What's In A Name?

Like boats and ships usually have their names, there is also a long-standing world-wide tradition on railways of naming locomotives. In the very early days of the railways, locomotives often carried names before they carried numbers.

Te names chosen varied. Some were linked to speed or power, but locomotives were also often named after railway's ofcers, or their wives. Also common were the towns, cities and geographical features along a railway's route. q

This was the case for the frst scheduled train that left from Toronto. Te three passenger coaches and one freight car were pulled by a locomotive named "Toronto."

Te Lady Elgin, also known as Locomotive No. 1, was named in honour of the wife of Lord Elgin, Canada’s Governor General from 1847 to 1854. Te "Lady Elgin" was the frst locomotive to operate in the western part of Ontario.

Toronto was also home to the frst locomotive built in Canada; the Toronto No. 2 of the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron line was built by James Good of Toronto in 1853.

Josephine, also known as Locomotive No. 3, of the Toronto, Simcoe and Huron Railway was considered to be one of the most beautiful high-speed passenger engines of its time. (Josephine soon became the mascot of the railway). It is speculated that it was named for her engineer Josiah Huckett.

Passenger cars also were named, such as the Cape Race, built for the Canadian Pacifc Railway in 1929. Te car had opulent features such as ladies’ and gentlemen's showers, leatherupholstered smoking rooms, ladies' lounge and observation parlour as well as a small buffet for snacks and beverages. One of a series, these cars were built primarily for the Canadian Pacifc "Trans-Canada Limited," which ran between Montreal/ Toronto and Vancouver. You can see "Te Cape Race" at the Toronto Railway Museum.