MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – At Tuesday’s city council meeting, Myrtle Beach leaders announced they have purchased a used railroad boxcar for the Myrtle Beach Train Depot.
According to city spokesperson Mark Kruea, the current plan is to move the boxcar Friday from its present location across the Intracoastal Waterway on the railroad track near the intersection of Christa McAuliffe Street, near Ronald McNair Boulevard. It will be trucked over the waterway to the Train Depot, where a crane will pick it up and place it on the tracks next to the building.
The boxcar is 53 feet long and still needs to be cleaned, painted and outfitted for use as an additional space at the Train Depot.
In January, the city announced they were trying to fund the expansion project through a grant from the Knights Cities Challenge. Kruea says the grant winners were announced Monday and Myrtle Beach did not receive any money.
The boxcar cost $10,000 and it will cost about $12,000 to transport the car to the depot.
The Depot serves as a public facility for meetings, committees, receptions, activities and parties, the city’s website states. Myrtle Beach operates the building and makes it available to groups for a nominal fee. The depot was built by Myrtle Beach Farms Company in 1937, restored in 2004 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
