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The Old Canada Southern Railway Station
Circa late 1980’s early 1990’s
This is the back view of the historic Canada Southern Railway Station, looking northwest. This station and rail yard was once the hub of a multi-rail business in St. Thomas. The following text is quoted from the North American Railway Hall of Fame website . . . .
“The former Canada Southern Railway station in St. Thomas, Ontario ... was built by American railway promoters between 1871 and 1873 to serve both as the local station and as the headquarters of the company. As such, this large and impressive Italianate-style structure served as the symbol of the railway. After 1878 this regional rail line was controlled by the New York Central Railroad and, from 1883 until 1930, under the aegis of one of its susidiaries, the Michigan Central
Railway. Subsequently, the lease was transferred back to the New York Central until 1968 at which time the line was amalgamated into the Penn Central which went bankrupt in 1976. The company was reorganized as Conrail, which owned it until 1983 when it was purchased jointly by the Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian National Railways. The St. Thomas station functioned throughout most of this period as the company's administrative headquarters and the location of its main shops and yards..."
Almost every family in St. Thomas and surrounding area had a relative or two who worked for the railroad. A century ago the railroad was king. Who would have, fifty years or more ago, believed that the rails would be abandoned, ripped up and sold for salvage? For further information on this historic landmark visit www.narhf.org