Revelstoke is the perfect place for a railway museum. We are one of the original transcontinental railway towns, less than an hour away from the legendary Rogers Pass, the iconic Last Spike site at Craigellechie, and Arrowhead, a hub which connected the interior lakes steamboat system to the CPR railway network, and the world. We were also home to the largest shops between Winnipeg and Vancouver until 1911, making Revelstoke a centre of high technology.
The history of the Canadian Pacific Railway through Western Canada’s mountain region is one about great changes in geography, industry and the movement of people, goods and ideas, all playing a pivotal role in the creation of Canada as a nation.
The Revelstoke Railway Museum plays a valuable and essential role in collecting, preserving and interpreting Canada’s mountain railway stories, objects and culture.
Established in 1988, the Revelstoke Heritage Railway Society pursued the dream of building a Railway Museum which would promote an interest in and develop awareness of the railway and transportation in the Revelstoke region. Construction of the museum was completed in 1992, opening its doors to the public in 1993.
The Museum also operates the historic site of the Canadian Pacific Railway’s Last Spike at Craigellachie off of the Trans-Canada Highway, 45km west of Revelstoke, and 25 km east of Sicamous. The last spike signaled the completion of the CPR, Canada’s first transcontinental railway, connecting the country and creating implications for the nation which we are still discovering.
The site is maintained by the Revelstoke Heritage Railway Society and includes a seasonal gift shop, picnic area and monument beside the main CPR line.
