Cranbrook Sunrise Rotary completes CP Rail restoration project

A Cranbrook Sunrise Rotary project 14 years in the making is finally complete.

The CPR “Elko Engine” Restoration and Landscape project near the Cranbrook arches was completed at the end of September, the project was first envisioned in 2008.

Sunrise Rotary created the project to showcase Cranbrook’s railway heritage, improve the Highway 3 corridor and create a new tourist attraction.

It includes a fountain, decorative bricks and a paved path for railway access.

You can view a letter from Sunrise Rotary to Cranbrook City Council here or below:

The Rotary Club of Cranbrook Sunrise is pleased to announce that the CPR “Elko Engine” Restoration and Landscape Project has been completed.

The vision began in 2008 to recognize Cranbrook’s Railway history and improve the physical eyesore on Hwy 3 opposite the Cranbrook Welcome Arches.

Seven years later, in 2015, Phase One -restoring and painting the locomotive was completed.

After a brief hiatus, Phase Two – The Landscape Project – began in 2018.

Improvements were delayed by Covid but our Club Members enthusiastically resumed the project to bring the final phase to completion this September.

The landscape improvements included a paved path for wheelchair access, railway ties replaced with decorative bricks, lighting, a fountain, shrubs and trees.

The Cranbrook Garden Club deserves special recognition for planting and maintaining the two garden beds throughout the summer.

We would like to thank City of Cranbrook employees Derrick Anderson and Mathew Pollock for their advice and support for the improved landscaping.

In addition to the City of Cranbrook, our project supporters also included the Columbia Basin Trust and Rotary District 5080.

The Rotary Club of Cranbrook Sunrise is proud to present the completed project to the City of Cranbrook to showcase our railway heritage, significantly improve the Hwy 3 landscape corridor and to serve as a tourist attraction for our community.

– Includes statement from Cranbrook Sunrise Rotary