C.P.R. School Car # 2 was not only their school, but their home. Their Dad was their teacher and their Mom, also a qualified teacher, was there not only to support her husband and keep their home running smoothly, but to give the extra help to the students when needed. Letters and speeches written by Bill and Helen Wright and memories written by their four children, Shirley, Harvey, Nancy and Chris are sure to interest anyone who loves Ontario history. Discover what it was like to live in a converted rail passenger coach car that moved along the rails from one settlement to the next during the regular school year. The formula of teaching at each stop for a week and leaving each student with four weeks of homework was not easy. These memories are sure to paint some vivid pictures for the reader.
Learn how and when the School Car program began, and when it ended.Never before have the written memories of an entire School Car family been compiled and published.
Meet the Wright family and enjoy the ride through history.
Price is $25.00, and it can be shipped for $6.00 postage to addresses in Canada. Postage will vary for other addresses. E-transfer and cheques are accepted for payment. To order, contact Bonnie.
Bonnie Sitter, Interview on Up North with Jonathan Pinto: Ontario’s school railcar program. CBC Listen. Jan. 25, 2021
See reviews and articles on my WRIGHT TRACK page!
““On the Wright Track: Memories from C.P.R. School Car # 2” is a delightful, well written and eminently readable account of the lives William and Helen Wright and their four children. “
Bill McLeod
glimpse into the experiences of young women who participated in a government-sponsored program to help with the war effort. Facing a labour shortage on farms, the government urged young women to “lend a hand”. Motivated by patriotism or a thirst for adventure, women plunged in despite being from urban areas and having little or no farming experience. Many ended up having the summer of their lives. The collected essays recount fond memories forged by the women while working hard and playing hard. After grueling days picking cherries or weeding onions, they hitchhiked to dances, went on hay rides, roller skated, or swam in Lake Huron. For some this first trip away from home sparked a passion for rural life and led to them building their lives in small communities. Some set out to contribute to the war effort and ended up meeting their husbands. Others had eye-opening experiences like working in the fields beside German Prisoners of War. Kudos to Bonnie Sitter and Shirleyan English for presenting and preserving this interesting and heart-warming slice of rural history.
Bonnie Sitter Photography 
