C.P.R. Colonist Car #1202


Closed

Hours of Operation

  • Monday

    Closed

  • Tuesday

    Closed

  • Wednesday

    Closed

  • Thursday

    Closed

  • Friday

    Closed

  • Saturday

    Closed

  • Sunday

    Closed

The Historical Village is now closed until May 17, 2025 except for special and ticketed events. The Historical Village will be open for Day Out With Thomas from May 3 - 4 and 10 - 11, 2025. Gasoline Alley Museum and the shops and restaurants in Heritage Plaza are open year-round.

Exhibit Details

Area

Heritage Rail Yard

Download the Map

Category

Train

About the C.P.R. Colonist Car #1202

A Page in Canada’s History

In the first decade of the 1900s, the population of Canada’s prairie provinces grew by more than 300 percent. By the millions, people from Europe, the British Isles, Eastern Canada and the United States boarded trains bound for the frontier. Travelers seeking the most economical mode of transportation rode in what came to be known as colonist cars. Aboard these train cars, travel-weary passengers – exhilarated by all the possibilities of their new lives – sat in wonder of the vast prairie landscape rolling past the windows, revealing precious evidence of other homesteaders, sparsely scattered on the land.

The CPR built more than 1,000 colonist cars between the 1880s and 1930s; only two remain.

Colonist Car #1202

Built in 1905, Heritage Park has been in possession of Colonist Car #1202 since 1964. It was originally donated to the Park by Canadian Pacific Rail for preservation and educational purposes for its role in the greatest single wave of immigration in Canadian history. At over 110 years old and made of wood, the car was in dire need of repair.

A meticulous effort to restore Colonist Car #1202 to its original condition has been underway at Heritage Park’s Roundhouse. Now the the newly-restored car is available for all to see at Heritage Park.

A photo of a wooden colonist car at Heritage Park

Visit Heritage Park

1900 Heritage Dr. S.W. Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2V 2X3

Email: info@heritagepark.ca
Phone: 403.268.8500

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