Rollsigns from Ottawa, ON
Transit service in the Ottawa area began with the incorporation of the Ottawa City Passenger Railway Company on July 21,
1870. A sister service called the Ottawa Electric Street Railway Company, started on June 29, 1891. The amalgamation of these
two services began on March 26, 1894, and on June 1, 1894, the Ottawa Electric Railway Company came to be. They continued
to operate service until August 13, 1948, when the Ottawa Transportation Commission, a publicly owned company, acquired the
electric railway services. Over the next three years, the OTC acquired regional and suburban bus services from several area
companies. During their operation they saw the end of streetcar service, and a very brief run of trolley coaches, before service
was exclusively run with buses. On August 1, 1972, the Ottawa-Carleton Regional Transit Commission, more commonly known
as "OC Transpo" began operation of the area's bus system. OC Transpo became municipally owned on January 1, 2001, after
the amalgamation of the City of Ottawa and the surrounding cities, although some rural satellite routes are still contracted out.
This mylar front destination sign is the third in a three-piece front display, the
other two being a two digit, and one digit route number roll. This sign was
retrieved from 1975 built GMC T6H-5307N #7516. It is dated December 1989
and has 54 exposures.

The markings along the sign's left edge are actually a series of bar codes,
with each exposure having its own unique code. This is read by the system's
"electronic rollsign box". To change destinations, all the driver does is key in a
code on a keypad near the driver's cab. When typed in, the rollsign automatically
rolls to the exposures programmed relative to the code entered.

Other than the manufacturer, the only difference between this sign and the mint
condition destination sign to the right is the french phrasing of "OUT OF SERVICE",
saying "HORS DE SERVICE on this sign instead of just "HORS SERVICE".

The sign's ID tag is seen below.
F3-53, REV#1
88/01/01
MULTILITE PRODUCTS.
This Ottawa Transportation
Commission linen partial
front destination sign was
off 1948 built 35 foot
Canadian Car & Foundry
C-36 Brill #228. Its print
date is August 19, 1960.
Only these nine exposures
were salvageable from the
rather long sign. The bus,
on a family's private property
near Kingston, Ontario, was
used for shotgun target
practice, and unfortunately
the front destination sign
window was a target. Years
of weathering deteriorated
the lower section of the
linen sign to what
resembled paste. What
was salvaged was given to
me by the family just days
before this bus, an OTC
Mack Coach, and a
Hamilton, Ontario Brill
electric trolley coach were
scheduled to be transported
away for scrap.
Ottawa Transportation Commission Brill #228, as it
was discovered on the family's property on July 4, 1995.
Next exposure: "2 RIDEAU-NRC"

The image of this sign is from a
photograph of the actual rollsign.
This set of mylar side route
number rollsigns was designed
for either a GMC TDH-5105
"Old Look" or a CCF Brill model
CD-44 or CD-52 bus. They
have no print date, but based on
the model of buses they were
designed for, would place their
print date sometime between
1945 and 1958. They each have
17 exposures. Their identical
print tags are shown below.
OTTAWA TRANSIT
TDH-5105  CD-44 & CD-52

PRODUCT OF TRANSIGN
PONTIAC, MICHIGAN
Although this set of mylar route number rollsigns are the size
of typical run numbers, they were used on the rear of most
early OTC / OC Transpo vehicles. This set was retrieved off of
1968 built GMC T6H-5305 #6833. Like the ones above, there
is no print date on them, and they have 17 exposures each.
OC Transpo GMC T6H-5305 #6833, as it was discovered in
a salvage yard west of Ottawa, Ontario on October 16, 2009.
This set of mylar front route number rollsigns accompany the destination sign
to the right. The single-digit route number was off 1975 built GMC T6H-5307N
#7516. It is dated July 4, 1988 and has 16 exposures. It's sign tag is shown in
the image below. - The two-digit route number sign was off of 1988 built
OBI 03.501 Orion / Ikarus articulated bus #8858. It is dated January, 1990 and
has 113 exposures. Its sign tag is shown typed below.
MultiScreen
F2
#5046/9380
JAN. 1990
OC Transpo GMC T6H-5307N #7516, as it was discovered in
a salvage yard west of Ottawa, Ontario on October 16, 2009.
OC Transpo OBI 03.501 Orion / Ikarus articulated bus #8858, as it was
discovered in a salvage yard west of Ottawa, Ontario on October 16, 2009.
This set of mylar route number rollsigns can be either side signs or rear
signs, since the fixtures that house each are the same. This set is from the
side sign box of 1988 built OBI 03.501 Orion / Ikarus articulated bus #8867.
The single-digit sign has no print date. It has 16 exposures. It's sign tag is
shown in the image below. The 2-digit sign is dated January, 1990 and
has 113 exposures. Its rather simple sign tag is shown, typed below.
S2

JAN. 1990
OC Transpo OBI 03.501 Orion / Ikarus articulated bus #8867, as it was
discovered in a salvage yard west of Ottawa, Ontario on October 16, 2009.
I received this OC Transpo rollsign in a "mint condition"
state, having never been installed in a bus. This mylar
front destination sign is the third in a three-piece front
display, the other two being a two digit, and one digit
route number roll. This sign is dated December 1989
and has 54 exposures. Its sign tag is shown below.
F3-53, REV#1
88/01 01
MULTISCREEN
12/89

DOCKET # 10111