How many 'Chuggas' before 'Choo Choo' viral debate steams up the internet

The internet has found a new thing to get steamed up about, and even genuine railroaders are taking part in the discussion. Photo / 123RF

A simple question by a Reddit user has sparked the latest viral debate taking over social media, and parenting groups in particular.

The Reddit user recently took to the subreddit "Too Afraid To Ask" to pose the question, probably completely unaware of the debate it would spark: "How many 'chuggas' are you supposed to say before 'choo choo'"?

"I've always said two, but now my kid is saying three," Reddit user u/baption0 wrote.

"However, my kid's preschool teacher says one and it pisses me off that there aren't enough chuggas for a choo; how's the train supposed to go anywhere?"

It turns out, it could be one of the most controversial questions ever asked and the answers were incredibly varied, with no one really able to agree on a definitive answer.

"My rules is the same number of chuggas as we do for the Batman cartoon theme song," Reddit user deadfermata wrote. "Na na na na na na na na na na na na BATMAN!"

"Can confirm - I have always done eight chuggas, as did the people who came before me," someone else said.

Some pointed out it depends on whether the train is going uphill or not.

"Railroader here, I can confirm this is a valid point. I don't use as many chuggas in a downhill stretch of territory as I would if I was climbing uphill."

The question - dubbed the "most innocent" ever asked in that subreddit - continues to gather answers from people all over the world across social media platforms.

On Reddit, the general consensus seems to be that eight chuggas is the ideal number of chuggas.