The Revelstoke Railway Museum
719 Track St. V0E 2S0 Revelstoke, BC, Canada

30 Days of Railways Day 30: Rolling In Locomotive No. 5468, 1993. For the last day of 30 Days of Railways, we want to share this amazing photo of locomotive No. 5468 being rolled into the museum. Yesterday's post talked about the huge amount of effort that went into getting the engine to Revelstoke, and finally rolling it in was a great accomplishment. The engine has sat in Gallery II ever since, drawing in thousands of visitors every year. We are lucky to have such a wonderf...ul piece in our museum and are grateful to ExpoRail for loaning it to us. You can see locomotive No. 5468 for yourself by visiting the museum. We have a new exhibit launching this spring, "Revelstoke Is A Railway Town" and can't wait to share Revelstoke's rich railway history with you! Revelstoke Railway Museum Collection. #revelstokerailwaymuseum #revelstoke #revelstoked #railway #railwayhistory #steamlocomotive #museum

30 Days of Railways Day 29: Locomotive No. 5468 enroute to Revelstoke, 1993. Have you ever wondered how locomotive No. 5468 got to the museum? It was a huge undertaking, and would not have been possible without the help of a dedicated team of volunteers who brought it all the way from Montreal despite several delays. In this photo, the crew was forced to stop for a prolonged layover due to track maintenance. The time was not wasted, as it allowed the crew to do a thorough ins...pection and lubrication. From left to right: Unknown, Gordon Jess, Ernie Ottewell (kneeling), Dean Handley, Don Hawker Revelstoke Railway Museum Collection, P-3932. #revelstokerailwaymuseum #revelstoke #museum #railwayhistory #steamlocomotive

30 Days of Railways Day 28: The last passenger train to stop in Revelstoke. The last VIA Rail passenger train through Revelstoke arrived at 5:22 AM on January 15th, 1990 en route from Vancouver to Calgary. Frequent passengers mourned the end of passenger rail service. To emphasize their frustration with the decision, Revelstokians held a mock funeral on Front Street for the ‘death of passenger service,’ complete with local dignitaries and a coffin. To learn more about the la...st passenger train and the end of VIA Rail service in Revelstoke, visit our new exhibit "Revelstoke Is A Railway Town", opening this spring! Revelstoke Railway Museum Collection, P-355 & P-359

30 Days of Railways Day 27: Gerald Popplewell standing on Engine No. 5686 on his last run, May 1985. Revelstoke Railway Museum Collection, P-542 #revelstoke #revelstoked #railwayhistory #canadianpacificrailway #revelstokerailwaymuseum

Don't forget, the Revelstoke Railway Museum's AGM is TONIGHT! You can choose to attend in person or on Zoom. For more information visit our website: https://www.railwaymuseum.com/events We look forward to seeing you there!

30 Days of Railways Day 26: Demolishing the smokestack. The railway yards were constantly changing and evolving. By 1988 the smokestack that had stood in the yards for decades was no longer needed and the decision was made to demolish it. Some bricks from the smokestack were saved, and eventually found their way to the Revelstoke Railway Museum where they joined the artifact collection! They have a unique wedge-like shape that allowed the stack to be perfectly circular, with... a wider base that tapers towards the top. You can learn more about the Station, Yards, and Shops by visiting our new exhibit, "Revelstoke Is A Railway Town", opening this spring. Revelstoke Railway Museum Collection, P-426 P-427 & P-428 #revelstokerailwaymuseum #revelstoke #railwayhistory #museum #museumexhibit

30 Days of Railways Day 25: The Last Spike Centennial Crew at Craigellachie on November 7th, 1985. The driving of the Last Spike changed the course of Canadian history, and 1985 marked 100 years since that momentous occasion. These gentlemen were the crew on the Last Spike Centennial train. They brought steam locomotive No. 1201 to Craigellachie where a crowd of people celebrated 100 years since the completion of the railway. From left to right: Jackie Carten, Bill Pryhitko, ...Dave Wilfred, Sinclair Jones, Ernie Ottewell, Bill Stragga. The Last Spike Centennial train crew. Revelstoke Railway Museum Collection, P-1013 #revelstokerailwaymuseum #revelstoke #craigellachie #thelastspike #railwayhistory #museum #canadianhistory

30 Days of Railways Day 24: A Family Affair! These 3 photos came from the same donor, and show 3 members of the Koronko Family. P-485 Walter Koronko posing on a work car in the Revelstoke yard, Unknown Date... P-580 Dorothy Koronko stepping off of a passenger car at Glacier, 1946 P-586 Walter and Dorothy's son, Dan Koronko, playing on the lawn at Revelstoke Station, Unknown Date Revelstoke Railway Museum Collection. #revelstoke #revelstokerailwaymuseum #railwayhistory #family #railwayfamily

This Remembrance Day is marked by the 75th anniversary of the End of World War II. More than 150,000 soldiers went to war on Canadian Pacific Railway trains, with significantly less returning home. At the Revelstoke Railway Museum, we remember those who contributed to the effort at home and overseas, and those who continue to serve during times of war, conflict and peace.

On Nov 7, 1885, the last spike was hammered into place, marking the point in which the eastern and western portions of the Canadian Pacific Railway met; bonding a fledgling and divided nation- with a ribbon of steel. You’ve probably seen the image of the large group of men gathered together as Donald A Smith hammers in that final spike many times before, especially today; the 135 anniversary of this momentous occasion. Here at the Revelstoke Railway Museum, we are reflectin...g on this event but a different moment/image of that day comes to mind. When asked to make a speech that day Van Horne simply declared, All that I can say is that the work has been done well in every way. This work directly shaped the social, political and economic nature and direction of life along the tracks the transcontinental railway provided. The railway allowed individuals, communities and ideas to move freely, giving us the tools and opportunities to achieve great things. The spike hammered in place by Donald A Smith, was not made of silver or gold, but was made of Iron. It was no different than the ones that were used and exist between Montreal and Vancouver. The practical decision of using an Iron spike embodied a notion that a strong and united Nation is built with an idea of equality in mind. At the RRM, we are working together to tell the stories of the individuals, communities and ideas that moved along the railway. We are dedicated to sharing what these stories teach us about each other and the realities we face in our daily lives. We aim to do it well, in every way we can.

Happy Halloween to all you little ghosts & goblins!

Happy Halloween! Have you got your costume together yet? This green gem from our rolling stock collection does, although it took them a while to settle on this one. ... This fella was originally built as a silk car and would shuttle silk from ports in Vancouver on high-speed trains to fabric mills in the east. Following the market crash and great depression, they put on their first costume as a baggage car, before changing into a Robot Car filled with early technology that used radio signals to control diesel locomotives located in the middle of the train in the 60s. The final costume they settled on and is currently sporting is that of a Steam Generator. As a generator, they would move up and down Vancouver Island to steam and kill weeds along the tracks- a nifty way to avoid the use of herbicides! Don’t let their appearance trick you, this car’s story is just one of many treats waiting to be unwrapped at the Museum. We can’t wait to share them with you!

Ready or not, winter is coming. Here at the railway museum we’re busy getting ready for another Revelstoke winter- and all the snow that comes with that.

This week volunteer superstars Ed Koski, and Don Hawker got our Trackmobile fired up and moved to a safer spot in the rolling stock yard! Have you started your winterizing?