"Two Gs or not Two Gs?": That is the Question!

I took the car in for its annual service/MOT this morning and walked home, my route mainly taking me along some of the old tracks around here. Many of them used to be used for hauling coal from the mines to the Tyne to be shipped off round the world. Several years ago they were improved, along with the installation of several rather elegant signs like this one.

Whenever I see these signs I note that “Waggon” is spelt with two Gs. This is still apparently a correct option from what is nowadays the more-normal spelling with only one “G” (“Wagon”), but is increasingly regarded as archaic (see here and here - the latter link includes a fascinating graph showing the gradual decline of the 2-Gs spelling). I assume this was done to recognise the old origin of the tracks – either that or the person who made the signs was also a relic of a bygone age!

As my photo shows two Gs next to each other, I’m blipping it for today’s MonoMonday challenge of “Together”. (Many thanks to 60plus for hosting this month.)

British English spelling is of course a source of wonder the world over – especially to our transatlantic friends from whom we are “divided by a common language”.   :-))