This museum is fabulous…read more They have several cars from train sets on the tracks outside. A lot of these have been brought back to its original or as close as possible condition just using grant money, I understand, as it becomes available from the provincial government. One set of cars has now been named a "National Heritage" set and it is hoped a couple of other trains or the Royal Alex building receive that status soon as well. It then might make it easier for the museum to receive federal funding on a regular basis as most other museums do. Every time I go through the tour, I notice something different, something special. The staff do a good job in keeping them dustless for our benefit and the trains benefit and in protecting the cars as the tours go through. Guided tours through the cars are possible and are very interesting for the high school, adult range. The Museum is currently fundraising to finish off the rail shed and a miniature railroad (that was donated from Granville Island) set in the basement that all age kids would enjoy. The local HO club has also been trying to finish their display so as to have several miniature trains run along tracks in settings similar to around the southeast BC. One major item on their wish list I understand, is the funds to be able to construct a temperature-controlled, weather-controlled shed extending over all the cars and engines to fully keep all weather from deteriorating them any further - a very costly item. Once these trains are rusted through and can't be further restored, they are lost to our future as there aren't any other of these cars left. The Royal Alexandra is a beautiful hall with as many of the original parts as possible. She's now available for renting out for special occasions such as weddings, birthdays, meetings, etc. I've had several functions in here from AGMs, Christmas parties, dance, violin, and singing recitals, masquerade party, plus other activities. It's special to look at the detailing in the roof and columns. Downstairs at the shed is a quilt about different items about Cranbrook's past. There are also many pictures taken showing the birth, growth, people, activities, all around the Cranbrook-Fort Steel area that are very interesting to read about and view.

From the outside I would never have guessed how beautiful this place is. Fabulous restorations, the…read moreCity has put a lot of money into this facility I am guessing, because it's really detailed and immaculate in quality. If you are into trains, this would be a highlight.

My husband, mother, and I had a family wedding to attend near Cranbrook this past weekend, and we…read morehad some time to kill Friday morning before heading up to the wedding venue. Because it was near our hotel (and there wasn't anything else to do), we decided to go to the Cranbrook History Centre. We arrived shortly after 11am and the employee told us there was a railcar tour starting at 11:15am, so we purchased tickets for the tour. Cranbrook is known for the Canadian Pacific Railway building a line through the town in 1898 (something I didn't know before I went to Cranbrook; in fact, I didn't know anything about Cranbrook before our trip). The history centre offered several tours of original (and partially refurbished) railcars, running from 20 minutes to two hours. We went on the 45 minute Comparative Tour, in which we had a tour of several railcars from the 1920s to the 1970s. The tour guide, Georgia, was excellent, and we thoroughly enjoyed the tour. We learned a lot of interesting facts, such as the whisky, Crown Royal, was created for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II's tour of Canada. It was quite interesting seeing the different trains and learning about the history of rail travel. One of the trains we were on had had several famous people ride it, including the Kennedys, Winston Churchill, and Queen Elizabeth II. After the tour, we looked around the rest of the museum. It was a small museum, but the exhibits were interesting and worth a look, especially the room with the elaborate model railway (it was pretty amazing). Plus, at $6 for admission ($4 for seniors), you can't complain. The price of the tour, which included admission, was a reasonable $19 for adults/$15 for seniors. If you are ever in Cranbrook, I highly recommend taking a railcar tour at the Cranbrook History Centre. It's inexpensive, and what else is there to do in Cranbrook? [Yelp collections: Cranbrook; Museums and Art Galleries; Cheap Thrills]