{"id":898,"date":"2008-05-11T18:22:25","date_gmt":"2008-05-11T23:22:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacingmontreal.ca\/2008\/05\/11\/inside-the-world-of-the-transit-fan\/"},"modified":"2013-01-21T11:24:43","modified_gmt":"2013-01-21T16:24:43","slug":"inside-the-world-of-the-transit-fan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2008\/05\/11\/inside-the-world-of-the-transit-fan\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the world of the transit fan"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

I’m a fan of transit but I could never honestly call myself a transit fan. Even though I am interested in the design, sociology, history and culture of public transit, my interest pales in comparison to those people, many of whom lurk on discussion boards like the one at metrodemontreal.com<\/a>, who obsess over the smallest and most arcane details of buses and trains. I’ve always wondered what drives them, so it was nice to see an article by Steve Faguy in yesterday’s Gazette about the day he spent with a group of transit fans<\/a> who commissioned an RTL bus, which they drove around the South Shore for nearly six hours.<\/p>\n

On his blog<\/a>, Faguy writes about one of the more interesting things about the bus, which dates back to 1989:<\/p>\n

Operating the manual rollsign is the funnest part of this activity. Before the electronic signs were installed, drivers would have to press a button that scrolled up and down through two rolls of digits and a roll of names (the latter could take forever getting from A to Z). Because the sign is almost 20 years old, there are plenty of names of routes that no longer exist. Some of the stops involved going to places no longer served by the RTL and setting up the rollsign to display the name of a route that no longer exists.<\/p>\n

The rollsign also has a few typos.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Unfortuantely, Faguy didn’t have enough length to really explore the origins of their interest in depth, so the fundamental question of why these guys (and they’re almost always guys) are so fascinated by public transit remains more or less unanswered. Of course, that might be a difficult question to answer. Faguy does ask one 19-year-old, who travelled here from Belleville, Ontario to ride the RTL bus, but even he couldn’t say why. “He says he has ‘no idea’ why he became a transit fan, but that it might have to do with riding buses in Toronto as a kid,” writes Faguy.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Photos by Steve Faguy<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’m a fan of transit but I could never honestly call myself a transit fan. Even though I am interested in the design, sociology, history and culture of public transit, my interest pales in comparison to those people, many of whom lurk on discussion boards like the one at metrodemontreal.com, who obsess over the smallestContinue reading “Inside the world of the transit fan”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7831,7839,33],"tags":[7,2371,94,536,419,332,152],"class_list":["post-898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community","category-neighbourhoods","category-transit","tag-behaviour","tag-belleville","tag-longueuil","tag-ontario","tag-rtl","tag-steve-faguy","tag-toronto"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nInside the world of the transit fan - Spacing Montreal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2008\/05\/11\/inside-the-world-of-the-transit-fan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Inside the world of the transit fan - Spacing Montreal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I’m a fan of transit but I could never honestly call myself a transit fan. Even though I am interested in the design, sociology, history and culture of public transit, my interest pales in comparison to those people, many of whom lurk on discussion boards like the one at metrodemontreal.com, who obsess over the smallestContinue reading "Inside the world of the transit fan"\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2008\/05\/11\/inside-the-world-of-the-transit-fan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Spacing Montreal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2008-05-11T23:22:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-01-21T16:24:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.fagstein.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/2006.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Christopher DeWolf\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Spacing\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Spacing\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Christopher DeWolf\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2008\/05\/11\/inside-the-world-of-the-transit-fan\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2008\/05\/11\/inside-the-world-of-the-transit-fan\/\",\"name\":\"Inside the world of the transit fan - Spacing Montreal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2008\/05\/11\/inside-the-world-of-the-transit-fan\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2008\/05\/11\/inside-the-world-of-the-transit-fan\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/blog.fagstein.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/2006.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2008-05-11T23:22:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-01-21T16:24:43+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/#\/schema\/person\/8d797e2a77c30d58d1f6fe3d915ad3fd\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2008\/05\/11\/inside-the-world-of-the-transit-fan\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2008\/05\/11\/inside-the-world-of-the-transit-fan\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2008\/05\/11\/inside-the-world-of-the-transit-fan\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/blog.fagstein.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/2006.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/blog.fagstein.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/2006.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2008\/05\/11\/inside-the-world-of-the-transit-fan\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Inside the world of the transit fan\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/\",\"name\":\"Spacing Montreal\",\"description\":\"Canadian Urbanism Uncovered | Montreal Architecture, Urban Design, Public Transit, City Hall, Parks, Walking, Bikes, Streetscape, History, Waterfront, Maps, Public Spaces\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/#\/schema\/person\/8d797e2a77c30d58d1f6fe3d915ad3fd\",\"name\":\"Christopher DeWolf\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/93c8aca91d7cfbd895846128d058930b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/93c8aca91d7cfbd895846128d058930b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Christopher DeWolf\"},\"description\":\"Check out Urbanphoto!\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.urbanphoto.net\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/author\/christopher\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Inside the world of the transit fan - Spacing Montreal","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2008\/05\/11\/inside-the-world-of-the-transit-fan\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Inside the world of the transit fan - Spacing Montreal","og_description":"I’m a fan of transit but I could never honestly call myself a transit fan. Even though I am interested in the design, sociology, history and culture of public transit, my interest pales in comparison to those people, many of whom lurk on discussion boards like the one at metrodemontreal.com, who obsess over the smallestContinue reading \"Inside the world of the transit fan\"","og_url":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2008\/05\/11\/inside-the-world-of-the-transit-fan\/","og_site_name":"Spacing Montreal","article_published_time":"2008-05-11T23:22:25+00:00","article_modified_time":"2013-01-21T16:24:43+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/blog.fagstein.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/2006.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Christopher DeWolf","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Spacing","twitter_site":"@Spacing","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Christopher DeWolf","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2008\/05\/11\/inside-the-world-of-the-transit-fan\/","url":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2008\/05\/11\/inside-the-world-of-the-transit-fan\/","name":"Inside the world of the transit fan - Spacing Montreal","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2008\/05\/11\/inside-the-world-of-the-transit-fan\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2008\/05\/11\/inside-the-world-of-the-transit-fan\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/blog.fagstein.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/2006.jpg","datePublished":"2008-05-11T23:22:25+00:00","dateModified":"2013-01-21T16:24:43+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/#\/schema\/person\/8d797e2a77c30d58d1f6fe3d915ad3fd"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2008\/05\/11\/inside-the-world-of-the-transit-fan\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2008\/05\/11\/inside-the-world-of-the-transit-fan\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2008\/05\/11\/inside-the-world-of-the-transit-fan\/#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/blog.fagstein.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/2006.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/blog.fagstein.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/2006.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/2008\/05\/11\/inside-the-world-of-the-transit-fan\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Inside the world of the transit fan"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/#website","url":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/","name":"Spacing Montreal","description":"Canadian Urbanism Uncovered | Montreal Architecture, Urban Design, Public Transit, City Hall, Parks, Walking, Bikes, Streetscape, History, Waterfront, Maps, Public Spaces","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/#\/schema\/person\/8d797e2a77c30d58d1f6fe3d915ad3fd","name":"Christopher DeWolf","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/93c8aca91d7cfbd895846128d058930b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/93c8aca91d7cfbd895846128d058930b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Christopher DeWolf"},"description":"Check out Urbanphoto!","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.urbanphoto.net"],"url":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/author\/christopher\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/898","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=898"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/898\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18765,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/898\/revisions\/18765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/montreal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}