Residents stopped by Sunday at Rotary Park and the St. Johns Depot for a final look at two historic railcars before crews remove them Monday.
- Two historic railcars at the St. Johns Depot are set to be removed Monday after the city determined both are too damaged to restore.
- Residents stopped by Sunday at Rotary Park for a final chance to see the railcars before they are demolished.
- The caboose will be restored and remain at the depot permanently, while the Ann Arbor boxcar has been purchased by a railroad restoration organization and will be moved after Mint Fest in August.
WATCH: St. Johns to say goodbye to three depot railcars
The sleeper car and the mail car are scheduled to be taken from the site Monday. The city said both are too damaged to restore and will later be demolished.
The four railcars had sat at the depot for years, but city officials said time and weather took a serious toll on the collection.
Jeremy Whittum, an Eaton Rapids resident, drove to St. Johns after hearing the railcars were being removed.
"I never knew these train cars were here," Whittum said. "I wanted to step back and see what America was like pre-Elvis, pre-electricity, and I got a glimpse into that today."
The Ann Arbor boxcar has been purchased by a railroad restoration organization and will be moved following Mint Fest in August, Mayor Scott Dzurka said.
The caboose will be restored and become a permanent fixture of the depot, funded by a grant.
"I think we'll be able to find that great balance with preserving history for the city of St. Johns in its railroad past," Dzurka said.
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