1.  Elephants on Parade

    The 10th mural is located at the corner of Talbot Street and Manitoba Street.  It was created in November of 2000 by Paul Austin.  This painting pays tribute to the circus, which rode the rails town to town, bringing a piece of joy to each resident of each town in it’s path. This painting was sponsored by the City Of St. Thomas, the 2000 Millennium Committee, the Downtown Development Board, and On Track.

2.  Elgin's Finest

    The fourth mural is located on the side of White Street Home Decorating, across from City Hall and just behind Greene’s Parkette. “Elgin’s Finest” is a mural paying tribute to the railway and the world wars. The painting, created by Rick Johnston depicts soldiers loading themselves onto a train heading to the fronts. For a stronger local touch, a depiction of a father, son and two step sons was incorporated.  After the war, only two of the men returned. This mural was sponsored by Branch 41 of the Royal Canadian Legion and the Elgin Regiment.

     “On Sunday, June 25th, 1916, a crowd of 20,000 gathered at the Michigan Central Station to see off the 940 men of the Elgin Regiment’s 91st Battalion.  Traveling by rail from St. Thomas to Halifax, they crossed the Atlantic aboard the Olympic and landed at Liverpool on July 5th. The 91st saw action in some of the bloodiest battles of World War I, and one in six died fighting for freedom.  Of the family pictured here a father, a son, and two step sons, only two came back home.”

3.  First Car

    The sixth mural is located on the wall of the Eastway Ford building facing the Canadian Timken plant, at the corner of First Avenue and Talbot Street.  “First Car” depicts just that : the first car and its owner to ride the streets of St. Thomas. This mural was painted by Rick Johnston and was sponsored solely by Eastway Ford.

4.  Harvest Train

    The seventh mural is located near the Holy Angel’s Catholic Church, at 496 Talbot Street. “Harvest Train” was created by Denise Arsenault in November of 2000.  This mural shows the impact the railway made economically across the country and continent. The painting was sponsored by the City Of St. Thomas, 2000 Millennium Committee, the Downtown Development Board, and On Track.

5.  Magic Carpet:  A View From Above

    The 9th mural is entitled “Magic Carpet : A View From Above” and was created by Jennifer DeSorcy in November of 2000.   This painting depicts many significant features of St. Thomas from our past and present, including the City Hall, the Jumbo Monument, the Street Railway,  and the Old St. Thomas Church. This mural was funded by the City Of St. Thomas, the 2000 Millennium Committee, the Downtown Development Board and On Track.

6.  Pere Marquette Railway Shops

    The 8th mural in St. Thomas is located at 18 Elgin Street, across from the Liquor Store and Canada Trust. “Pere Marquette Railway Shops” was created by Fred Harrison in November of 2000.  The PM Railway was one of several important railways that made St. Thomas known as the Railway City, and contributes to it being the Railway Capital of Canada.  This mural was sponsored by the City Of St. Thomas, the 2000 Millennium Committee, the Downtown Development Board, and On Track.

7.  Street Railway 1906

    The fifth mural is located at the corner of Talbot Street and Mondamin Street, across from City Hall and on the side of the Castle Hair Salon.  It was begun in 1996 and completed in 1997 by Nicholas Wilkinson. This mural depicts the street railway that once graced the town of St. Thomas along Talbot Street. The painting was funded by the On Track Group, Youth On Track, Heritage Quality Painters, St. Thomas Rent-All, and many volunteers.

8.  The Canada Southern

    The third mural was completed in August of 1995 by Dan and Peter Sawatzky.  “The Canada Southern” is located at the east end of Talbot street, nearby the east end Tim Horton’s.  This mural was sponsored by the On Track Mural Committee as well as the sales of mural prints.

     The third mural was completed in August of 1995 by Dan and Peter Sawatzky.  “The Canada Southern” is located at the east end of Talbot street, nearby the east end Tim Horton’s.  This mural was sponsored by the On Track Mural Committee as well as the sales of mural prints.

9.  Town and Rail 

The Canada Southern Railway operated in St. Thomas from 1872 until 1881 when it’s operations were leased by the Michigan Central. The C.S.R.’s legacy to the community is it’s historic Talbot Street station, built in 1872. A town within a town, the station’s ground floor catered to a traveler's every need while the upper floor housed the Railway’s operations.

10.  When I'm Big

     The second mural was created at the corner of Ross Street and Talbot Street overlooking Currah Parkette.  “When I’m Big” was painted by Dan and Peter Sawatzky.  This mural was funded by the On Track Mural Committee as well as sales of the print.

    “The Railway has had a well documented effect on the economy of St. Thomas and in area in both times of boom and bust. But we can only imagine the effect the Railway has had on people’s hopes, dreams and aspirations. We will never know how many 10 year olds have watched a passing steam locomotive and thought “When I’m big, I want to be an engineer”.