Cabin

Surprisingly spacious Historic Railcar on Beautiful Skaneateles Lake

Photo gallery for Surprisingly spacious Historic Railcar on Beautiful Skaneateles Lake

A deck with outdoor furniture, a table, and a chair, overlooking a lake and forested hills.
A cozy cabin interior with a plaid sofa, a wooden table, and a window with curtains.
A kitchen with a built-in oven, a refrigerator, and wooden cabinets.
A wooden cabin bedroom with a bed, a window with curtains, and a ceiling fan.
A kitchen with wooden cabinets, a microwave, and a sink. There is a table with a checkered tablecloth and a vase with a sunflower.

Reviews

9.0 out of 10
Wonderful
Situated along the water, this 3-bedroom cabin accommodates 7 guests and features 2 bathrooms. Enjoy lake views from the patio, balcony, and deck. Engage in nearby windsurfing, sailing, and birdwatching. The property provides access to nearby golf and nearby skiing. It is pet-friendly and located near Skaneateles Lake and Bear Swamp State Forest.

Highlights

  • Discover nearby landmarks

    Near Skaneateles Lake
3 bedrooms2 bathroomsSleeps 7

Popular amenities

  • Balcony
  • Barbecue
  • Onsite parking available
  • Air-conditioning
  • Internet
  • Dryer

Explore the area

View map
Homer, NY
  • Place, Skaneateles Lake
    ‪1 min walk‬
  • Place, Finger Lakes
    ‪1 min walk‬
  • Place, Cornell University
    ‪51 min drive‬
  • Airport, Ithaca, NY (ITH-Tompkins Regional)
    ‪53 min drive‬

Rooms & beds

3 bedrooms (sleeps 7)

Bedroom 1

1 Queen Bed

Bedroom 2

2 Single Beds

Bedroom 3

1 Single Bunk Bed

Convertible bed(s)

2 Double Futons

2 bathrooms

Bathroom 2

Toilet · Shower only

Bathroom Master

Bathtub or shower · Toilet

Spaces

Deck or patio
Kitchen
Balcony
Garden
Dining area

About this property

Surprisingly spacious Historic Railcar on Beautiful Skaneateles Lake

A family setting. Enjoy morning coffee and evening barbecues on deck overlooking the lake! Historic railcar built in 1936 by Budd and located on Skaneateles in 1976 has been completely refurbished-including charming oak and cherry interior cut and planked in the property. Property features large 20' X 40' dock on 198' of private lakefront. Pebbled beach at lakefront allows for easy wading into the lake. Many upgrades completed in 2018. Enjoy time in the most unique rental property that Skaneateles has to offer!

Keywords: Railcar, Skaneateles, rental, lake, fishing, boating, family, cabin, house

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House Rules

Check in after 5:00 PM

Check out before 9:00 AM

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Children

Children allowed: ages 0–17

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Events

Events allowed

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Pets

Pets allowed

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Smoking

Smoking is not permitted

Important information

You need to know

Property # 166878vb
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
Parties and events are allowed on site
Host has indicated that there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property
Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher and a deadlock
This property has outdoor spaces, such as balconies, patios and terraces, which may not be suitable for children; if you have any concerns, we recommend contacting the property prior to your arrival to confirm that they can accommodate you in a suitable room

About the area

Map
Homer, NY

What's nearby

  • Skaneateles Lake - 1 min walk - 0.1 km
  • Finger Lakes - 1 min walk - 0.1 km
  • Syracuse University - 50 min drive - 65.7 km
  • Cornell University - 51 min drive - 64.0 km
  • New York State Fairgrounds - 53 min drive - 67.3 km

Getting around

  • Cortland, NY (CTX-Cortland County) - 26 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪The Glen Haven Restaurant - ‬4 min drive
  • ‪The Loft - ‬34 min drive
  • ‪Heuga’s Alpine - ‬32 min drive
  • ‪Colonial Lodge - ‬15 min drive
  • ‪Grammie's Pantry - ‬14 min drive

Frequently asked questions

Is Surprisingly spacious Historic Railcar on Beautiful Skaneateles Lake pet-friendly?

Yes, pets are allowed at this property.

How much is parking at Surprisingly spacious Historic Railcar on Beautiful Skaneateles Lake?

On-site parking is available at the property.

What time is check-in at Surprisingly spacious Historic Railcar on Beautiful Skaneateles Lake?

Check-in begins at 5:00 PM.

What time is check-out at Surprisingly spacious Historic Railcar on Beautiful Skaneateles Lake?

Checkout is at 9:00 AM.

Where is Surprisingly spacious Historic Railcar on Beautiful Skaneateles Lake located?

Situated on the waterfront, this cabin is steps away from Finger Lakes and Skaneateles Lake. Niles Town Hall and Bahar Nature Preserve are also within 6 miles (10 km).

Reviews

9.0

Wonderful

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
Learn moreOpens in a new window
Rating 10 - Excellent. 46 out of 78 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 24 out of 78 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 5 out of 78 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 78 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 78 reviews

8.6/10

Cleanliness

9.6/10

Check-in

9.6/10

Communication

9.8/10

Location

9.2/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Fun and memorable vacation home in a great location
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2026
Response from VrboOwner on 30 August 2026
Lovely to have hosted you; so glad you had such a great time in our little slice of paradise.
Verified review

2/10 Terrible

Disliked: Cleanliness, communication, listing accuracy
Property was not as advertised. Not child or pet friendly. Unsafe, unhealthy and unkept. Extremely disappointed!
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2026
Response from VrboOwner on 3 September 2026
Jo and her partner arrived on the third day of a four day stay and unfortunately gave us notice that if we didn’t offer a suitable refund she would express her displeasure to VRBO directly and has now written this review. Please read other reviews before you judge Us or the Railcar.
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
I absolutely love the train! I've come here with friends twice because it has everything you need for a summer hang. We swim all day in the crystal clear lake, grill and enjoy a movie/game at night. No need to go anywhere else.One minor complaint is that the check in/out times aren't very generous at 5pm checkin and 9am checkout. I would ask the host to consider using the standard hotel hours of 3pm and 9am so guests can get as much lake time as possible. Just a thought!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2026
Response from VrboOwner on 4 September 2026
Jesse, thanks for the review and for the feedback. While we do most often agree to extended times when asked, we will review again whether we can make 3 and 9 work as standard. Our first and foremost is that the car is ready when guests arrive what ever the circumstances. For the record, the Dock and water side is generally available from 1 pm on day of arrival, and 12pm on day of exit..
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Best Stay I've Ever Had

The train was absolutely lovely and the dock down across the street gave us access to the clearest, cleanest water! We had an absolutely lovely time swimming and grilling steaks. One of the best small vacations I've ever had. Highly recommend!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 10 August 2025
Mission accomplished, we love it!!! We want it to be the source of memories
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Very happy with accommodations. Large dock on the water was great for relaxing, swimming

Great experience
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 4 September 2022
Excellent, s pleased you had a great time. Ian
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Wonderful time at Skaneateles lake.Had fun relaxing & fishing from the dock. We watched the Eagle catch a fish that was cool!
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 28 August 2025
Fantastic, so pleased you all had such a great time
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Staying in the rail car was cool. There are a lot of stairs. One of the toilets was broken and kept running the whole time. The lake was beautiful.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

July 4th Getaway

My friend and I were looking to get away for a few days with our kids and dogs. This was a perfect little getaway! We enjoyed sitting on the deck but most all the amazing dock looking out onto Skaneateles Lake.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2023
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Wonderful experience!

Very nice! Children especially loved staying in the train. Outside living areas were superb!
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Amazing place

We really enjoyed our stay and this train house! It's truly unique experience, especially for young kids to be in real " train house". Everything is all about comfort inside, plenty of storage and everything you can possibly need for comfortable stay. We spent most of our time on the dock on the lake, amazing views and the lake so beautiful, kids didn't care the water was cold and had plenty of fun in the lake. Planning on coming back.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great time at the Lake!

We had a wonderful time Fishing, Boating, swimming Grandkids had a ball and cant wait until next year. Thank you Ian 😊
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2023
Response from VrboOwner on 12 August 2023
Absolutely our pleasure, so glad you had a great time
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

A unique adventure!

A wonderful part of the lake, crystal clear lake water, friendly neighbors and interesting areas nearby to explore. The owner,(Ian) was quick to respond to any question we might have. A wonder stay!
Stayed 10 nights in Jul 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 25 July 2022
Glad you had a great time and enjoyed this lovely part of the country.
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Fantastic

Our stay was great, the use of the train car for the cottage is an extremely cool idea. The place was very clean, amenities were all there per Vrbo . The owner is great guy who stopped to make sure everything was good . The lake view is beautiful and large deck at the lake is spot on.We would definitely book this site again
Stayed 3 nights in May 2024
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Spent a two day weekend at this spacious property, we had a few small issues everything was clean and orderly.Went up for a friend's son high school graduation. We had a few small issues that eventually were addressed to our satisfaction we would surely stay here again! Thank you Ian!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Girls get together

We had amazing time. The train car was absolutely amazing! Everything was perfect. The deck at the lake was big and we stayed there with our rafts all day Saturday. Not too many stairs to maneuver. Easy to get down to the lake. Just the experience of the train car was memorable. Ian was a great host! We would do it again.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Its was a beautiful stay

We loved our stay at this unique place. We were greeted by Mr. Ian. He showed us around the place. That was helpful as some places has antique light switches. The place itself is beautiful, very well kept. Mr. DeSouza left thoughtful list of places to visit around Skaneateles lake. The coach itself has everything including a washer dryer. It was comfortable and clean We will definitely visit again.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2020
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Peaceful as it gets

We (6 adults) came and stayed during the week for a relaxing 3 days. The property owner was excellent to work with. We watch eagles in a nest just south of the cabin in a large pine. We kayaked around the southern end of the lake. Used the camp as a base for several outings. Had a BBQ and campfire. The novelty of staying in the train car was also a unique experience.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Unique property

Had a wonderful time on Skaneateles Lake. The rail car was clean and spacious and Ian was a wonderful host. Stopped by to bring us a wine key and the full story of the rail cars journey to Skaneateles. A quiet and peaceful weekend. Will be back.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2019
Response from VrboOwner on 26 March 2020
So pleased you guys had a great time and look forward to seeing you all again. Ian
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

A unique cabin by a beautiful lake

The railroad car was funky and interesting for the kids. The dock across the way was gorgeous – we just sat there for hours enjoying the view. Ian was a pleasure to communicate with - he got back to us immediately about any question. It was fun to have kayaks at the ready and basically it was a wonderful jumping off point for adventures. I’d highly recommend and would come back.
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2021
Response from VrboOwner on 15 July 2021
Amelia, Lovely to have had you as guests. Ian
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

So Much Fun!

We had a wonderful time at the railcar. It is surprisingly spacious! It so cool to see all the old features that have been kept intact in the railcar. Everything was very clean and it was amazing that all the supplies we needed were there (sheets, towels, dishes, etc.). It was a hot and humid day but the A/C kept the inside comfortable. Just note, the railcar is across the quiet road from the water/dock, so not on the water itself. We hope to stay again next summer!
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

1st week of Aug stay

The location and water access was great. The lake was excellent. There's a lot to do and everyone we met was friendly and pleasant. There were a few minor things that were not so good.... the internet connectivity was poor and there were a few too many ants indoors. Elderly or infirm people should be aware that there are a lot of stairs to climb. Overall though we enjoyed our stay a lot and we especially enjoyed the lake access and the general area.
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2021
Response from VrboOwner on 20 August 2021
Dear Colm; sorry to hear about the ants, we will see to it immediately. The hot then wet summer has had an interesting impact in that regard. The internet should be suburb, sorry you had difficulty, again I will look into what went wrong. Regards Ian
Verified review

6/10 Okay

Liked: Check-in, location
Disliked: Cleanliness, listing accuracy

Overgrown

The rail car itself was fun to be in but could use some updates. The one bed that my cousins stayed in was very uncomfortable. There was a metal bar that stuck in their back. The foliage was very overgrown. Not neat like the pictures. The deck could use a good power washing. The lake is beautiful.
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2019
Response from VrboOwner on 26 March 2020
Hi Cindy; thank you for the feedback. I agree the hedge needs trimming and that will be dealt with, usually we only need to do it once a year, but this year clearly conditions have been ideal for growth and it needs a second cut. The bed will be sorted as will a power wash of the deck. Apologies that it wasn't as you would have liked it.
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Beautiful & Fun Place

We experienced Chamber of Commerce perfect weather for our weekend! The lake was a main activity center with swimming, kayaking and tubing (we brought the tubes). Around the house (railcar) lots of grilling, campfire and hanging out. The pictures on the site don't do it justice. Lots of space outside. We did have a tent for extra spreading out at bedtime. The youngsters had space to run around and play. As someone else mentioned in a review the kitchen was updated from the pics. Everyone in the family had a blast and was thrilled with the railcar! Other vacationers in the area stopped to take pics and asked if we were the owners.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 24 July 2024
Fantastic, you guys clearly enjoyed it as intended. The lake is priceless, the Railcar a fun folly, we try to keep accommodating and fun for all who stay. Really appreciate the lovely review....
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great Trip!

We had such a nice time on our stay in the Railcar. It’s at the end of the lake so it’s much more secluded and the deck access is amazing! We stayed out there all day just relaxing, swimming and using the kayaks provided. You can rent a boat and keep it there if you want to add to your trip. It was the best part for us! The rail car is really cool, however it’s a little tight. Mostly the bathrooms but it is an actually rail car so it makes sense. There is a lot of steps on this stay so be aware of that with planning. They are steep going to the dock access and a lot going up to the rail car itself. All in all we enjoyed it! Thank you Ian!
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2019
Response from VrboOwner on 26 March 2020
Lovely to hear you guys had such a good time. It is a unique place, hope we see you again....Ian
Archival

8/10 Good

Beautiful and relaxing getaway spot in the Finger Lakes

My husband and I celebrated our first anniversary by travelling to the Finger Lakes with another couple. We all stayed comfortable in the railcar. It was easy to find, the location is great, and we were able to bring our golden retriever along. Close to a few towns and driving distance to wine trails and great hikes. The railcar was clean and temperature-controlled, although it could use a little TLC and some pest control (a small ant problem). The stairs are a bit rickety (tough for old dogs/small children) but there is an alternate entrance with more solid stairs on the other end of the car. The dock was incredible (although the stairs down to that could also use a touch-up), as Lake Skaneateles is perfect for swimming, and we enjoyed taking the kayaks out as well. The kitchen, while small, actually has a pretty awesome stove and everything you need for cooking, as well as a few staples that came in handy. It was easy to get in touch with the hosts when we needed to. We also enjoyed the fire pit in front of the car at night. I would definitely recommend staying in this historic, unique place in the Finger Lakes.
Response from VrboOwner on 26 March 2020
I am so pleased you enjoyed your stay, it is a unique beautiful part of the US special in so many ways. The car itself is an on going project and we will address all the improvement opportunities you have listed as we continue to improve the car and its location. Thanks again, Ian

About the host

Hosted by Ian DeSouza

Host profile image

We are local residents with a property further up the lake. My children have all grown up on and around the lake, and regard it as a special place. The railcar was our lake cottage for the better part of ten years, and very much a part of us now.

Why they chose this property

Its unique and rustic. Comfortable for a longer stay, we have had visitors who lived there for six months and loved it, and easy for a short one or two night novelty stay at the end or beginning of a longer holiday elsewhere. Fishing, boating, swimming are fantastic in this notably pristine glacial lake; in fact, we drink from it untreated.

What makes this property unique

The views, sounds, ambiance around the property are soothing and lovely. Its a relaxing place, with most of the comforts of home out in the woods, by a lake....and what is there not to love about sleeping in an authentic railway carriage with history. A fire in the pit on the lawn outside the car just makes for the perfect way to unwind and end the day. The setting is rustic, after all it is a setting in the woods with many of the sounds and feel of a nature based setting that has included a nesting pair of Bald Eagles nearby, deer, foxes, different varieties of water fowl and the other creatures you would expect in such a setting.

Languages:

English

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