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The Curzon Story (9 of 13) Moving the Curzon and x1413 to Cranbrook
Route of the cars to Canada from Wisconsin.
 The route was via the Wisconsin Central Railway through Stevens Point to the yard in St. Paul/Minneapolis. It was then transferred to the yard of the old Soo Line (now Canadian Pacific
Railway ) in Minneapolis. Next it went to Portal, North Dakota, there clearing the border, and on
to Moose Jaw connecting with the CPR main line to Calgary. From Calgary, it went south to
Fort McLeod, west on the route it was first constructed for the Crowsnest Pass line and into
Cranbrook, March, 1992. The sight of the apparently derelict cars solicited some ridicule and
snide remarks, but the museum had been used to this since 1977, having many times received
"basket case railcars" and transforming them into objects of beauty.
Unloading the cars in Cranbrook
Once in Cranbrook, security was still a concern. The Curzon was immediately blocked up over an
old end-track at the back of the CPR Yards until the underframe could be repaired. The car was
then moved under and lowered onto the chassis. A temporary service was connected with an
alarm system, lights, and sensors for the storage period.
The wheels of x1413 were set in place on a separate track, while two 40-ton cranes lifted the
body off the flatcar, setting it back down on the wheels. One crane had attempted the lift, but the
steel-sheathed car was heavier by 20 tons than originally estimated by the railway.
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