What's In a Name

Joanne Reynolds is a passionate about trains. She’s a volunteer at the Kettle Valley Railway, where the star attraction is a 100 year old, working steam locomotive that boasts power and prestige - but that lacks a name. Joanne rides the rails into the history of train names, seeking inspiration on what to call the majestic iron horse in her care. Helping to keep her on track are train experts and aficionados like Rick Green (History Bites) and songwriter Matt Mays, charged with penning a fitting ditty for the engine once folks decide what to call it. This half hour is a train journey like no other – through history’s long tunnel of names, from the nation-uniting (The Canadian) to the glamour inviting (The Orient Express) to the what were they smoking? (The Flying Hamburger). If trains are your thing, you’ll want to be all aboard for this fascinating glimpse into the ultimate destination: how trains arrived at their names.