Railway General Knowledge.

[theageofthetra]

As opposed to using a rack a system was developed that used an alternative method to provide extra grip. What was it called and where is the only surviving locomotive?

 

[martinsh]

That would be the Fell system, and the only surviving locomotive is in New Zealand.

 

[theageofthetra]

Correct and I saw it last year. It was surprisingly successful over there, not sure if any ever worked in the UK. Your floor

 

[martinsh]

Which UK line was opened in the middle of the 19th century, but not connected to the rest of the network until the beginning of the 20th century. And is still open

NB not including Northern Ireland

 

[Calthrop]

Which UK line was opened in the middle of the 19th century, but not connected to the rest of the network until the beginning of the 20th century. And is still open

NB not including Northern Ireland

The Looe branch -- formerly the independent Liskeard & Looe Railway -- steep line making physical link with GWR main line, opened 1901?

 

[BurtonM]

Waterloo and City?

 

[martinsh]

The Looe branch -- formerly the independent Liskeard & Looe Railway -- steep line making physical link with GWR main line, opened 1901?

Correct. Built 1860, connected to network 1901.

Your floor

 

[Calthrop]

A French railway question. There's a certain gauge which was fairly uncommon in France for public lines; but there were a small handful of such -- including running passenger services -- on this gauge. The lives of two of these, were effectively ended by military action in World War II.

Please identify the two railways concerned; and the gauge.
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If this helps at all: both lines were in coastal locations; and the demise of both, can be attributed to -- different -- actions on the part of the Allies, late in the war.

 

[martinsh]

Is it 500mm gauge ? No idea of the lines though ...

 

[Calthrop]

Is it 500mm gauge ? No idea of the lines though ...

A little bit wider, and less rare -- in France or in general. Scratching head a bit at the moment, for further clue which wouldn't be a total giveaway...

 

[martinsh]

Well the obvious answer is 600mm, but Wikipedia lists 29 lines of that gauge in France ...

 

[Calthrop]

Well the obvious answer is 600mm, but Wikipedia lists 29 lines of that gauge in France ...

To the best of my knowledge, there were only ever five (perhaps six) public-with-passenger-services "proper-and-established" 600mm gauge lines / systems in France -- as opposed to "ephemeral" and / or short almost pier-railway-like outfits. (And at all events, an immensely larger amount of France's narrow gauge, was 1 metre.) Two of the "proper and established" 600mm gauge concerns, were the subject of my question.

Question was maybe not very well framed. I suggest -- the more "notorious" WW2 victim of the two lines I had in mind, was right in the path of the D-Day invasion; was wrecked thereby, and never reinstated. Giving its termini and / or the name of the operating undertaking (non-SNCF), will rate as correct answer to the question.
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I’ll be away from now (11/10 early morning), till late tonight. So I see “retiring” this question: giving the answers and declaring “open floor”.

The D-Day victim, was the line from Caen to Luc-sur-Mer – last surviving route as at 1944 of the Chemins de Fer du Calvados, which at one time operated an extensive 600mm gauge system serving much of that département. The other line, also 600mm gauge, was that of the Tramways de Royan, on the Atlantic coast: with a 43km system (steam plus internal-combustion) serving the town of Royan, and running west and north therefrom, parallel to the coast. In this patch of France, the Germans held out and refused to surrender: a heavy Allied air raid early in 1945, effectively put an end to the tramway – destroying most of its motive power and rolling stock in Royan town. For a little while, remnants of the line were used for rubble-clearance; but abandonment and demolition quickly followed.

 

[theageofthetra]

As its open floor. Which UK railway company operated the locomotive with the largest diameter driving wheel and how large was it? (No ships or other non rail)

 

[t_star2001uk]

Was it a Stirling 4-2-2 working on the GWR,,,,


Open floor if correct

 

[theageofthetra]

Not that loco this had a bigger driving wheel.

 

[TheEdge]

GWR Iron Duke?

 

[theageofthetra]

Correct railway wrong loco. Need wheel size

 

[Ash Bridge]

GWR Prince Class 2-2-2 ?

Driving wheel diameter 7' 6"

 

[TheEdge]

Whats annoying is I started Wiki mining something else and found what is probably the right answer. Am I allowed to give it?

 

[t_star2001uk]

Bristol and Exeter tank engine. 8'4" GWR.


Open floor if correct.....

 

[theageofthetra]

No still bigger.

 

[t_star2001uk]

My next attempt

LNWR 2-2-2 3020 Cornwall

8'6" driving wheels

Open floor if correct

 

[Ash Bridge]

How about the B&E Pearson 2-4-2T no.44 (9ft. driving wheels)?

 

[theageofthetra]

Still not big enough.

 

[Cowley]

Was it some kind of strange Crampton machine?

 

[TheEdge]

I'm going to just throw the answer I've got, GWR Hurricane, one of the original GWR engines, a bizarre geared design with a 10ft single driver.

 

[theageofthetra]

I'm going to just throw the answer I've got, GWR Hurricane, one of the original GWR engines, a bizarre geared design with a 10ft single driver.

Correct the Hurricane of 1838. Bonkers barely describes it.

Your floor.

 

[Cowley]

I'm going to just throw the answer I've got, GWR Hurricane, one of the original GWR engines, a bizarre geared design with a 10ft single driver.

I just read up about that as well. Very strange.

 

[TheEdge]

I got nothing, open floor.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

This won't last long, but who are the two people missing from these sets of initials?

FWH CC DG GJC