Winslow is bringing another piece of its railroad history into downtown, this time with a practical purpose. Last Thursday, the city installed a pair of old Santa Fe boxcars near Kinsley Avenue and First Street, just south of the Standin’ on the Corner site, where they will be converted into public restrooms for the steady flow of tourists and other visitors moving through the area.
According to Maury Hatch, the idea came together after Vice Mayor Jim MacLean reached out to him about the railcars sitting on his land in Ames Acres. Hatch said the cars had been there, at least fifty years and probably longer and told MacLean that if the city can use them then it can have them.
That simple conversation helped move forward a solution to a problem most people who spend time downtown already know well. For all the traffic the Corner brings in, there has never been a true public restroom nearby. Instead, the burden has fallen on local businesses, especially restaurants, many of which have signs on their doors making it clear restrooms are for customers only. When tour buses pull in and unload a group, it can quickly turn into a balancing act for staff trying to accommodate paying customers while turning others away.
Now, with the boxcars in place, the project is starting to feel real. Public Works Director Tim Westover said there is still work to be done before anyone can use them. The city plans to retrofit the interiors and add ramps so the facility meets ADA requirements, turning what used to be freight cars into something functional for the public.
McCauley Construction handled the installation. When it is finished, the project will not only fill a long-standing need but do it in a way that fits Winslow, using a piece of railroad history to solve a modern downtown problem.
