The Canadian Museum of Rail Travel
As expected, the railroad became an important element in shaping the city, with ramifications even in this new millennium.
Fort Steele on the other hand, did not fare well. Without the commerce and movement of people on the train, it became all but a ghost town.
The glory days of train travel may be over, but Cranbrook won’t let them be forgotten. The Canadian Museum of Rail Travel (CMRT) is located in the city and has one of the largest collections of vintage train cars in Canada. A highlight is the entire 7-car set of the 1929 Trans Canada Limited and the 4-car set of the 1936 Chinook. Rare cars from the 1907 Soo-Spokane Train Deluxe are also now at the museum.
“We have a non-mechanical, non-technical approach, therefore we deal with the social history and lifestyle of the railways.” said Garry Anderson, executive director. “This gives us a much broader interest, beyond the normal male audience. Another difference; we deal with complete train sets, instead of individual and unrelated cars.”
Unlike typical rail museums, the CMRT doesn’t focus on the locomotive, but on the details of train architecture and the concept (now virtually lost) of trains as grand, moving hotels. Their goal is to replicate, or when possible, restore the beautiful flooring, walls and upholstery of the historic cars. For passengers who could afford it, these trains offered all the luxuries of the day.
CMRT looks to the future, as well as to the past. The museum is in the midst of several phases of construction. Much is planned, which includes transforming the museum into a multi-purpose venue and a vital component of Cranbrook life.
They recently acquired two parts of the Royal Alexandra Hotel in Winnipeg, which exemplify the lavish railway architecture of the Edwardian age. The Royal Alex, as it was nicknamed had 450 rooms, quite substantial for that time period.
The massive carved oak fireplace in the main entrance of the museum will immediately capture your attention. This piece was originally in the formal dining room of the Royal Alex. It measures 17 feet high and 13 feet wide. Similar to some of the train cars, the fireplace came to the CMRT painted and had to be painstakingly stripped and returned to it’s original fine wood finish. The fireplace provides a dramatic first impression for museum patrons and a clue this train museum is different.
Clearly built to impress, the Royal Alexandra Hall spent it’s early life as the grand cafe of the hotel. The Royal Alex is only a memory now, as it was demolished in 1971. But, as fate would have it, the demolition contractors could not bring themselves to destroy the fine, oak-paneled cafe. It was dismantled into hundreds of pieces, coded and stored. There it remained – small bits and pieces of a fantastic whole, waiting patiently for it’s next life. Twenty five years passed, and now the cafe lives again.
The room was obtained by the museum in 1999 and reconstructed.
Perfect for special events, the 1906 Hall will soon be available for public use. At least the elegant fireplace and the cafe of the Royal Alex have been given back to us.
For the foreseeable future, all tours of the museum are guided. I particularly enjoyed the dining car Argyle. On the tour you can see the car set up for formal dining, as it would have been during it’s heyday. A large display of Canadian Pacific Railway dining car silver, china, and glassware, plus original menus are on view.
Another gem is the sleeping car Omemee, part of the Soo-Spokane Train Deluxe. After leaving service, this train car was moved and converted to a lake cottage in Wisconsin. It was well-maintained, providing an unusual summer lodging for two generations, before returning to Canada. Today, Omemee rests back on train tracks in Cranbrook. It contains two exceptional quarter-domes in stained glass, back lit for an exotic effect. Each glass section is made up of 1240 individual pieces.
Throughout the rail cars, you see many examples of Honduran mahogany. Ironically, the wood we so value today was often painted over in the 1950s. Whether for practicality or just a decorating trend, this beautiful wood was hidden from view until restoration at CMRT.
By the way, even without the railroad, Fort Steele has been resurrected as the Fort Steele Heritage Town. In the last three decades it’s become a thriving tourist attraction. Costumed actors amid the period buildings, along with “street theater” add to the authenticity. You can also enjoy train rides, wagon rides and the Wild Horse Theatre. Fort Steele can easily fill a day.
