchen.
Each train cabin is selling for $5,500, with transporting an additional charge, the company said on Facebook.
A disclaimer on the Innovative Bridge Company LLC website says it is not a professional engineering firm and does not provide professional engineering services. It says potential customers are encouraged to seek the advice of competent professionals, including licensed engineers to determine the suitability of any products or services.
That’s good advice, according to Burke County.
Steve Holden, chief building inspector for Burke County, said the train car cabins are made to go on the back of a flat bed railroad car to house railroad workers.
Holden said the only way the train cabins can be set up in Burke County is for an engineer to sign off and explain where the unit would be set it up, where the electrical would be and how water/sewer would connect.
Holden said anyone looking to set up one of the cabins on property would have to go to the Burke County zoning department to apply for a permit.
That includes figuring out the septic and foundation for the unit just like any other house, he said.
County code requires a minimum of one sink, one toilet, one shower, one kitchen sink and a washer outlet, according to Holden.
The county hasn’t had any inquiries about setting up one of the train cabins. On Monday, a Burke County contractor said the cabins may be used as temporary housing at a property in Burke County. The units would house members of a Marshallese church who are living in a building the county says is unsafe for occupancy.
Innovative Bridge Company also sells or rents rail flat cars for bridge decks, the company website says. The North Carolina Department of Transportation partnered with the company to build temporary bridges out of retired railroad flatcars after Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina, according to PBS North Carolina. The April PBS North Carolina article said the company had installed 40 railcar bridges in areas hit by Helene.