30 July 2010

Large New Railcar Tour Map
Installed at Museum

PHOTO CAPTION GOES HERE...

Cranbrook British Columbia - On Friday, 23 Jul 2010, the last of the 4 extra large historic railway maps project was installed in the large Entrance Hall at the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel in Cranbrook. These were designed to orient visitors to several factors about the museum including, why the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) was at one time the largest transportation system in the world, what routes the CPR had in North America, which routes the famous train sets at the Museum traveled on, and why Cranbrook was (and still is) important in the national and international rail system. The first three maps were assisted by the Columbia Basin Trust's "Major Heritage Project" program under the Columbia-Kootenay Cultural Alliance.
 
The fourth and final map/poster is titled " The Canadian Pacific Railway's TRAINS DELUXE" which details the various tours available at the Museum including the current 5 tours containing 17 railcars and the Royal Alexandra Hall (railway hotel architecture) and taking 2 hours to do in the full "Grand Tour". Also shown are 4 planned future tours that will someday provide tours of the rest of the railcar collection, containing 10 cars that are currently not restored pending capital funding.
 
Mainline CPR trains include the 1886 "Pacific Express"(not yet on tour) and the 1929 "Trans-Canada Limited", while the CPR international line is represented by the 1907 "Soo-Spokane Train Deluxe" (which traveled through Cranbrook) and the Fast Intercity lines, such as the 1936 "Chinook" (not yet on tour) which ran between Calgary and Edmonton. All lines, the entire rail system, is illustrated by the Royal and Business Cars tour, and the Interpretive Cars tour. The Royal Alexandra Hall tour shows the deluxe railway hotel architecture in large cities where the great "named" trains stopped. The O-Gauge and HO-Gauge model railway display, and the Mini-Railway operation along the front of the museum, are also shown as future options.
 
The daily tour schedule and the pricing structure are also explained, where visitors can take any single tour or any number of tours, with all five tours making the "Grand Tour". At two hours long, everything the Museum has on display is available, but it is the most cost effective ticket.
 
Along the bottom of the poster are further options in the Museum such as the Restoration Interpretive Area, the Gift Shop, the Cranbrook History Gallery, and the Cranbrook and Railway Historical Archives.
 
Options in the Museum Development Zone include the Water Tower, Elko Station, the original (although currently modernize "Cranbrook Station", the historic ALCO diesels (requiring restoration), and the "Cranbrook Ed" metal sculpture and city Highway Arch reconstruction, both across from the Elko Station. The Zone also contains the Freight Shed garden and Van Horne Park, and the special sleeping car Joe Huber Senior" at the Prestige Hotel.
 
There is also a section showing what the Downtown area and the Baker Hill Residential Area have to show visitors including the new "Spirit Tree" sculpture, Rotary Clock Tower, and other older structures, as well as the three Heritage B&B's in Baker Hill.
 
The entire project was designed to give visitors a quick overview of the many options available, both paid and free, and to provide an understanding of how important the railway was, and still is, to Cranbrook. It is also a strategy to encourage travelers to stay longer in the community, perhaps staying overnight or more, with the result of spending more in the City and taking home more good memories of a great community.