FLICKR: Train Car Names of Ottawa

[dewline]

One example of the more amusing names we've given our O-Train cars:

Comments

[peoriapeoriawhereart]

Has this been going on for some time or is it newish?

[dewline]

There was a time in this fair land when the trains did not run...but, Gordon Lightfoot song lyrics aside, there was a habit of naming train cars in Canada. But once CP and CN and the like got out of the passenger rail business, and VIA didn't pick up the car-naming habit...well, this was a thing that OC Transpo picked up on for PR purposes. They organized a naming contest in preparation for the launching of O-Train Line 1, to name every car in the fleet. This was one of the winning entries.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-light-rail-train-names-unveiled-1.4550613

[peoriapeoriawhereart]

I see that they lean into the schwa, writing Eh for O.

Yeah. We lost our trolley systems since they led to drink and dissipation, Henry Ford didn't approve. Passenger rail squeaks along but it looks like there's been upgrades without the open to the tracks toilets. Unless those are still running on less commuter expected runs.

It's a strange mix of crayon contest names (purple mountains majesty) and probably historical figures I'd know if I were an earnest Canadian child.