The town of Cranbrook, British Columbia has one of the most important railway museums in Canada - the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel. This museum focuses on passenger travel by rail, and features several passenger train sets.
This makes the museum unique - its laser-like focus on passenger rail travel. No random collections of CN and CP freight cars, passenger cars and locomotives here.
The Tours
Retractable beds
Visiting the museum is a little different than other museums. You can't wander around on your own here.
You sign up for one or more guided tours that leave at scheduled times and tour specific train sets. These are the tours:
Pay close attention to their schedule when planning your visit!
A few notes about the tours. Once you start a tour, you can't stop. You can leave between segments, if you booked several tours, but you can't leave in the middle of the train. There aren't any bathrooms on the trains, so take care of that before the tour!
Of course, there's no smoking permitted on the tours, and no food and drink can be brought into the trains. These cars are immaculate so they want to keep them that way.
Solarium car
The Experience
Love that dome
We, OK, I elected to take the Grand Tour to see everything in one shot. Our guide met the group of us and gave us a quick introduction in the baggage car before we started going through the cars.
As we entered each car, the guide went ahead and waited for the group to fill in. There was adequate time to snap a photo or two on entry, and of course you can take photos while the guide is talking.
Our guide was extremely knowledgeable about each car and provided a lot of interesting information without being boring. My wife, a non-railfan, was interested and said she enjoyed the visit.
The pace was good - a few minutes in each section of each car - so you kept moving, but I never felt rushed.
The cars are gorgeous inside. They have restored as much of the original wood, brass, stained glass, seats, and other fittings as they could. Some of the wood work is simply outstanding and the museum has gone to a lot of trouble and expense to restore it.
Detail in the wood work
The Trans-Canada Limited
I found the 1929 Trans-Canada Limited train set to be the most interesting.
Canadian Pacific Railway operated the summer-only Trans-Canada Limited from 1919 to 1930. This train was the premiere train on the CPR, with sleeper-only service and the highest quality of food, service and rail cars. No coach passengers here!
The CPR had new cars built for the Trans-Canada Limited, and its Soo Line sister the Mountaineer, in time for the 1929 season. Unfortunately, the American stock market crashed in October 1929 and patronage quickly dried up in the 1930 season. The CPR cancelled the Trans-Canada Limited before the start of the 1931 season.
Dining car "Argyle"
The museum has a complete seven-car set originally built for the Trans-Canada Limited, which is quite a feat.
The cars are superbly restored and consist of:
CP 4489, baggage/sleeper
CP 6751, parlor car
Argyle, diner
Somerset, sleeper
Rutherglen, sleeper
Glencassie, sleeper
River Rouge, solarium lounge car
Three taps - hot water, waste water (gray water for washing), and cold water
The solarium car was spectacular. If I recall correctly, the big windows have special glass to let the ultraviolet rays in because they believed that was healthy.
The Outside
Between the tracks
One thing you'll notice from the outside is that the cars don't look like much. Unlike other railway museums where the exterior receives a lot of attention, the focus here is on the interior. The exteriors are pretty plain and in some cases, maybe a little shabby. Don't let that fool you! The interiors are what count in this museum.
Undergoing some work
Restoration Work
Some of the cars are still undergoing work. Check out this car that has been stripped down and is ready to be rebuilt.
A blank canvas
Many of these passenger cars were converted into maintenance-of-way service for the railway. Out of service passenger cars became bunk cars, or kitchen cars, or tool cars. At best they received layers of paint on top of the beautiful wood work, and at worst the cars were completely reworked inside.
One car that caught my eye was an Intercolonial Railway car, built in 1890 as ICR 736, a baggage car. This car is not open to the public but I spotted this ICR plaque on the end platform.
Ah, the Intercolonial
You can just see the link and pin coupler at the bottom of the photo.
The Royal Alexandra Hotel
The former Royal Alexandra Hotel dining room
The museum has a piece of history from Winnipeg. The CPR had a deluxe hotel next to their tracks, the Royal Alexandra Hotel. This hotel opened in 1906 and served the CPR for many years before closing in 1967. It was demolished in 1971. (more information)
However, before the demolition, the interior of the dining room was carefully disassembled and removed. It was transported to Cranbrook and reassembled there in the museum, where it can be viewed now. I believe it can be rented for functions.
Wrapping Up
There are a couple of other attractions in the same building - the Cranbrook History Centre - as the museum: a gift shop, a model train layout, and the Cranbrook Museum.
Model train layout at the Cranbrook History Centre
Outside the museum are a pair of CP "F" locomotives, as well as the former Elko railway station and a water tower. I wrote about those here.
Views of the rail cars from the outside are very limited, due to the fencing around the site.
Locomotives earmarked for the 1955 stainless steel train... when VIA is done with it
Go See It
I highly - highly - recommend visiting this museum. It is definitely one of the jewels of the Canadian railway museum scene.
Here's a video I found showing some of the restoration work that has been done at the museum. These cars are just beautiful.
The only sound Is like a diesel’s distant thundering I’m a desolate town With a railroad station where my heart should be - Stephen Fearing, "The Station"
We started the third day of my 50th birthday trip in Cranbrook, British Columbia. My original plan was to travel from Cranbrook to Craigellachie via Golden, and spend the night at the impressive hotel in Three Valley Gap. However, in our research, my wife and I discovered that the hotel didn't have wifi and had a few other things we didn't like, so I ended up booking a hotel in Sicamous, BC. Anyway, let's go. Another long post.
Finishing Up Cranbrook
Before we left Cranbrook, I wanted to photograph the former Elko, BC station as well as the A-B set of CP 4090 and CP 4469. These are all on display just outside the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel in Cranbrook, on the original location of the museum. I didn't have time to do that the previous evening as we rushed to Creston to photograph the grain elevators before darkness fell.
Former Elko train station in Cranbrook, BC
The train station was built in Elko in 1901. It was moved to Cranbrook in 1987 and heavily rebuilt inside. It's now home to Phoenix Antiques.
Next to the train station is the former Cranbrook CPR water tower. This beautiful old tower looks pretty good!
Let's turn now to the stars of the display, CP 4090 and CP 4469.
CP 4090 is an MLW FA-2 locomotive, and CP 4469 an MLW FB-2 locomotive, both built in 1953. These first generation diesel-electric locomotives had 1600 horsepower each under the hood. The two are similar mechanically except that 4090 has a cab for the crew and 4469 does not. That's why 4090 is called an "A" unit and 4469 is called a "B" unit. These locomotives were built as freight engines and do not have steam generators, although they do have steam lines to "pass through" steam.
They both served in the western region for a few years but proved unsuitable for the mountains, and were redeployed to Ontario.
At one point both locomotives were repainted into CP Action Red with a small multimark at the rear of the car body.
They served until 1977, and were retained by CP for historical purposes. The museum acquired them and moved them to Cranbrook in 1992.
They sat by the former Elko station in primer paint for a number of years until they were restored as a project of the local Rotary Club in 2015.
There was a train in Cranbrook when we were there, headed by CP 8719 and CEFX 1041, with CSX 3043 on the tail end.
I think that building is owned by CP but I don't know its function.
So that was Cranbrook.
Fort Steele
Water tank in Fort Steele
We headed out of Cranbrook on highway 95 en route to Craigellachie. Fort Steele is not far out of Cranbrook and is where the north-south Windermere subdivision meets the east-west Cranbrook subdivision.
It's also the home of the Fort Steele Heritage Town, a historic park / museum providing a glimpse of life in the past. One of the attractions is a steam train, led by locomotive 1077 and featuring some classic railway cars.
I knew the train had ceased running for the season, but I was hoping that I could wander over and take a few photos. We waited a few minutes until the park opened at 10. I went into the ticket office and asked if I could take some photos, and the woman there said it was OK.
However, there was a locked fence around the train loop and I didn't want to go over it. It was pretty clear that they didn't want people wandering around, so I took a few photos from the good side of the fence with my long lens and left it at that.
1077, a plow and ST. MARY RIVER and KOOTENAY RIVER open air cars
The star of the show is #1077, an MLW 2-6-2 steam locomotive built in 1923. This locomotive worked in logging service on Vancouver Island until its retirement in the early 1960s. It was moved to Fort Steele in 1989 and has been working here since 1992.
On display by the station is a compressed air locomotive, quite a unique piece of kit.
A compressed air locomotive
As I was taking photos, I heard a train roll by on the nearby CP Windermere subdivision.
We ended up passing a CP wayfreight as we drove north along highway 95. I didn't stop but I saw it had a couple of ECO units and a lot of lumber loads.
I wasn't really expecting a lot of railway action on this line. My intent was to get to Craigellachie and that was about it.
Invermere
CP 5018 in Invermere, BC
We stopped in the lovely town of Invermere for a little shopping and a little railfanning. Well, we stopped for the shopping and happened to notice a train stopped in town.
CP 5018 and 2287 were idling away down by the river. You can see in the photo above that a railfan was waiting patiently down there with his camera on a tripod. In fact, here's his video of the same train!
You might have to do a little fast-forwarding..
After I took a few photos, we went and visited the shops. It's a lovely town to visit. Stop in at the Invermere Bakery for a nibble!
Spillimacheen
Well over an hour later, we were continuing north along highway 95 just north of Spillimacheen when we saw a southbound coal train, led by CP 8909.
Pretty dull light, I'd say
I performed a quick U turn and caught up to them as they passed the sign 1 mile out from Spillimacheen.
Spilli.. Spilli... spill a machine?
I decided to chase them a bit more, as they were going pretty darn slow (that's a railway term ;). I liked how this one turned out:
On the down low
And.. what the heck, I chased one more time and caught them coming through "town" with a telephoto shot, for variety.
Going long
I waited here while they rolled on by, photographing all four locomotives... CP 8909 and 8577 on the head end, CP 8764 in the middle, and CP 8920 on the rear.
Push push
A track foreman in a CP high-rail truck was patiently waiting for me to get the heck out of the way. Thanks for being patient!
That train was unexpected. I was pleased to catch a "real" train on the road.
Off we went.
Castledale
17 minutes later, I was on the side of the road, photographing another coal train.
CP 8901 somewhere around Castledale
I'm not entirely sure where we were, but let's say it was around Castledale.
The train was stopped. I took a number of photos from the road, but I didn't linger long because it was raining and I feared my wife might be losing patience with my railfanning.
I did try a little rain reflection photography, if that's a thing.
Coal cars in the rain
CP 8901 was on the head end, with CP 8928 in the middle and CP 8935 on the tail end.
Golden
Soon we arrived at Golden. There is a large yard in Golden and that's the first thing you see as you approach the town. I immediately noticed two multimark SD40-2 units working in the yard and took this (blurry) photo of them.
All hail the multimark!
CP 5973 and 5875 were working with CP 9604 in the yard.
We stopped in Golden for a little walk and a quick snack - at a 7/11 I think - then we kept heading west toward Craigellachie. We were coming back to Golden the next day so there was no need to linger.
British Columbia is twinning a lot of the Trans-Canada Highway between Kamloops and the Alberta border. We got caught in some of that construction work and were literally parked on the TCH for about 45 minutes.
Trans-Canada Parking Lot
I think they were blasting rock off the mountain, so that takes time to ensure it's safe after the blasting. We ran into the same thing the next day, but we could actually see the blasting that day.
We passed by Three Valley Gap but didn't stop, except to take a quick photo across the water. Onward to Craigellachie!
Craigellachie
Last spike at Craigellachie
What can you say about Craigellachie? It has enormous historical significance as the location of the Last Spike ceremony for Canada's first transcontinental railway. On November 7, 1885, CPR financier Donald Smith drove an iron spike into a tie to signify the completion of the railway. The spike was badly bent, so roadmaster Frank Brothers pulled it out and Mr. Smith drove another "last spike" in successfully. This one was also extracted to prevent its theft, and yet another ordinary iron spike was driven in and left there.
The site does a good job of commemorating the location and its significance. There are several displays and memorials, and a little "station" / gift shop (which was closed). There was a small but steady stream of tourists wandering around. I took some photos and remarked to my wife that it would be nice if CP sent along a train while we were there...
CP 8556 at Craigellachie
Apparently since it was (almost) my birthday, CP gave me a gift of a train... CP 8556 East came blasting by in the near dark, with CP 8531 trailing and CP 9707 as a mid-train DPU.
The Craigellachie "station" and a passing train
They have a piece of track on display... presumably for photos and to keep people from stepping onto the real track and getting killed. Maybe they have spike driving photos here when the store is open?
Track to nowhere
The famous group photo is on display here as well.
Zoom zoom
Of all the angles I shot while the train went by, I like the next one the most.
The Last Spike
Note the caboose on display in the background. This is labelled as CP 437336, and my Trackside Guide says it was a tourist information booth. It seems very out of place and not part of the display at all.
So that was Craigellachie. Another one off the "bucket list".
Check out Rick Mercer's piece on Craigellachie, including a train ride!
Malakwa
We drove along in the near dark toward Sicamous.. but unfortunately for my wife, I saw a train in a siding and had to stop. I had no real idea where this was, but a little investigation shows the train was in the Malakwa siding (mile 31.9 of the CP Shuswap subdivision).
CP 9367 in the Malakwa siding
You'll notice the train overtaking CP 9367.
I hardly ever shoot with a tripod, but here I made an exception, as this was 7:50 PM and the sun was long gone. I was shooting with my long lens (70-200mm) at 1/15s with the lens wide open (f/4.0), although I was still using ISO 100 to keep the noise down.
I left this one uncropped and mostly unprocessed so you get an idea of how far away I was, and how much light was available.
Overtaking
CP 8822 pulled up beside CP 9367 and stopped.
CP 8822 and 9367 side by side
The doors opened and some crew went back and forth between locomotives. I don't know what was going on here but my guess is that CP 9367's crew ran out of time and 8822 brought a new crew to replace them. Just a guess.
Time for a crew change?
Once they were finished with that, CP 8822 carried on westward.
One quick pan...
CP 8822 at the crossing
CP 8948 was the trailing unit. But wait.. what's that behind 8948?
Long live the Pool!
SMW 850776 is a former Saskatchewan Wheat Pool car. Nice to see another one of those still around!
Sicamous
We finally made Sicamous after a long day of travelling. I'm pretty sure my wife was sic-a-railfanning by this point but she was a trooper and didn't complain. Love that woman.
We checked into the Sicamous Best Western (yay for a free stay using points!) and went for supper at Grandma's and Grandpa's. The food was great but our waitress was a little too perky. Maybe we were just tired after a long day of travel.
Another successful day.
The plan for day 4 was to travel from Sicamous to Golden, stopping at Three Valley Gap and the Revelstoke Railway Museum en route. On a map, it's not a long distance, but I wanted to have lots of time to spend at the museum and of course see a train or two if possible.
