Pegram’s historic caboose gets a fresh coat of red

The historic red caboose beside the Pegram Depot is looking a little more like itself again after a local painting company stepped in to help restore one of the town’s most recognizable landmarks.

D&D Painting, a local company owned by Brian Grammar, recently repainted the caboose in historically accurate colors, bringing back the deep red that has long been associated with the railroad car.

Grammar said the company wanted to contribute to the restoration because of the caboose’s importance to the community.

“I’ve been living in Pegram since I was about 12 years old, and we wanted to make sure that we gave back and did our part to help,” Grammar said. “We were honored to do it. It’s just been a big staple here for a long time.”

The project involved more than simply putting a new coat of paint over the existing finish. Grammar said D&D Painting worked to identify historically accurate colors and then find products that could reproduce those colors while standing up to the elements.

“That was our biggest feat to get done — just getting a product that would last in the colors that were historically accurate,” Grammar said.

For the Pegram Community Club, which has been raising money for restoration work at the depot and caboose, the newly painted car is a visible sign of what community support can accomplish.

“I think that the restoration really helps develop the pride that we have here in Pegram,” said Amy DuBois, vice president of the Pegram Community Club. “I’ve seen so much of the community come together to pull this project together, raise the funds to get it done. It’s just great driving into town, seeing the newly restored caboose.”

The Community Club launched its restoration fundraising campaign last year with a $25,000 goal to address repairs at the historic depot and caboose. DuBois said money raised through the club’s annual fundraisers, including its barbecue, fish fry and spaghetti dinner, goes toward the restoration fund.

The club’s next fundraiser, its annual spaghetti dinner, is scheduled for Oct. 25 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Pegram Depot, in conjunction with the trunk-or-treat event at Pegram Park.

For DuBois, the work on the caboose is about more than preserving an old railroad car.

"They did a great job, and we’re very happy to have the community involved and be a part of what we’re building here," she said.