In 2020, Isaac French, 27, and his family purchased a train car that had been sitting abandoned on a neighbor’s farm in Deary, Idaho. They paid just $3,000.
Train car number 306 was built in the 1900s and originally ran on the Washington Idaho & Montana Railway from 1909 until the 1950s. When the family got their hands on it, the wood was rotting, algae was growing and about 20 cats were living inside, French tells CNBC Make It.
″[My dad] had the faith and the vision for it and I’m so glad he did,” he says. “There’s something so rewarding about taking an old structure that was so lovingly built, and breathing life back into it.”
The abandoned train car’s renovation and restoration was a family project for French, his parents and siblings.
Isaac French
The family took out a $150,000 loan, including $3,000 to purchase the train car and $10,000 to move the 61-feet-long structure onto their 145-acre property.
“It’s just a beautiful, secluded place in nature,” French says. “We chose the highest point on our property so that we could capture these epic views.”
French and his family spent the rest of the loan, $137,000, and six months renovating the structure with the goal of turning it into an Airbnb.
“I believe that travelers today are seeking experiences and you want to have a story. The more rich a story you can tell through a stay, through a property, the better the experience will be,” he says.
French’s father first saw the train car on a neighbor’s farm.
Isaac French
The French family didn’t list the train car on Airbnb just because they wanted to make some money, but because it was a passion project.
“We just felt like this is the right thing to do. This is what excites us and we think it’s going to excite other people too,” French says.
The renovation included turning the old passenger room into a sitting area and the mailroom into a bedroom. “Our guests absolutely love it,” French says.
“They wake up in the morning and look straight out onto these beautiful panoramic views of the countryside. It’s a really epic place to sleep.”
They also added a kitchenette with a gas potbelly stove and a bathroom, and refurbished the floors and furniture.
The train car sits on 145 acres.
Mickey Todiwala. Photo by CNBC Make It
Guests also have access to a mirrored sauna, hot tub, and firepit right on the grounds.
“The idea is to reflect the nature surroundings,” French says. “Since we had these beautiful pine trees and this spectacular view, we thought it would be a cool juxtaposition of new and old.”
When French opened up reservations on Airbnb, it was an instant success. Within the first week, the Restored 1909 Train Carriage was booked out for several months. Stays range from $325 to $350 a night.
“I think all of our dreams were surpassed with the reception of it and how fun it was for us to do as a family,” French says. “It was rewarding to see all of that hard work and that investment be validated so quickly.”
The family listed the train car on Airbnb in 2020 and have been booked ever since.
Mickey Todiwala. Photo by CNBC Make It
In its first year, the train car had 90% occupancy and $14,179 in revenue. Since then, revenue has increased to between $75,000 and $110,000 a year, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.
In 2024, the train car generated $110,172 in revenue from Airbnb and was booked for 140 nights on the platform.
It has a profit margin of about 65%, with 30 to 35% of overall revenue going to cleaning costs, ongoing small maintenance and repairs, property taxes, and insurance.
In addition to Airbnb, French and his family take reservations for the train car online. “We can have more of a relationship with the guests,” French says. “With Airbnb, it feels more like a transaction, whereas [the direct booking] allows for more of a relationship that we can build.”
The train car features a sitting area, kitchenette, gas potbelly stove, bathroom and king-sized bed.
Mickey Todiwala. Photo by CNBC Make It
Despite the popularity, French says they don’t plan on raising the price per night any time soon. They find it fulfilling to host people from all over who want to experience a piece of history.
“Our best experience in hosting has been the thanks that almost every other guest sends to us for taking care of this piece of history,” French’s father, Webb, tells CNBC Make It.
With the revenue from the train car, French says they recently paid off the loan they took out to finance the train car project.
Instead of paying themselves, the family are investing the money into the train car and the overall guest experience. “It’s hard to overestimate how hungry the general public is for story-driven, one-of-a-kind stays, and restoration projections are one of the best ways to get here,” French says.
“Even if you don’t have a background in restoration or hospitality, if you have a passion to host other people, to delight them, to surprise them, then you can create one of these because that’s what hospitality is all about.”
A stay at the train car includes access to a mirrored sauna, hot tub and firepit.
Mickey Todiwala. Photo by CNBC Make It
French’s best advice for those looking to emulate what he and his family have done with this rental property is to open your eyes and make connections: “There are a lot of opportunities right under people that they don’t even realize because they’ve always been there and are out of the box.”
He says to “talk to your neighbor. Your neighbor may be the person to partner with if you don’t have any money or if you don’t have the experience your neighbor might.”
Though the 1909 Train Carriage was a pretty unique find for the family, French advises that you just never know what’s out there and what you might feel drawn to creatively: “How many old buildings and old stories and old train cars are just sitting out there waiting to be discovered and loved?”
‘I think that’s the key,” he says. “You have to have some love and some inspiration to participate in a project like this and breathe new life into it.”
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