YOUNTVILLE, Calif. — In the heart of Napa County’s wine country sits a sleepy little train depot that boards a lot of passengers but doesn’t move them anywhere. The railcars and caboose do sit on railroad tracks, but owner and engineer of the Napa Valley Railway Inn, Lori Jones, says the railcars themselves weren’t pulled in here by a train, but rather put in place by a helicopter.
“They were brought in from Oregon, mostly from Union Pacific, and they were airlifted onto the tracks,” said Lori Jones.
Inside the luxurious sleeper cars and caboose, you’ll find modern amenities like air conditioning and bathrooms, but when they were put here in the 1970s they had a much more rustic feel. One room was actually an old cattle car.
“I worked pretty hard to get out those old smells from 150 years ago,” said Jones.
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There are eight rooms total at the inn, each with their own history, but the most popular room is the caboose because the old observation window in the ceiling offers up a great view.
“If they look out that window, they can see the hot air balloons launch behind us. It happens at 6 a.m. but still, you get to see a hot air balloon flying,” said Jones.
The nice thing about a stationary sleeper car is that you don’t have to worry about missing your stop, which is good because the Railway Inn is centrally located in Yountville within walking distance of a number of popular restaurants and shops.
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