Piece of Fanwood’s History Chugging Back into Town

Train aficionados already have a few reasons to visit Fanwood, with the Fanwood museum being located in the oldest remaining railroad station in Union County.

But soon they'll have a new reason.

A caboose dating back to 1942 that used to run on the Raritan Valley line is being restored and will soon be placed near the Fanwood Train Station. The state recently released the federal funds for the project, and the council voted at its May 11 meeting to go out to bid on the work.

"It will be a cultural and historical attraction as we promote and highlight everything good about Fanwood," said Fanwood Mayor Colleen Mahr.

Mahr said the borough received a $100,000 federal grant for the project. She said the first part of the project was to move the caboose from Ridgefield Park to Fanwood's recycling center, where it is currently located.

The second part of the project is to restore and paint the caboose. Mahr said the borough will put out bids in early June and the work will be done this summer. She said the borough has received a tremendous amount of interest from people who want to help with the refurbishing.

The last part of the project is to move the caboose to the north side of the Fanwood Train Station, where it will stay permanently. Mahr said they're also going to pave an area around the caboose and put in benches and lighting so people can sit and enjoy it. The final plans are being submitted to the state Department of Transportation.

Mahr said the caboose will add to the cultural experience in Fanwood and will attract people to downtown. She said people can come into Fanwood on the train, check out the Fanwood museum, then stop by the caboose and continue on their way downtown to shop and eat.

"It's a vision," she said.

Mahr said she also hopes the caboose will attract people to Fanwood who are interested in the history of the American railroad.

The caboose should be reach its final home by the train station in the next several months.