Canadian Museum of Rail Travel: Part 1

Beautiful train cars, memorabilia and railway history is brought to life at the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel in Cranbrook, British Columbia. They have done, and are continuing to do, some amazing restoration to historic train cars to showcase this important chapter in Canadian history. Many communities across the West owe their existence to the arrival of the railway, and the preservation of these train cars offers a unique glimpse into rail travel in its heyday.

Featuring a variety of train cars from the early to mid 20th century, the guided tour offers insight into the design, particular histories, and even some of the etiquette aboard the different trains. This museum is continually improving on itself with lots of glimpses into the restoration process. Many of the cars are beautifully presented and maintained, but I also enjoyed getting to see some of the cars in rougher states with discussions about how they intend to bring them back. If you find yourself in Cranbrook, the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel is a must-see.

Despite touring some beautiful historic train cars, I was still decked out in my gear from 4 days at the Shambhala Music Festival. My friend Brandie and I were making our way back to Alberta from Salmo, BC and stopped off in Cranbrook to check out this museum. We had a few laughs about how we must have looked and smelled to everyone else on our tour. I had to get a quick snapshot of myself in the mirror as we made our way through one of the train cars.