During the summer, one of my brothers spent a day visiting a train museum in Smith Falls, Ontario. While there, he sent me some photos of a museum panel about the Canadian School Car program. This program was started in 1926 as a six-month experiment that saw two classrooms added to two trains. These classrooms would travel across Canada providing education to children in small towns. The train would usually stay for 3-6 days before traveling to its next stop and then returning the following month. The program was at its peak in the 1940s, when it ran about seven routes but was discounted in 1967 for lack of students. Lady Baden-Powell had been a visitor to one of the School Cars on one of her Canadian visits, although they miss credit her as the founder of the Girl Guide movement, I guess I won’t fault a train museum for their lack of Guiding knowledge. My brother and I chatted a bit and he reminded me of a postcard I bought a while back to write a blog on that had an illustrated drawing of the English Girl Guide red and black Train.
It’s been difficult to find a lot of information on this train but thanks to Michelle J. who is a long-term friend of this blog, the ‘Girl Guide’ was a train engine built in just over a week in the October of 1930 by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. Built as Engines No. 6168, the train was designed by Sir Henry, Fowler, an L.M.S. Chief Mechanical Engineer, and an ex-Scout commissioner. The following engineer, No. 6169 was named the ``Boy Scout”. The two were the last of a batch of twenty passenger express engines, known as ‘the royal scot’ class which were used regularly on the L.M.S. Railways.
According to a magazine article in the October 1930 “ the Guider” from England. It was agreed that the Girl Guides would follow the example of the Boy Scouts Association by presenting a brass trefoil plaque made attached to the engine. On December 9th of that year at Euston Railway station, the two engines were drawn up alongside the No 6. platform and attended by a Guard of Honour made up of twelve Guides and twelve scouts, and a formal unveiling of the trefoil was made by Lady Baden-Powell on behalf of the Girl Guides and the “Fleur de Lys” by Lord Baden-Powell for the Scouts. The plaques were accepted on behalf of the L.M.S. Railway by Sir Josiah Stamp.
The Boy Scout was removed from service in June 1963 and disposed of at the Crewe Works but went on to have two more trains named in connection with the scouting movement and a number of toy trains have been produced. The Girl Guide’s Engine had to be rebuilt in April of 1946 and was removed from service in May 1964, to my knowledge only had only the postcard was produced as memorabilia.
Special Thanks to Michelle J. and Micheal K.
Thanks for Reading!
EM
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