As TransLink begins its search for ideas for the future of the soon-to-be-retired Mark I SkyTrain carsone Burnaby resident has already come up with a plan: public art.

Kelly Younker wrote to the mayor and council earlier this year to suggest the city acquire one of the cars and display it as a historical monument near a Burnaby SkyTrain station.

“I thought it would be a good idea for Burnaby to retain, preserve and showcase the original spirit of Burnaby,” Younker said. wrote the council in August, noting that the cars had names “at the time representing different cities or regions.”

Younker proposed that the car could rest on a short piece of track under the guideway, fenced off, near the Metrotown or Patterson station – perhaps part of Burnaby’s plans to revamp the BC Parkway.

The “Spirit of Burnaby” ​​car was car No. 50, according to Younker, and permanently attached to car No. 49, the “Spirit of Castlegar.”

Younker wondered if Burnaby could even acquire both trains and suggested the name “Spirit of Burnaby” could be “written on the sides (of the car) as it was.”

(A 1985 article in The province noted that the name of the SkyTrain cars followed “the tradition of great railways around the world”, and former Minister of Transport Grace McCarthy suggested that the name was designed to “foster goodwill throughout B.C. towards our system (SkyTrain)” which, she said, was “not just a juggernaut”. electronics and steel, but also a symbol of British Columbian excellence. “)

“It’s part of our history and adds value to our community, as well as interest in tourism, and I think it would be a great idea to continue this before the opportunity is lost forever” , Younker wrote.