A legacy BART car prepared for its next act: A vacation rental in the Sierra foothills

Left: A crane lowers the legacy car onto the tracks at Lin's Jamestown property. Right: The car is soldered to the tracks.

When you enter the car from the back door, a small bedroom will be to your right. The middle of the car will include a bathroom and a room with bunkbeds. Then the front third will be an open space for hanging out, complete with a coffee table arcade game. A few days before the car delivery, Lin bought a Pong-themed table from a guy on Craigslist. Incidentally, Pong came out in 1972, the same year BART opened.

The car's cab will remain more or less intact. Lin wants to rig it so people can push the control panel buttons and hear BART sounds, like the horn and station announcements - "The doors are closing. Stand clear of the doors."

All told, the property will accommodate eight people comfortably. Lin pictures this the sort of place you stay with a group of friends or families, which will also help keep the cost down. This is a unique rental, Lin stressed, and it will be pricier than a run-off-the-mill accommodation, though he wants to make sure it's still accessibly priced. He's not sure exactly how much he'll charge for a stay.

But it will be worth the price, Lin said. H has even more plans for the property, including activities like a bocce ball court and foot bridges constructed from rail.

A financial advisor by day, Lin studied architecture as an undergrad at UC Berkeley and is a serious tinkerer, especially with Lego. Residents will see some of Lin's Lego art inside the Sierra Train House.

The Sierra Train House is the definition of a labor of love, and Lin intends to build the property so that it lasts for a hundred years and beyond, just like the Railtown nearby. History, he said, is not something he takes lightly.

"I have a sense of responsibility to preserve this train car," Lin said. "It's neat to save a train."

Keep up with the progress of the Sierra Train House on Instagram and Facebook .