The physical condition of the Elgin County Railway Museum might be far worse than anyone previously imagined and The Railworks Coalition, in St. Thomas, invited the community on March 12 to help reverse the historic landmark’s decline.
“It been one of those topics around our boardroom: what is the true condition of that building,” Railworks Coalition President Scott Sleightholm told a public meeting considering future uses of the museum.
The coalition is a group of railway heritage organizations – including the Canada Southern (CASO) Station, ECRM, St. Thomas Elevated Park, and the North America Railway Hall of Fame – working together to preserve the city’s railway history, while promoting tourism and events.
“Everybody knows there’s something wrong with it, or something needed to be done, but we didn’t know what,” said Mr. Sleightholm. “Everybody had guesses and ideas what they thought the issues were.
“We’ve now come to realize it’s not just the roof, it’s the walls as well,” he added. “We now have an answer to what needs to be done to take the next steps.”
According to a report compiled by Toronto-based Blackwell Structural Engineers, led by CEO Brooke Guzar, the roof and walls of the museum must be removed and replaced in order to evaluate the steel underpinnings and determine the building’s structural integrity.
A copy of the Blackwell report was not shared at the public meeting and it’s not clear whether it contained an estimate of the cost of the mammoth project, or for the remediation of the surrounding land, contaminated by decades of use by the railway industry.
However pundits have estimated the costs to be in the millions of dollars.
“Whatever road we go down,” explained Mr. Sleightholm, “there’s going to be funding and fundraising that’s going to be needed for that pathway and obviously conversations are going to be had with all levels of government, and the greater community, not only St. Thomas, but Elgin County.”
In January, the coalition suspended operations – with “no confirmed reopening date” – at the historic building housing ECRM’s inventory of vintage rolling stock and railway relics.
The decision came on the heels of ECRM’s most successful year ever, having attracted some 27,630 visitors to its 300-tree Christmas exhibition in December, plus another 1,000 families to its new Santa Claus house.
Five years ago, the museum was attracting 2,200 people a year. In 2025, the number of visitors topped 57,000 according to Railworks Coalition Chief Executive Officer Wil Zufelt.
“The Blackwell report advised us of certain things we need to do before we’re allowed back in the building: a safety plan, install shoring, bracing, in the building,” Mr. Zufelt said at the public meeting. “All the existing concrete panels are going to have to come down, and new ones are going to have to go up.
“Existing structure, trusses, beams and columns, need to be evaluated,” he added, describing the Blackwell report findings. “Exterior walls are going to have to come down and put back up (and) because it’s an historic building, it needs to go back in the same look of what it is.”
The City of St. Thomas designated the museum building a heritage structure under the Ontario Heritage Act in 2015.
“Until all of these things are done, and we get it signed off by a licensed engineer, and the Ontario Building Code, we won’t be going back to the building any time in the near future,” explained Mr. Zufelt. “That’s where we’re sitting today. Unfortunately, that’s not great news, (but) that’s kind of the gist of the Blackwell report.”
LGA Architectural Partners’ Toronto-based studio provided a series of graphics for the public meeting, envisioning the possibilities for redevelopment. Some people in attendance offered their thoughts about future uses, such as housing a music or theatre venue, or including the Jumbo monument in the museum, however most seemed willing to wait to see if fundraising efforts succeed.
“Before we go back into the building, all of the roof panels need to come off, the brickwork needs to be removed, so that the steel structure cand be evaluated,” said Mr. Sleightholm. “Then it will be rebuilt, putting the roof back on, putting the bricks on.
“That can be done in phases, so it’s not an all or nothing type of thing,” he added. “It can be done in phases depending on what the community is looking for, and also what the (110 coalition members) looks for and votes on.”
He stressed that – when public consultations are completed – it will be coalition members who make the final decision on the future of ECRM.
“We need to understand the condition of the building and the scope of work required before we move forward,” said Mr. Sleightholm. “Tonight is not about making decisions. We’re not going to advise you what exactly is happening next, but it’s about sharing information with you.
“The ECRM exists to preserve, to share the railway history of our community,” he added. “While the building is an extremely important part of that story, the museum itself is much more than the structure that you see. It’s the artifacts, the knowledge, the hundreds if not thousands of hours that the volunteers have put into it, the community.”
By Joe Konecny, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Mar 25, 2026 at 07:17
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