November 2005 was an exciting date as caboose #999373 came to Verde Canyon in Arizona. Lazarus had come forth again! 

After sitting in a Texas rail yard for years, the red caboose built in 1929 was “alive” again!  Early in 2004 the transformation started on a workhorse caboose to a luxury parlor for six that would make daily runs on the Verde Canyon railroad trail.   Cutting, drilling, installing luxury items, adding a generator, and other challenges one faces in making a self-contained caboose were daily routines.

Roman Soqui oversaw much of the interior work for owner, Dave Durbano. Robin Brean, the assistant general manager was “the general director” of the painstaking process of the “resurrection.”  Dave relied on his wife, Linda,  for help with interior design as he has in all of the cars and buildings of the Verde Canyon Railroad operation.   Kevin Bradford oversees maintenance at the company, Dave Aldridge is their locomotive engineer with a history of keeping trains running that is longer than the track the Verde Canyon trains run on. 

A match “made in heaven?”  The rail company has joined in an affiliation with the Blazin’ M Ranch which is an expert in providing western entertainment in picking and grinnin’, great food, comedy, and western history.  It is BBQ and entertainment western style at it’s best!  What a way to spend a day, and it is time to make your spring and summer plans now to “ride the rails” with Verde Canyon Railroad.  I personally can encourage you to include this in your summer plans. 

You may sign up to receive the Verde Canyon Railroad newsletter online at  and put VCRR Newsletter in the subject line. 

Happy Traveling.