Cranbrook Historic Museum     [Oct 9, 2020]

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Train car delight.

KOA Campground, Cranbrook BC (2 stars)

Domestication set in after breakfast. Sort of. Lez vacuumed the Schooner. We then headed into Cranbrook to their Historic Museum. It is focused on trains and train travel around the East Kootenays. We toured 17 train cars, plus their display of local history and both an O gauge and HO gauge rail layout. We grabbed an early supper in town and headed for the Schooner to settle in.

Lez snorts: Domestication Necessitation! Even RV's need a cleaning once in awhile. Took 2 minutes instead of 20 for the "upstairs" and 5 on the main floor. Advantages of 350sq ft vs 3500!

Then the trains! The Canadian Museum of Rail Travel at the Cranbrook History Centre. The very first display we see is A QUILT! It was designed and created by the Cranbrook Quilters Guild for the city of Cranbrook in 2005, celebrating the city's Centennial. 15 photos.

Then the miniatures! I SOOOOO love the HO gauge train sets - and the landscapes that the collectors so exquisitely make! I could tour a whole museum of just railways and their settings! Trestle bridges, tunnels, townsites, buildings! 18 photos.

Back to the Museum main floor and a view of the Royal Alexandra Hall - the restored Grand Cafe of the luxurious Royal Alexandra Hotel, Winnipeg, built by the CPR in 1906, demolished in 1971, but the Cafe pieces were coded and saved and obtained by the museum in 1999. 16 photos.

The museum tour of the real trains - real passenger rail cars - then and now! The purpose of the rail cars is to show more than just the cars, but the lifestyle of travel by rail at that time. 52 photos.

Great dinner at BP's with my Man! and relaxing evening back at the Schooner.