The Prince Edward Hotel

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Memories of the Red Caboose

The Prince Edward Hotel at 100

By: Grant Hamilton

Saturday, Jun. 16, 2012 at 1:29 PM | Comments: 0

With dignitaries on hand, a beverage room called the Red Caboose opened in the former train depot behind the Prince Edward Hotel. (BRANDON SUN FILE)

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The Red Caboose made regular appearances in the Brandon Sun police briefs — often for incidents like this one: A hit and run in the parking lot. Presumably, drivers would rather suffer a dented bumper than report the accident and risk a sobriety test. (BRANDON SUN FILE)

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Winnipeg band Jayne was one of the entertainers at the Red Caboose to be featured in the Brandon Sun. (BRANDON SUN FILE)

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Scene of what was then the RCMP's biggest-ever undercover operation in Manitoba, the Red Caboose was the hub of Brandon's largest marijuana distribution network. (BRANDON SUN FILE)

To Brandon residents of a certain age, the words "Red Caboose" evoke a specific kind of memory.

As a night spot in Brandon’s downtown, they universally remember it fondly. They’ll tell how it was popular, how it was the place to go.

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They’ll even laugh and say "I could tell you some stories."

They just won’t actually tell any of those stories. Or perhaps the right word is "admit."

The Red Caboose opened in late 1971, with city dignitaries on hand — even the mayor was there, to cut the ribbon.

It was attached to the Prince Edward Hotel, in the old CNR depot south of the hotel. Renovating the depot had cost nearly $50,000.

"Brandon’s newest beverage room … opened Monday," the Brandon Sun wrote, publishing a prominent photo of the event on Page 3 of the event. "The interior decor follows a railroad theme, with a replica of a ‘colonist car’ and a club car on each side, with a platform in the centre."

It would have just a three-year run, attracting local bands, fair-week events — and a significant unsavoury element.

The police blotter on Oct. 23, 1973, reports that two chairs were stolen from the lounge. A series of hit-and-runs were linked to the bar’s parking lot.

Finally, a lengthy investigation focused on the Red Caboose as the hub of a Brandon drug gang. They were busted on Valentine’s Day, 1974, in what was then the RCMP’s largest-ever undercover operation in Manitoba. Fifteen months later, the ringleader was sentenced to five years in jail for selling a total of one pound, three ounces of marijuana to undercover officers.

Court heard that the drug ring was likely Brandon’s largest marijuana distribution system — and it all centred around the Red Caboose, "which has since closed," the story noted.

The Red Caboose, shuttered at the same time as the hotel it was attached to, would end up being the first portion of the historic structure to be demolished.

What do you remember?

If you have stories from the days of the Red Caboose, share them below:

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