Passenger Trains > Winnie the Pooh - train bear

When I posted a quote from Winnie the Pooh on my blog the other day, I had no idea that Winnie the Pooh actually had his beginnings on a train. Phil Mason has added two comments to my original post that are most interesting. Not only does Phil give details on Winnie's origins, he also tells of a self-propelled train in Canada between White River, ON and Sudbury.

http://www.traingranny.com

traingranny Wrote:
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> When I posted a quote from Winnie the Pooh on my
> blog the other day, I had no idea that Winnie the
> Pooh actually had his beginnings on a train. Phil
> Mason has added two comments to my original post
> that are most interesting. Not only does Phil
> give details on Winnie's origins, he also tells of
> a self-propelled train in Canada between White
> River, ON and Sudbury.
>
> http://www.traingranny.com

That's why he is known as "eminence grise" (the grey eminence or wise one) here on Trainorders. His knowledge and insight on the Canadian board is incredible! I have never met the man, but have the greatest respect for him and his knowledge!

Will MacKenzie
Dundas, ON

I also did not know this and thank Phil for the enlightenment. I still have my childhood copy of Winnie the Pooh somewhere out in the boxes in the garage. :-)
C.

Carol Voss
Bakersfield, CA

Thanks for the compliments.

I think Canada Post did a commemorative stamp about "Winnie the Pooh" and White River.

I stand corrected about A.A.Milne. He encountered the bear in a zoo in England. Members of a Canadian Infantry Regiment adopted the bear while en route from Winnipeg to Halifax. "Winnie" is short for Winnipeg.

In 2005, a group of us made the Sudbury-White River trip. Here is Via train 186 getting ready to depart east from White River.
The station platform in the picture would be where the soldiers found the bear cub.

Train baggageman Stefan and conductor Beth pose for us in the baggage car door at White River.

Beth, a mother of two, had a successful fight with cancer a year or so later. She moved from Chapleau to a larger city on the CPR to be nearer medical facilities.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/30/12 13:37 by eminence_grise.

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