Elgin County Railway Museum (St. Thomas, Ontario)

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To preserve, teach, and display to the public the rich heritage of the railroads and their role in the development of St. Thomas and Elgin County.

The railway has been part of St. Thomas since the completion of the London and Port Stanley Railway in 1856. More than 26 railways have passed through the city. This provided the foundation for the birth of St. Thomas due to the provision of employment and, subsequently, the income to sustain the community. At one point, St. Thomas was interchangeable with the term “Railway City.” It was also known as the “Railway Capital of Canada” in its heyday.

St. Thomas was a convenient shortcut between Chicago and New York: two major railway cities, especially concerning freight shipment. South Western Ontario is also predominantly flat terrain which is perfect for railways. The city and surrounding area grew rapidly which resulted in immense change for the community. St. Thomas became the “Railway Capital of Canada.”

The 1913 MCRR shops are the oldest continuously operating locomotive repair shops in North America.

The Elgin County Railway Museum is located in the former Michigan Central Railroad (MCRR) locomotive repair shops, just south of the Canada Southern (CASO) train station. The 55,000 square foot “shops” building have served as headquarters of the museum since 1988. The building and surrounding 15 acres of railway land were purchased by the museum in 2009. Locomotive, passenger car and railway service vehicle repairs and restorations are performed today. The adjacent CASO station was, and still is, innately tied to the MCRR shops. The CASO station, now owned and operated by the North American Railway Hall of Fame (NARHF) was divisional headquarters for many American railway companies and provided passenger service, while the MCRR shops provided maintenance and repair service for locomotives. Both buildings remain important heritage sites in the heart of the City of St. Thomas. Guided tours of the Elgin County Railway Museum are available year round. CASO station tours/rental information are available at the NARHF web site. A "Day Out With Thomas" event is held every July. Courtesy: ecrm5700.org/

225 Wellington Street
St. Thomas, ON N5R 2S6
Phone: (519) 637-6284
Web: www.ecrm5700.org/

Dawn Miskelly, museum manager
Heather Fletcher, artifact collection assistant

Regular Admission: $5/adult+HST, $2/child+HST, children 2 and under admitted free

We’re only two hours from Toronto, two hours from the U.S. borders at Detroit, Buffalo and Niagara Falls, and one hour from Sarnia/Port Huron. Once in St. Thomas, you will find the Museum at 225 Wellington Street, between Ross Street and First Avenue. We’re the big red building behind Lyle Cook Automotive. For GPS purposes only the postal code is N5R 2S6.