This information about the museum from their website
When the railway first came through St. Thomas, Ontario in 1856 - with the London & Port
Stanley line - no one could have predicted the importance the railways would play in the growth
and success of the city.
With the
development of
the Canada
Southern Line
through the city in
1872, the small
town of St.
Thomas was
ushered into an era
of prosperity and
had the city
known as the
"Railway Capital
of Canada."
Location was key,
as the city lies
almost directly
between Buffalo
and Detroit and
offered a more
direct route
between the two
destinations.
By the early 20th
century St.
Thomas was a
North American
Railway hub, with
5 railways running
through the city,
and over 150
freight and
passenger trains a
day.
By 1913, the Canada Southern Railway had become the Michigan Central Railroad, and it was
during this year that the Michigan Central Railroad Repair Shops were built. An article from the
St. Thomas Daily Times – Mar ch 28, 1914 with the headline “M.C.R.’s New Quarter Million
Dollar Shops Nearly Completed”, demonstrates the significance of this building and the impact it
has on the community – “The completion of these works places St. Thomas among the leading