BURKE COUNTY, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Insurance said revamped train car cabins being sold in Hildebran can’t be used to live in full time, according to Burke County.
Channel 9’s Dave Faherty spoke with Innovative Bridge Company, the company trying to market these unconventional units to people recovering from Hurricane Helene.
“I think it’s absolutely awesome,” Jade Cramer, an Innovative Bridge Company employee said. “We are doing something that is helping the community…helping people who have lost so much, and I think it’s one of the coolest things I’ve been able to be a part of.”
Channel 9 has extensively covered the progress in Western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene devastated the mountain region in September.
Burke County Building Inspectors described the cabins as a temporary housing space, noting the 40-foot long, two-bedroom, two-bathroom cabins lack a kitchen.
“They are not up to standards of a manufactured home and don’t meet state building codes,” inspectors said.
However, workers at the Innovative Bridge Company said the $5,500 cabins can be used for a variety of things, including temporary bridges for areas impacted by Helene.
On their website, the Innovative Bridge Company says they’re “great for hunting and fishing camps.”
“It is different,” Rick Hollifield, a visitor to the area, said. “Make a great construction office or anything you choose to make out of it.”
The company says it encourages people interested in buying them to check with their county first before making a purchase.
“We’ve had a ton of interest in them,” Kramer said. “We’re trying to keep as many of them up here as we can, but they are just going out as quickly as we get them up here and get them cleaned.”
VIDEO: Amish group brings volunteers to help rebuild Chimney Rock
©2025 Cox Media Group
