All aboard? Converted caboose is on track to be one of GTA’s cheapest real estate listings

Buying a place in the GTA is expensive - even properties in rural parts of the region often come with a hefty price tag.

But a new property in Halton Region appears to offer an affordable alternative to the market madness: it's listed for a modest $45,000.

Seems like an attractive price for a place like Campbellville, 10 km west of Milton, where the average house price sits at $1,176,250, according to recent MLS figures.

The catch? How does a railroad caboose-limousine hybrid with no washroom sound?

Previously used as a limo company's office and showroom, this 1912 red wooden CN caboose has a modified interior taken from a decommissioned limo bus. It features leather benches, a built-in stereo, LED lights and a bar fridge.

Without modern conveniences like, say, a kitchen or a toilet or even any heating, the structure is currently unhabitable, but it could eventually be, according to Zoocasa realtor Jennifer Krane.

The caboose could be taken elsewhere and transformed into a livable tiny home. Its solid frame would make the moving process easy, Krane said, noting the structure also has no suspension or wheels - normally a drawback for a caboose

It could be moved to another location where you hook up water and sewage and put in a bathroom," she said. There's so much potential."

New owners could also choose to pay $400 a month to leave the structure where it is - leased land on Main Street East - where it has stood since the late 1980s, according to Krane.

A familiar sight in the community for the last few decades, the caboose has even been used as an ice cream stand.

Everybody in Campbellville knows it," Krane said, noting she's talked to neighbours who will be sad to see the structure leave if a new owner moves it. It's such an iconic piece."

The caboose now also has laminate floors, pot lights and a deck attachment off the back.

We weren't sure what to list it for because there really isn't anything comparable to it and it's not a livable space," Krane said.

The listing for the property has been up for less than a week. Though Krane said she's noticed lots of interest, no offers had been made as of Wednesday.

Irelyne Lavery is a Toronto-based staff reporter for the Star. Reach her via email: ilavery@thestar.ca