CPR #4090, #4469 & Elko Station

The Cranbrook History Centre, Cranbrook British Columbia, is home to a huge collection of railway stuff and in this post we’ll be showing you just a little bit of it. Founded in the 1970s, as the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel, the organization has grown over the years and today occupies a good-sized tact of land on the far edge the downtown core, just beside an active railway line. Of course they’re beside the tracks. At the east end of the property, and on open display, you’ll find two old diesel locomotives, CPR #4090, #4469 plus the former Elko Station and together these make up today’s subject matter.

There in the nice light of evening, the place is all ours and it photographed beautifully. Just missed the rain, then the sky opened up and it was magical.

First, let’s take a look at the station building and it’s a beauty. Constructed in the early 1900s, in tiny Elko, a town along the CPR’s Crowsnest line some sixty five kilometres east, the building last saw use as a passenger depot in the 1960s. Afterwards it was re-purposed as a railway office before closing in the mid-1980s and a couple years later moved to this current location to be put on display.

Situated along the busiest street in town, the building was renovated soon after the move and for a period housed the museum’s reception centre and gift shop. They quickly outgrew the small building and since moved into a much bigger facility down the street. A couple years back there was a suspicious fire at the Elko Station, but fast acting crews quickly doused the flames and minimized damage.

A pair of 1950s era locomotives that once belonged to the CPR sit right beside the station building. A model FA-2 and FB-2 respectively they’re mechanically similar but one lacks a cab and can only function as a trailing unit. The railway owned twenty of the former and six of the latter, all built in the years 1951-1953.

In addition, the CPR rostered a good number of earlier FA-1/FB-1 locomotives (built 1949-1950) along with a small number of passenger service FPA-2/FPB-2 units (built 1953). There’s little difference visually between all the models mentioned but there’s some mechanical differences inside.

These were turned out by the Montreal Locomotive Works, a prolific builder of steam and later diesel engines, founded in the early 1900s and closed in the mid-1980s. Canada once had many locomotive manufactures over the years and now there are none. Is anything made here anymore? The American Locomotive Company in the US was parent firm of MLW, but went belly up in the late 1960s and this left the Canadian arm to carry on for a time as an independent.

These locomotives have a fully enclosed car-body and differ from those seen today. This sort of arrangement generally fell out of favour later in the 1950s but with their smooth flowing lines, quite stylish. From a maintenance and even a functionality standpoint, however, they were not ideal. With everything enclosed it made access to internal equipment difficult, but operational limitations were also a factor. There’s good visibility forward, but not so much in other directions, for example.

These locomotives lasted in CPR service until 1977 and the pair set aside as historically significant. They sat for a good many years before coming to Cranbrook and we understand many mechanical parts were stripped off and either replaced with ones in non-operational condition, or removed completely in the case of stuff on the inside. There’s many mismatched parts, but only obsessed folks like us would notice.

These were stored back in eastern Canada, where most of the FA/FB FPA/FPB series locomotives operated. While comparative strangers in the west they still could be found out this way and in particular during the early days. Once at the museum they sat in primer for a time, but a few years back done up in the CPR’s old school colours used in the 1950s-1960s period. They make a striking pair and look ready to hit the road.

The CPR track runs right behind the museum grounds, but things were quiet this evening. The yard in behind (just over the fence) was formerly a busy place, but it’s usually empty and quiet these days, due to operational changes. It was a former maintenance centre and crew base, but no longer functions in that capacity.

This stretch of track is a conduit for products heading to the US (bulk potash being one), via a connecting line that meets up with the border further east of Cranbrook, and for materials heading to and from the huge metal smelter at Trail. In the past, the rails used to travel all the way to the west coast and the line called the Kettle Valley/Crowsnest route. It sees a moderate number of trains per day, but in the old days much busier.

We stand there and imagine where these locomotive used to run and what they saw. Did they pass Elko Station in the past? Probably. Did they visit Cranbrook back in the day? No doubt, but now they’re not just a visitor and instead call the city home. It’s a beautiful scene.

Know more (new tabs): Cranbrook History Centre and Downtown British Columbia.

If you enjoyed this post, be sure and check out all the others at this website (there’s hundreds and hundreds).

They’re saying…

“Chris and Connie are the real deal – their adventures are truly interesting and fun!” Justine Cooke.

On display nearby…
CPR Water Tower Cranbrook BC.

Locomotives and stations…
Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions #41.
Camrose Heritage Railway Station & Park.
Coutts Sweetgrass Train Depot.
Ex-Manitoba Sugar.

If you wish more information on what you’ve seen here, by all means contact us!

Date: July, 2022.
Location: Cranbrook, BC.
Article sources: Cranbrook History Centre (former Canadian Museum of Rail Travel, Cranbrook) and Canadian Trackside Guides.

At the west end of downtown Cranbrook BC…

…There’s an amazing display of railway equipment.

What’s this made in Canada stuff?

Elko Station from the early 1900s.

It got moved here about thirty five years ago.

The 1940s railway water tower is not far away.

These are all part of the Cranbrook History Centre Museum.

CPR #4090 & #4469 are from the 1950s.

Dofasco Steel made the trucks.

Products of the Montreal Locomotive Works.