Railway General Knowledge.

[Gloster]

I don't think that is correct.
D1734 was withdrawn a few months earlier following an accident at Coton Hill, Shrewsbury.

D1734 was withdrawn in either March or April 1965 as a result of the Coton Hill accident. D1671 was withdrawn in April 1966 as a result of the Bridgend one. (15 March 1965 and 18 April 1966 according to BRDatabase.)

Sources: Butlin’s and Sugden’s books.

 

[D6130]

D1734 was withdrawn in either March or April 1965 as a result of the Coton Hill accident. D1671 was withdrawn in April 1966 as a result of the Bridgend one. (15 March 1965 and 18 April 1966 according to BRDatabase.)

Sources: Butlin’s and Sugden’s books.

Correct! D1734 was officially withdrawn on 15/03/1965, following the derailment and collision at Coton Hill South box on 11/01/1965, which tragically resulted in the death of the signalman. (Source: BR Database). Therefore D1734 is the right answer.

 

[Grumpy]

Correct! D1734 was officially withdrawn on 15/03/1965, following the derailment and collision at Coton Hill South box on 11/01/1965, which tragically resulted in the death of the signalman. (Source: BR Database). Therefore D1734 is the right answer.

 

[Grumpy]

You're both correct.
I apologise for this. The other day I was looking at some photos I had taken of the scrapyard at Bridgend with D1671 surrounded by Bulleid pacifics and a Jubilee and this must have been at the front of my mind. I completely overlooked D1734
Apologies again

 

[DerekC]

We seem to be in the doldrums again! A quick question to get us going:

The Canadian Pacific was the first Canadian transcontinental railroad, the "last spike" being driven in 1885. In what year was the second Canadian transcontinental completed? (and for a bonus point, what was it called at the time?)

 

[xotGD]

I will start with 1886, and if that is wrong, I think you know what my next guess will be!

 

[DerekC]

I will start with 1886, and if that is wrong, I think you know what my next guess will be!

At that rate it will take quite a few posts to get there!

 

[A S Leib]

Knowing very roughly how long it took for Australia to get a same-gauge transcontinental railway, I'm guessing 1970 and hoping that it's at least less than forty-two years out.

 

[DerekC]

Knowing very roughly how long it took for Australia to get a same-gauge transcontinental railway, I'm guessing 1970 and hoping that it's at least less than forty-two years out.

Perhaps Canada had more incentive than Australia to build transcontinental railways, because it's a very long way round Canada by boat! Also because for a while in the 19th Century there was a serious possibility of British Columbia joining the United States instead of the Canadian Confederation.

The US bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 and part of the deal under which BC was persuaded to join Canada in 1871 instead of the USA was the promise of a transcontinental railway to be started within two years. Hence the CPR. The second one was quite a bit later, but I am afraid 1970 is rather more than 42 years out!

 

[Snow1964]

I will guess it was about 1910 when many lines were fully linked up.

Hopefully closer than somewhere between 1886 and 1970, although a higher or lower clue for next person might help

 

[DerekC]

I will guess it was about 1910 when many lines were fully linked up.

You are not far out. The "cutting the first sod" ceremony was in 1905 at Fort William, Ontario.

 

[xotGD]

1908

 

[martinsh]

I think the name of this one was the Grand Trunk Railroad

 

[DerekC]

I think the name of this one was the Grand Trunk Railroad

That's pretty much right - it was the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway.

1908

They took a bit longer than that to build it. After all, it's nearly 2000 miles from Fort William, Ontario (now Thunder Bay) to Vancouver!

 

[Peterthegreat]

1918?

 

[DerekC]

1918?

Overshoot! As a clue, construction of the Canadian Pacific (the first Canadian transcontinental) started in 1875 and the last spike was driven in 1885.

 

[DerekC]

This one seems to have lost momentum, so I will declare @Peterthegreat as the winner for getting nearest the right answer, which is 1914.

 

[Gloster]

This one seems to have lost momentum, so I will declare @Peterthegreat as the winner for getting nearest the right answer, which is 1914.

Wasn’t the Grand Trunk Railway a bit of a white elephant as it went bankrupt only a few years later.

 

[Peterthegreat]

This one seems to have lost momentum, so I will declare @Peterthegreat as the winner for getting nearest the right answer, which is 1914.

Thank you.
Which is Europe's busiest station (in terms of passenger numbers) that is not situated in a capital city?

 

[Gloster]

Hamburg Hauptbahnhof?

 

[Peterthegreat]

Hamburg Hauptbahnhof?

Is correct.
Nächste Frage, bitte.

 

[Gloster]

A quick and easy one. What was the Southern Railways’ most southerly passenger station served by its trains, so not some foreign port, on the eve of nationalisation?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Exmouth?

 

[Ashley Hill]

Ventnor?

 

[Gloster]

Exmouth?

Ventnor?

Neither.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Turnchapel?

 

[xotGD]

Plymouth

 

[DerekC]

How about Bodmin North?

 

[Ashley Hill]

Sutton Harbour

 

[Gloster]

Plymouth

How about Bodmin North?

Sutton Harbour

All wrong…

Turnchapel?

…but this is correct. Closed to passengers 10 September 1951.

To you to point the say to the next question.