Railway General Knowledge.

[Calthrop]

Phew. At last !

As is well know the Great Western converted all it's broad gauge lines to standard in 1892. There have however been other gauge conversions in Great Britain since them. Please name the taest gauge conversion. Name of the line. Bonus points for date and thew two gauges concerned.

PS this does not include narrow gauge / miniature railways built on old standard gauge trackbeds.

I'll try -- the majority of the Torrington & Marland industrial (for carriage of clay) narrow-gauge line in North Devon; its route, incorporated in the Southern Railway's new Torrington -- Halwill line, opened 1925: between roughly, the new line's Dunsbear Halt; and existing SR line at Torrington. Gauges: 3 ft., replaced by 4 ft.8-and-a-half in.

 

[martinsh]

No. Much later than that

 

[xotGD]

Glasgow underground?

 

[341o2]

Southend pier railway, 3'6" closed 1978, reopened 1986 as 3'
Also the Fairbourne railway, brought by the Ellertons in 1984 and rebuilt from 15" to 12 1/4" 1986

 

[martinsh]

Southend pier railway, 3'6" closed 1978, reopened 1986 as 3'
Also the Fairbourne railway, brought by the Ellertons in 1984 and rebuilt from 15" to 12 1/4" 1986

Correct ! You even managed to get the "trick question" of there being two possible answers I would have accepted.

Your gauge conversion exercise

 

[341o2]

Open floor please

 

[xotGD]

Which manufacturer supplied the diesel engines in the Class 10 shunters?

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Good lord I did not even know there was a class 10 shunter so complete guess British Thompson Houston?

 

[xotGD]

Good lord I did not even know there was a class 10 shunter so complete guess British Thompson Houston?

No, it's not BTH. (Several of the class have been preserved, btw.)

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Hunslett

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Class 10 is basically an 08 lookalike, so I'll suggest English Electric.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Class 10 is basically an 08 lookalike, so I'll suggest English Electric.

I was going to suggest that but it seems too obvious. I will have one more go - Barclay.

 

[xotGD]

No correct answers so far.

 

[SteveyBee131]

Complete guess, Brush?

 

[xotGD]

Complete guess, Brush?

No, not Brush.

Time for a clue: In 1969 the company merged with Mirrlees.

 

[martinsh]

Were class 10 the ones with Blackstone engines ?

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Was it Ruston?

 

[xotGD]

Was it Ruston?

No, because...

Were class 10 the ones with Blackstone engines ?

Is the correct answer! Your floor...

 

[martinsh]

Open floor

 

[SteveyBee131]

OK, back to the (fairly) recent past for this one:

Regional Railways North East eventually became known as Northern Spirit after privatisation.

How many versions of their livery were there? Colours and purpose of each please...

 

[xotGD]

I'll go with 4:

Yellow for Tyne & Wear PTE
Maroony-Red for West Yorkshire PTE
Turquoise for the main Pacer and Sprinter fleet
Blue for the 158s used on Trans-Pennine services

 

[SteveyBee131]

I'll go with 4:

Yellow for Tyne & Wear PTE
Maroony-Red for West Yorkshire PTE
Turquoise for the main Pacer and Sprinter fleet
Blue for the 158s used on Trans-Pennine services

Only 3 as Tyne and Wear PTE didn't have a full livery requirement for their sponsored units, they did have a small logo by the doors and on the 'draught-screens' of a few Pacers though.

You've got 2 out of 3 of the main colours so I'll let you have it (TransPennine units were maroon not blue)

So @xotGD, the paintshop is yours

 

[xotGD]

Only 3 as Tyne and Wear PTE didn't have a full livery requirement for their sponsored units, they did have a small logo by the doors and on the 'draught-screens' of a few Pacers though.

You've got 2 out of 3 of the main colours so I'll let you have it (TransPennine units were maroon not blue)

So @xotGD, the paintshop is yours

You are being very generous

On the same theme as my previous question, which manufacturer supplied the diesel engines in the Class 06 shunters built by Barclay?

 

[Spamcan81]

Gardner?

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Now that has to be Barclay. I do have photos in my collection including one being cut at St Rollox works Glasgow,

They were really difficult and to clear my locos I had to get round Dunfermline Townhill depot where quite a few were allocated. I have my records somewhere. It got me down to under 50 locos and I got 4 08s that were allocated to Hamilton all on Ravenscraig Steel works on the same trip as well.

 

[xotGD]

Gardner?

Well done! You may take over shunting duties...

 

[Spamcan81]

Which still operational UK railway has operated on three different gauges during its history?

 

[Calthrop]

Which still operational UK railway has operated on three different gauges during its history?

Fairbourne? 2 ft. (610mm) 1895 -- 1916; 15 in. (381mm) 1916 -- 1986; 12 and one-quarter in. (311mm) 1986 -- present day.

 

[Spamcan81]

Fairbourne? 2 ft. (610mm) 1895 -- 1916; 15 in. (381mm) 1916 -- 1986; 12 and one-quarter in. (311mm) 1986 -- present day.

I'd forgotten about the Fairbourne Tramway part of it's history so had only considered the railway two have run on two gauges during its history. I have a different railway in mind so see if you can discover which one I'm thinking of. As a clue, this line had a period of operating on two gauges at once.

 

[Calthrop]

I'd forgotten about the Fairbourne Tramway part of it's history so had only considered the railway two have run on two gauges during its history. I have a different railway in mind so see if you can discover which one I'm thinking of. As a clue, this line had a period of operating on two gauges at once.

I strongly doubt that this is right; but -- Lappa Valley Railway?? A short section of, originally, the Cornwall Minerals railway (4 ft. 8 and a half in.) -- after this concern taken over by the Great Western, the relevant stretch was for a while -- at least notionally -- dual-gauge 4 ft. 8-&-a-half, and 7 ft. Lappa Valley (15 in. gauge) laid on a section of this, by then abandoned, Chacewater -- Newquay line.