Railway General Knowledge.

[Xenophon PCDGS]

What is the nearest country to England that has no railways ?


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HINT :-

In answer to two PM received, Liechtenstein is incorrect....having four stations.

 

[ainsworth74]

Do you count the Principality of Sealand? Failing that Andorra?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Well done. Andorra is indeed the country.

Please set the next one.

 

[ainsworth74]

Very sorry totally forgot that I gave an answer I have to go out for a while now so open floor (though if no one's claimed it by my return I'll be taking it back ).

 

[Ivo]

Let's see...

Part of the A22 through East Grinstead is named after our good friend Dr Beeching, as a result of his closing three of the four routes into the town; it follows the route of the line out towards Groombridge. But why is this particular Beeching Way so infamous? (There are two reasons for this, and I expect both!)

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Firstly, the Bluebell Railway was directly affected by the construction of Beeching Way, as this new road used one mile of the trackbed from Station Road to the Lewes Road tunnel.

Secondly, in 1974, East Sussex County Council created the Forest Way linear park using the trackbed from East Grinstead to Groombridge, then later on in 1979, West Sussex County Council created the Worth Way linear park using the trackbed from East Grinstead to Three Bridges. Both of these are now Sustrans alternative cycling routes, amongst other matters.

 

[Ivo]

The first situation is not unique to East Grinstead, while the second does not really relate to the road Beeching Way. Sorry

I will state that an accurate answer will reference Beeching and/or his report in both cases.

 

[steamybrian]

Firstly, the Bluebell Railway was directly affected by the construction of Beeching Way, as this new road used one mile of the trackbed from Station Road to the Lewes Road tunnel.

Incorrect-- the Bluebell Railway was not affected by the closure otherwise they would have been unable to rebuild the extension from Kingscote To East Grinstead which is due to open Spring 2013. Beeching Way was built on the trackbed of the East Grinstead- Groombridge line which was listed for closure in his 1963 report.

Beeching Way in East Grinstead was originally going to be named Beeching Cut but the local authority decided it was inappropriate so called it Beeching Way.
The road is a single carriageway in each direction in a deep cutting which involved the removal of one tunnel and the infilling of another.
I am not sure whether Dr. Beeching actually opened it considering he lived locally . I beleive (but unsure) that the boundary of his (very) large residence backed on to the railway he closed.

 

[Ivo]

steamybrian's responses more or less match the answers I sought. The floor is his.

 

[steamybrian]

Further to my previous answer of Beeching Way in that it holds a record for me...! It is the only location where I have driven a car along the road built on the trackbed of a railway on which previously I travelled by train ...!

Which station closed in 1865 and reopened 118 years later in 1983 ?
Surely it must be the longest gap between a station closing and then reopening.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Can I intercede...

Mills Hill station (Manchester and Leeds Railway) closed in 1842 and was reopened in 1985....A gap of 143 years.

 

[steamybrian]

Can I intercede...

Mills Hill station (Manchester and Leeds Railway) closed in 1842 and was reopened in 1985....A gap of 143 years.

Paul- You have caught me out on this one!!!!
I have just verified it...

The answer I was looking for on my question was Dalston Kingsland.

OK-Paul over to you

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

What major station in the north of England opened in 1842 with two separate names....and what were these two names ?

 

[steamybrian]

Nottingham Central and Nottingham Joint which later became Nottingham Victoria

 

[D841 Roebuck]

Leeds (City).

Was formerly Wellington and New.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

My apologies to both of you...the year of opening did not appear in my conundrum originally, but it is there now.

Neither of your answers were the one that I had in mind.

 

[steamybrian]

Manchester Piccadilly opened as
Manchester Store Street and Bank Top ( or similiar names)

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Well done. Please set the next one.

 

[steamybrian]

.....open floor.......

(I cannot think of another question at present.!)

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Let us move forward in time...

There was an 0-6-6-0T small class of steam locomotives in Britain that had thermic syphons. Who was the designer of this class and where were these locomotives built.

 

[D6975]

The only mainline steamer I can think of that was technically an 0-6-6-0T was Bulleid's Leader.
I think they were built at Brighton. I know only one of them ever entered traffic.

ps Just occurred to me that he did the turf burner as well in Ireland. That was similar to the Leader.

 

[LE Greys]

O.V.S. Bulleid, built at Brighton, I believe. The class was known as the Leaders, but none ever carried that name. Only one ever ran, although four more were almost complete. They were also absolutely useless, by being hideously unreliable and very difficult to work.

<EDIT> Beaten to it, well done D6975!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

By answering just one minute earlier than LE Greys, with two correct answers being posted, I award the win to D6975, who should now set the next one.

 

[D6975]

Back to the late 80s-early 90s.

Around this time there were two stations in Scotland that although officially closed, remained open in practice. Staff treated them as request stops.

One was somewhere in the Fife area and I can't remember exactly where.
Where was the other one - stations to each side of it will do..

 

[steamybrian]

I would suggest-

Falls of Cruachan and Dunrobin Castle

Both were closed and later reopened officially as request halts

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

One was somewhere in the Fife area.

I would be interested to know which one was the one in the Fife area that you referred to ?......(I note that this is NOT required in the answer)......Does anyone know which this might be ?

I too would have said the same as steamybrian as those are the two "summer season" stations that we have to watch out for on "The next station is" quiz, which is based upon current timetabling.

 

[D6975]

I would suggest-

Falls of Cruachan and Dunrobin Castle

Both were closed and later reopened officially as request halts

No neither of these. These were both officially reopened. The one I'm thinking of is still closed, but I don't know if the unofficial stopping of trains there continues to this day. It certainly did happen right up to sprinterisation, as I know a couple of people who got off at the station to the west then walked to it in order to get both stations in for a 37.

The one in the Fife area (IIRC) I didn't know about until it appeared in a short article on the early evening news - one of those 'human interest/novelty' type things that they often used to end with. For the life of me I can't remember where it was exactly though.

 

[D841 Roebuck]

I'll have a guess.

The one with the 37 bashers might be Gortan, on the West Highland line.

For Fife - Rosyth Dockyard??

 

[D6975]

I'll have a guess.

The one with the 37 bashers might be Gortan, on the West Highland line.

Wrong batch of tractors.
Similarly remote location though.

If no one gets this soon I might have to give another clue.
The problem with unofficial things like this is that they are often poorly documented. I did an internet search and didn't get any mention of it..(The remaining in use that is)
A bit of an anti-google question then if you like.
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Another clue.

This station was always a request stop, but had a very formal way of requesting a train to stop. It closed in 1964. I found a pic of it taken in 1997 and the platform and shelter were still in situ.

 

[steamybrian]

A lot of research has revealed that-
Dalnaspidal was closed in 1965 but at the request of the local authority the station platform and shelter was kept in situ as an emergency in case severe weather conditions blocked the adjacent A9 road between Inverness and Perth.
I found a photo on the web site taken in 1997 of the platform still in situ.
I am sure what use had been made of the platform.