Deluxe Railway Hotel Architecture
Canadian Museum of Rail Travel - Cranbrook, B.C.
Tour #4 - Royal Alexandra Hall (1906)
The 2-storey high carved oak fireplace in the Museum Entrance Hall -a first impression to the visitor illustrating that the museum is much more than a technical/mechanical experience. Royal Alexandra Hall - 2800 sq ft and 2 ½ storeys high - oak paneled special events room of the Museum. Detail of one of the two exquisitely carved faces of the oak fireplace
  • This tour provides an unusual look at the spectacular architecture created by the railway companies to service travelers with stations and grand hotels. This infrastructure also included repair and freight facilities and railway gardens.


  • This Hall is the grand cafe of the former Royal Alexandra Hotel of Winnipeg, Manitoba. This room was saved when this deluxe Edwardian hotel was demolished in 1971 and the hundreds of parts were stored for over 25 years in a semi-trailer - all but forgotten.


  • The Museum obtained the contents in 1999, and through various millennium programs, built a new shell into which the room was reconstructed and opened in 2004.


  • The Palm Court contains the beautiful 1864 John Broadwood & Sons Concert Grand Piano, used for concerts in the acoustically wonderful Hall.


  • There are also 4 original ladies gowns (1906, 1912, 1919, and 1929) on display in the Palm Court that denote special years for the hotel. These types of gowns would have been worn in the esteemed social setting of the great urban railway hotels.


  • Historical Site for the Royal Alexandra Hall


Historic Buildings

  • The following rooms are not on tour but are accessible to the public at any time.

    • the Main Entrance Hall with the two-storey high carved oak fireplace from the formal dining room of the former Royal Alexandra Hotel (1906)

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  • The following are self-guided tours outside or close by the Museum facilities by walking path

    • Railway Freight Shed 1898


    • Railway Water tower (1898-1946)


    • Railway Gardens (presently being enlarged at the old Museum site)


    • Van Horne Park (a 1998 railway centennial legacy located between the Prestige Hotel and the Museum)


    • 1901 station from Elko


    • The Railway Superintendent's House (1900) at 117 - 12th Ave S (Garden Ave) is restored in the Baker Hill Heritage Residential Area about 3 blocks from the Museum


    • Cranbrook Historical Archives

    • Track 1: The Millionaires' Special

    Track 2: Early Trains Deluxe and Interpretive Cars

    Track 3: Cars-of-State and Streamlined Trains

    Deluxe Railway Hotel Architecture

    • Tour 4: Royal Alexandra Hall
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