Construction planning in progress for railcar preservation project

Construction drawings and engineering planning are underway as work progresses on the Cranbrook History Centre’s railcar preservation project.

The protective shed will be extended to better protect the centre’s valuable historic trains.

“We are expanding our freight shed so we’re covering our train cars,” said Cranbrook History Centre chair Keith Powell.

“It’s a nationally recognized exhibit and those cars are rusting away. If we don’t cover them we won’t have very much left.”

In May of 2023, the Cranbrook Archives, Museum and Landmark Foundation was given a $1 million grant from the B.C. government for the work.

The schematic design and code review are complete and now the construction drawings are being finalized.

Powell says part of this step is looking a what interactive displays can be included.

“Next to the railway museum as it sits right now is a long shed which is probably one of the most historic buildings in Cranbrook,” he said.

“We’ve had a consultation and preliminary drawings of some of the interactive displays we could put into that.”