GRAND COTEAU — Finding the right place to lounge or an Airbnb to crash in for the night can be a task, but there is a new Airbnb here in Grand Coteau and it comes with a twist.
From blue to orange to bright yellow, you can plan your next stay at one of the train cars at the Train Wreck Inn located on Chatrian Street.
"Interesting historical fact is, these cars ran on the actual train line when it ran across in Sunset," said designer and PR coordinator Carley Courville.
With one caboose, a mail train car, a depot, and a ticket station, you find yourself standing in the middle of a miniature train station, but not quite.
"We are at the Train Wreck Inn in Grand Coteau," said Courville.
It's unique, historic, rustic, romantic, and spiritual," said co-owner Colin Grussing.
These are just some words used to describe the fully furnished Airbnb.
"These buildings that were moved here date back to the 19 and 1800s," said Courville.
"We were always fascinated with trains; they used to pass about a block from here," said Brinkhaus.
"The opportunity fell right into Ben's lap when he purchased an estate from Mrs. Margaret Brinkhaus," said Courville.
Only a few miles down the road from Grand Coteau is the town of Sunset, where a woman named Margaret Brinkhaus got a hold of train cars decades ago.
"My husband was a state representative, and the legislature at the time was trying to pass legislation trying to keep cabooses with the train company, but it failed," said Brinkhaus.
So, Brinkhaus and her husband decided to purchase the caboose, and other train cars 25 years ago; they then opened a bed and breakfast.
"I loved the people They came from all over the world," said Brinkhaus.
When her husband, Armand Brinkhaus, died seven years ago, she sold the train cars to the new owners, who revamped and remodeled them into tiny modern homes.
Brinkhaus says she will always have a deep longing for the car but is happy to see them in good shape and still in business.
"It's nice, but it hurts because I missed them; the setting I had at the Bed and Breakfast was nice, but they did a wonderful job, especially with the modern look," said Brinkhaus.
Click here learn more about the Train Wreck Inn and to book your stay.
