School car

In the Northern Ontario bush, many families lived too far from communities to allow their children to attend school. As a way of providing education to these children of railroad workers, trappers, natives and other people of the bush the Canadian government instituted the school car system (in French: Des écoles sur rails).

At its peak, in the 1940s, as many as seven school trains travelled on the tracks of Northern Ontario. The school cars or "school on wheels" ran from 1926 to 1967, and stopped at each site on their route for three to five days out of a month.Schuessler, Karl and Mary School On Wheels Boston mills press 1986

Museum One of the cars used as a classroom is currently a railcar museum in Clinton.

List of Teachers The number of cars was increased from 2 to 7, with the teacher and sometimes his wife and family. Teacher Railroad Area Year Began Length of Service NotesFred Sloman, wife Cela, and children Canadian National Railways (CNR) Capreol West 1926 39+ years Car #15029, Ville MarieWalter McNally Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) Chapleau East 1926 13 years Car #15019, StadaconaWilliam WrightCPChapleau West192840 yearsWilliam FlemingCNRPort Arthur North Branch1928approx 18 YearsAndrew ClementCNRPort Arthur West, Sioux Lookout West, North Bay North193028 yearsAngus and Helen McKayCNRSioux Lookout West, North Bay North193412 yearsHenry AntoniakCNRSioux Lookout West, Port Arthur West1938Approx 10 yearsCameron BellCPChapleau East19444 yearsJames ChalmersCNRPort Arthur West194616 yearsPhilip FraserCNRSioux Lookout West194619 yearsFlorence BellCPChapleau East19481 yearWilliam ColcockCPChapleau East19491 yearCecil CorpsCPChapleau East19503 years Note:Canadian National Railways' name was changed in 1960 to Canadian National (CN).

Rule instruction cars Other types of mobile classroom school cars were converted sleeper cars used as mobile rule instruction cars. These were dropped off at various locations to provide education to railroad workers and test them on rules and procedures. The rule instruction car No. 15029, built by National Steel Car in 1916 as the Ville Marie, converted in 1956, and on display at the Alberta Railway Museum. Car No. 15019 was an Intercolonial Railway sleeper car built in 1912 as the Stadacona, converted to a rule instruction school car, and was retired in 1972. It is on display at the Northern Ontario Railroad Museum in Capreol.

School car

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