The Cockaboose Railroad was the vision of the late Ed Robinson and his wife, Cathy, who purchased the 22 rail cars in 1990 and sold them to Gamecock fans for an unparalleled level of comfort, convenience, and charm. The “railgating experience” has a close proximity to the playing field and provides an atmosphere that some consider to be the best of both worlds. Each caboose is individually owned and exudes a personal touch. The energy around, within, and even atop the Cockabooses — all outfitted with a canopied upper deck — are enviable to all fans as they have earned a reputation that can be likened to the gold standard of tailgating. Photography courtesy of USC Athletics
In an effort to avoid congested traffic, frenzied crowds, and harsh weather, some football fans opt to watch their favorite teams from the comfort of their living rooms. Others have wised up and found a solution that marries the amenities of home with the atmosphere of a traditional tailgate setup: the Cockaboose.
For three decades and counting, the Cockabooses have hosted countless celebrations ranging from the obvious pre- and post-game football tailgates to birthday parties, graduation festivities, business meetings, and happy hours. Their prime position just steps away from Williams-Brice Stadium also makes them an ideal rendezvous spot for Cockaboose owners who are catching a stadium tour concert in the offseason.
These tailgating novelties were creatively repurposed by the late Columbia real estate developer Ed Robinson and his wife, Cathy, whose shared vision for a niche tailgating experience for Gamecock fans resulted in the debut of the Cockabooses in 1990. By that time, Ed had already established a footprint in Gamecock tailgating territory. Several years before, he developed Carolina Park, a neighboring structure well-suited for avid tailgaters who enjoy the venue’s close proximity to the stadium. While both have maintained their popularity over the years, Cathy’s influence made all the difference in how Cockabooses came to be. It all began with her love of trains.
“I wanted to purchase a Pullman train car and decorate the car in a luxurious opulent style,” she says. “The Pullman car could be attached to Amtrak, making as many stops as requested, overnight or as long as desired. What an adventurous way to travel across the United States!”
As the two began researching how and where to buy train cars, they eventually came across a broker in North Carolina who had several for sale. They quickly made arrangements to pay the man — and his trains — a visit.
After giving the cars a thorough review, the group headed back to the collector’s home, where Cathy laid eyes on the inspiration for the Cockaboose Railroad. “In his backyard he had a caboose, and it was just beautiful. It was perfectly redone; he had it in the back as a little guest room in his yard. It was shiny, red, and had a cupola on top,” she says. When she expressed interest in the caboose, their host informed them that because this style of freight-train car was no longer in use, it was relatively easy to come by.
“I looked at Ed and he looked at me and I said, ‘That looks so Gamecock-ish,’” Cathy says. The rest is history. The Robinsons left North Carolina that day with a contract for 22 cabooses and no Pullman train car. “Instead of getting the train car that I wanted to travel across the United States in, we decided to measure and see how many cabooses we could put on that property,” she says, referring to the piece of land where the Cockaboose Railroad is now stationed. Rather than following her original vision, she leaned into the new opportunity that she and Ed had stumbled upon. “I thought, well, this will be a whole lot more fun,” she says.
Before the real fun could be had, though, train tracks, land rights, and even air rights had to be purchased. Meanwhile, Ed began publicizing the project to his close circle of friends over cocktails. He brought with him a homemade prop — a miniature toy caboose that he had painted red with a University of South Carolina logo — and passed it around the circle, regaling his audience with a resplendent vision of a row of sleek, garnet-colored cabooses with customizable interiors.
This vision was crucial to his ability to sell the idea — particularly when the cars first arrived in the capital city. Cathy remembers their shocking appearance upon delivery. “By the time those 22 train cars got pulled in by trucks and things, they looked horrible. They didn’t have any paint on them; they were just ugly and dilapidated. We thought, ‘Oh my, we bought this?’”
Fortunately, a collective faith in the cars’ potential overrode their initial lackluster state. While the concept of tailgating in a train car was new, Gamecock fans in and around the Robinsons’ social circle quickly latched on to the latest and greatest in tailgating. All but two of the cars swiftly changed hands for the price of $45,000 each. The Robinsons kept the final two for themselves, and Cathy promptly set out to outfit her new pet project.
To complement what became standard Cockaboose amenities — running water, air conditioning, upholstered seating, and the like — mahogany, marble, and other decadent design choices filled the Robinsons’ primary Cockaboose. They poured copious amounts of love and labor into their prized possession in hopes of having it ready for business by the opening home game that season.
“We worked so hard to get those cabooses done,” Cathy says. While the duo did not quite meet their deadline, they decided to open up shop anyway. Describing her makeshift hostess setup at their inaugural Cockaboose tailgate, she says, “For the first game, the bar hadn’t been built yet. We had card tables set up. People were in there finishing the floors right before the game.”
Since then, the Cockabooses have earned a reputation that can be likened to the gold standard of tailgating. This reputation has become highly regaled in the real estate market as well; in recent years, units have sold for upward of six times as much as their original owners paid. Cockabooses are to trailer-bed tailgating as glamping is to traditional camping. And, like the term “glamping,” this experience has also warranted its own moniker, coined “railgating.”
The “railgating” experience brings an unparalleled level of comfort, convenience, and charm to Gamecock tailgating. Garrett Humphries, president of the Cockaboose association, University of South Carolina alumnus, and proud owner since 2017, describes the Cockabooses as iconic pieces of history, adding, “What’s unique here is the customization and the amenities that can be applied to each Cockaboose. That makes tailgating more convenient and accessible to each owner.”
Above all else, every good tailgater knows that convenience and accessibility are the name of the game. While fans subject themselves to a full spectrum of climates during football season, Gamecock fans are perhaps most familiar with sweltering Saturdays in the city that is known to be “famously hot.” For Garrett, other owners, and their guests, the Cockabooses are a safe haven from the heat, humidity, and occasional wintry weather. “You have your own heating and air for the games, which is great for when it’s 95 or 100 degrees, or when it’s 35,” he says.
Though each caboose is individually owned — some by area businesses, others by families, and still others through shared ownership arrangements — the inextricable connection that has formed between the Cockabooses and USC has garnered nationwide attention. Media outlets including NBC News, The New York Times, Bleacher Report, Sports Illustrated, Southern Living, and even the Columbia Missourian have covered these prominent party spots, which the Times described as “one of the most opulent ways to ensure a good time on Saturdays” in a piece published in September of 2014.
While the Cockaboose homeowners’ association maintains that the cars’ garnet paint scheme emblazoned with “South Carolina Cockaboose Railroad” must remain uniform, each car’s 270 square-foot interior is a canvas for creativity. Garrett says that while common amenities of Cockabooses include a bathroom, bar, kitchen, den, and sometimes a bed, the layout, design, and stylistic choices vary from one caboose to the next. “It’s like a tiny house, and you’ve got to make the best use of space that you can,” he says. “When you’re talking about what each one is like, you can almost think about them as an empty vessel to create whatever type of tailgating experience you’d like.”
Some owners decorate their spaces with traditional touches, like stained wood furniture, drapes, and brass fixtures. Others like Natalie Miles, Cathy’s daughter, have treated their train cars to a facelift in recent years. “It was originally almost like The Orient Express; it had a really cool long bar with a brass footstool with red leather. There was a fireplace in there that was really neat; it just looked like it was old school from the ’30s or the ’40s.”
Now, it exudes a much more modern feel. The space is anchored by a deep teal paint color complemented by chic floor-to-ceiling pattern combinations and finished with sleek hardware and wall sconces. Cathy admits that the remodeled interior lends itself to a much more functional space for its current use.
Regardless of how they are decorated, or what dishes and drinks are being served out of each Cockaboose, functionality is a shared trait across the board … or rails, rather. TVs play a significant role in the Cockabooses’ functionality, allowing patrons to livestream not only the game that is going on right next door but gameday coverage across the country as well.
Even so, Garrett says most Cockaboose owners still venture into the stadium when game time rolls around. However, the railcars’ proximity to the playing field provides an atmosphere that some consider to be the best of both worlds. Speaking from experience, Garrett says, “Even if you don’t go into the game, hearing the excitement and the loudness and the music coming from the stadium, you feel like you’re a part of it.” This is particularly true when a mini pep band breaks off from the Mighty Sound of the Southeast to do a quick tour along the row of cabooses prior to entering the stadium, playing fan favorites like “2001” and “Step to the Rear,” better known as the University of South Carolina’s fight song.
The energy around, within, and even atop the Cockabooses — all are outfitted with a canopied upper deck — is admittedly enviable to passersby. Both home and away fans have been known to stop and snap a picture in front of the legendary cabooses; some have even been known to work up the nerve to request permission to board. Who can blame them? Everybody needs to feel a little cocky sometimes.
