The Elgin County Railway Museum wants St. Thomas to help save its home. The museum’s Save Our Museum campaign asks residents to write to city council, their MPP and their MP about the closed 1913 Michigan Central Railway Shops. The City of St. Thomas set out its position back in February: it “cannot provide direct financial support for repairs to a privately owned facility.”
The campaign leans on the city’s railway past. By 1914, eight railways ran more than 100 trains a day through St. Thomas, earning it the nickname Railway Capital of Canada. More than 100 railway buildings and structures once stood on the old Michigan Central lands. Now, the campaign’s site says, only three major ones remain: CASO Station, the BX Tower, and the Shops building that houses the museum.
The site pitches the building as more than a museum. It pictures a “third place” where the community gathers. The museum would sit beside CASO Station and new green space, with Doug Tarry Limited redeveloping the old railway land around it.
Eight local leaders have posted statements of support on the site, including MP Andrew Lawton, MPP Rob Flack and a director at Doug Tarry Limited. The statements praise the museum’s value for heritage, tourism and the downtown. None of them pledges money or makes a specific commitment. The site also lists no restoration cost or fundraising goal. It does not say who owns the building, or that the City has said it cannot fund repairs.
The closure goes back to a safety concern first submitted in 2015. The City says the Ministry of Labour followed up on that concern in late 2025. While reviewing the case, City staff learned for the first time of a 2022 structural inspection report by a local engineering firm, a report the City says had not been shared with it.
City staff then inspected the building themselves. They found part of it safe for public use, so the 2025 Community Christmas Tree Spectacular went ahead in that section. After the event, the City says, orders were issued requiring the museum to close to the public until the needed repairs are done. The City points to its responsibility to protect staff, volunteers and visitors.
The museum’s own account fits with the City’s. Its January 13th closure notice said the building problems were “located outside of public areas of the facility” and “did not impact public safety during recent operations or events.” It said the building would stay closed to the public, members and volunteers. The museum’s website now says it expects to stay closed until summer 2028 while restoration and redevelopment work is done.
In its February 10th update, the City noted that it does not own the building. It said its role “is limited to enforcing safety standards and providing regulatory guidance,” and that it will still offer technical guidance, regulatory help and “connections to potential resources where appropriate.”
One of three concepts the City is weighing for the surrounding railway lands, part of its Railway City Central 2051 study, already sketches a new linear park system with open space, views and connections to both the museum and CASO Station. No concept has been chosen. A draft preferred plan is expected to go out for public review in November, with a report to council targeted for late December.
For now, the campaign is gathering residents’ memories of the building. It says it will collect those stories and “share them with our elected officials, community leaders, and the broader community.” It is also selling $5 Save Our Museum t-shirts, ordered by email, then paid for and picked up at CASO Station.
Sources: Save Our Museum campaign, Elgin County Railway Museum news and updates, City of St. Thomas Feb. 10, 2026 community update
By Anthony Zruna · About the LocVox Newsroom
