Railway museum in St. Thomas, Ont. closes to fix structural problems in century old building

The Elgin County Railway Museum in St. Thomas is suspending operations for the foreseeable future because of building-related issues, the museum announced Wednesday.

In an open letter posted to social media, museum officials said the decision to close wasn't made lightly, adding that it was a "difficult day for our organization" and an "even tougher day for our community."

"The temporary closure is due to building-related issues located outside of public areas of the facility," said the letter, co-signed by Scott Sleightholm and Wil Zufelt, the president and CEO, respectively, of Railworks Coalition, which operates the museum.

"While we proceed with the next steps, the building will remain closed to the public, members, and volunteers, with limited staff access permitted only as required for essential purposes, while these matters are responsibly addressed."

Further updates are anticipated in the spring as planning progresses and additional information becomes available, the letter reads.

In an interview, Zufelt said the coalition and the museum's board paused day-to-day operations to examine long-term plans for the building and museum, and to address structural issues with the goal to restore it for future generations.

The museum typically closes after Christmas and reopens to the public on Victoria Day, however Zufelt says no confirmed reopening date has been set relating to this current closure.

"Right now, it's the interior of the building. We have to look at climate and heat and structure and so on. It's really just looking at the building envelope all the way around, and looking at what tomorrow brings," said Zufelt.

The aging 55,000 sq. ft. building, built in 1913, was originally home to the locomotive repair shops of the Michigan Central Railroad, one of at least 26 railways that have passed through St. Thomas since 1856.

In their letter, Zufelt and Sleightholm say the building-related issues are "outside of public areas," and did not impact public safety.

"That would be on the restricted side, so behind the trains, where the general public do not go ... that's where there are the areas that we need to address," Zufelt told CBC News

It's not clear how long the closure may last, but Zufelt stressed that it's only a pause. He said roughly 57,000 people visited the museum last year, including around 27,000 during its annual Christmas tree event in November and December.

"We're just looking at the whole property, the use of it. You know, the secondary plan is coming up here very shortly for the City of St Thomas, so this is a good time to set back and plan what the future is going to be," he said.

The museum and the area surrounding it are part of the Railway Lands Secondary Plan Study, launched by the city last year. The hope is to redevelop the once bustling railway lands, which earned the city the title "Railway City of Canada" more than a century ago, into housing as the city's population is forecast to hit 79,500 by 2051.