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Train at the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel,  Cranbrook. Photo by Flickr.

Top 10 Facts about Canadian Museum of Rail Travel Cranbrook, B.C

The Canadian Museum of Rail Travel, famously branded the ‘Trains Deluxe’ is situated in Cranbrook, British Columbia. It is part of the Cranbrook History Centre.

 It has a grand collection of vintage trains and cars dating back to various eras of train travel.

It is no surprise that it is located in Cranbrook, a city whose development was significantly a result of the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the late 19^th century.

 It is still a thriving railway center, with both Canadian and international freight traffic. Its foundation is closely related to the railway history of the town.

The museum is a heritage, preserving train travel history. It also houses the Royal Alexandra Hall.

Tourists flock to the place to enjoy the well-preserved exquisite trains and the rich history of travel and design.

Here are the top 10 facts about the Canadian Museum of Train Travel.

1. The Canadian Museum of Rail Travel is located next to the Canadian Pacific Railway

Canadian Pacific Railway yard at Port Coquitlam, BC. Photo by Roy Luck.

Everything about the Museum reflects the history and industry of rail travel in Cranbrook city.

The Canadian Pacific Railway arrived at Cranbrook in 1898, ushering in the rapid development of the town.

Train culture is at the heart of the Museum which is located downtown next to the rail yards of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

2. The Museum was founded in 1977

It was originally centered on the restoration and display of vintage passenger trains. These were commonly known as the transcontinental ‘Deluxe Hotels- On-Wheels.’

The designs were from various eras, dating back to 1886. The Museum also had an interest in deluxe railway hotel architecture.

 Architecture and design have  been at the heart of the Museum’s collection and restoration efforts. These aspects of the train culture are still there today.

The Museum’s collection has however, widened in scope to cover the Cranbook town’s history as well.

3. It has one of the largest train collections in North America

The Canadian Pacific ‘Travers’. It was acquired by the Museum in 1989. Photo by Railfan 44.

Yes! The Canadian Museum of Rail Travel boasts one of the most extensive and unique train collections. It has about 28 railway cars. 13 of these are available to the public.

The most famous of these include the exquisite 1929 ‘Trans-Canada Limited’ which has a classic ‘Jazz Era Art Deco’ design. It has a complete 7-car set.

The ‘Strathcona’ is an executive night car. It has housed significant figures as such Queen Elizabeth II and Sir Winston Churchill! These artistic cars attract many who get to admire their magnificent look.

4. Its travel cars and trains are famous for their intricate design

Train interior at the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel. Photo by Flickr.

Indeed, part of the collection at the museum includes an array of royal train travel cars. The designs are a state-of-the-art inspiration.

 Some of the beautiful interior design features include stained glass, exotic woods, brass fixtures, wood carpets, and plush upholstery.

The staff has made great effort to restore some of the cars and preserve them in their original state.

Visitors get to take tours through the interiors of the cars and marvel at the intricate detail of splendid designs used.

5. The Museum has been awarded for its restoration efforts

To keep the train travel cars in their state, a lot of restoration efforts are constantly being by the museum.

The collection is indeed irreplaceable since these vintage cars are a few of the only surviving cars.

 The Trans-Canada Limited (1929) won the Museum Heritage Canada’s ‘Achievement Award’ for restoration in 1993.

It has a set of 7 cars. They include a palace sleeper, a dining car, a solarium-lounge car, a crew baggage car, a day parlor car, and three first-class sleepers.

6. It has a National Historic Designation

The Museum  has been designated as a site of national historic significance.

This is usually on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. The Museum has a unique collection of train travel cars that tell of the history of train travel.

 Rober Turner, an author and former Curator of the Royal British Columbia Museum has stated that the museum ‘is unparalleled anywhere in Canada, and is clearly of national as well as international importance.’

7. The Museum’s scope of the collection has been expanded

This is to represent a larger history of Cranbrook and Canadian rail travel in general.

The collection now includes artifacts relating to the human and natural history of the site of Cranbrook, and track equipment showing the social, political, and economic impact of rail travel in Canada.

There is an archive section that has material in form of documents, film, and digital information regarding the town in general, Canadian rail travel, and the East Kootenay.

Fossil collections from around the Rocky Mountains are a recent part of the collection.

8. The Royal Alexandra Hall is one of the exquisite spaces at the Museum

Table Setting at the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel. Photo by Flickr.

The Royal Alexandra Hall is an incredibly beautiful 3, 000 square feet café. It is oak paneled with an intricate design. There is an adjacent kitchen.

It is a restoration of the former Grand Café of the luxury Royal Alexandra Hotel built in Winnipeg, in 1906.

The luxury hotel was demolished in 1971. The Museum retrieved its parts in 1999. Its restored version was opened in 2004.

The Royal Alexandra Hall was the recipient of Heritage Canada’s ‘Achievement Award’ for restoration in 2007.

It is rented out for special occasions such as weddings, meetings, and birthday parties.

9. The Cranbrook Museum has galleries

It showcases the rich history of the Cranbrook region. It has two galleries; the Cranbrook History Gallery and the Paleontology Gallery.

The former highlights aspects of the local and natural history, early settler artifacts, and information about the Ktunaxa First Nation traditions.

The Paleontology gallery includes a collection of fossils from Fort Steele and a mural painted by Rosalie Dureski.

10. There is a siding track for excursion trains at the back of the Museum

The beautiful Royal Canadian Pacific at Banff Station. Photo by James Koole.

One of these is the Royal Canadian Pacific; a high-end excursion train. It is operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway.

The siding track is for the arrival of the trains, and there are doors into the Museum’s large entrance hall from the track.

Visitors can watch the trains’ arrival as part of their amazing experience at the museum.