Railway General Knowledge.

[A Challenge]

Tram?

 

[theageofthetra]

It was operated on the Fell system. Saw one of the only surviving locos in NZ the other year.

 

[A Challenge]

What is the fell system?

 

[theageofthetra]

What is the fell system?

Uses a third rail in between the running rails but it uses friction on that rail for extra adhesion & braking rather than a cog. The Snaefell mountain railway uses it & there were a few systems in NZ- hence why the lovely little Fell museum is there.

 

[Calthrop]

theageofthetra, you have it rightly. 1100 mm gauge roadside Fell line 77km long, over the Mont Cenis Pass between St. Michel de Maurienne (France) and Susa (Italy); linking from 1868 to 1871 the standard-gauge systems of the two countries, during the making of the Mont Cenis (Frejus) tunnel, whose completion rendered the Fell line redundant.

Your floor.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

There hasn't been a question for a while, so is this an open floor, please?

If it is, why would there be celebrations at Luton Airport Parkway, Braintree Freeport, Horwich Parkway and West Brompton stations later this year, please?

 

[t_star2001uk]

Is it because they were all opened in 1999....

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Is it because they were all opened in 1999....

Sorry for the delay in replying, but yes, that's right ..... the birthday party is yours, sir.

 

[t_star2001uk]

Declaring open floor....

 

[godfreycomplex]

I'll give this a go
On the Weymouth line electric trains are restricted in both length and number. What would be required to be installed for these restrictions to be removed?

 

[A Challenge]

Electricity Substation (or other electricity booster)

 

[godfreycomplex]

Electricity Substation (or other electricity booster)

It is to do with electricity; yes
Am I allowed to ask you to be more specific?

 

[A Challenge]

It is to do with electricity; yes
Am I allowed to ask you to be more specific?

Raise the amount of current that can be drawn for longer trains, as they need more power. Could it be (a stab in the dark) a splitting of the DC rail?

 

[godfreycomplex]

Raise the amount of current that can be drawn for longer trains, as they need more power. Could it be (a stab in the dark) a splitting of the DC rail?

In a sense; yes
In the absence of any other answers over the past few days - the correct answer is that the substations on that stretch of line only draw 11 kV AC from the national grid (whereas the standard elsewhere is the standard grid voltage of 33 kV AC); this is subsequently transformed and rectified into 750v DC. The circuit breakers and various other gubbins that connect the substation to the grid and vice versa would need upgrading to take 33kv AC. The reason longer trains can't run is there simply isn't enough power coming from the grid to make the traction current sufficiently robust to run longer trains. Indeed there are (possibly apocryphal) anecdotes of noticeable dips in domestic power when 2 10 car test trains ran at the same time in close proximity to one another in the initial testing days. This was meant to be sorted when the power was upgraded for the introduction of Desiros; but; in short; the cash ran out. This is why; if two 10 car trains are west of Poole at once; the electric lights go out in Dorchester (all three of them)
So your assertion that what is needed to raise the current is true; from a certain point of view (it's the voltage that needs to be raised and then the current will follow; but that's splitting hairs)
So you are correct; your floor (sorry for the essay)

 

[martinsh]

In a sense; yes
In the absence of any other answers over the past few days - the correct answer is that the substations on that stretch of line only draw 11 kV AC from the national grid (whereas the standard elsewhere is the standard grid voltage of 33 kV AC); this is subsequently transformed and rectified into 750v DC. The circuit breakers and various other gubbins that connect the substation to the grid and vice versa would need upgrading to take 33kv AC. The reason longer trains can't run is there simply isn't enough power coming from the grid to make the traction current sufficiently robust to run longer trains. Indeed there are (possibly apocryphal) anecdotes of noticeable dips in domestic power when 2 10 car test trains ran at the same time in close proximity to one another in the initial testing days. This was meant to be sorted when the power was upgraded for the introduction of Desiros; but; in short; the cash ran out. This is why; if two 10 car trains are west of Poole at once; the electric lights go out in Dorchester (all three of them)
So your assertion that what is needed to raise the current is true; from a certain point of view (it's the voltage that needs to be raised and then the current will follow; but that's splitting hairs)
So you are correct; your floor (sorry for the essay)

of course as many Diesel trains as you like can run on the line ...

 

[A Challenge]

of course as many Diesel trains as you like can run on the line ...

If they can fit that many in the singnal sections!

I take it I have the floor, which I will now OPEN.

 

[Calthrop]

With its being open floor:

“The Polar Express” is, of course, a festive-and-fictional Yuletide fantasy film. Which real-life railway undertaking calls – and has long done so -- its principal passenger train, the Polar Bear Express?

 

[theageofthetra]

With its being open floor:

“The Polar Express” is, of course, a festive-and-fictional Yuletide fantasy film. Which real-life railway undertaking calls – and has long done so -- its principal passenger train, the Polar Bear Express?

Groudle Glen on the IOM?

 

[Calthrop]

I like your thought processes; but the correct answer could hardly be more different !

 

[Cowley]

Is it somewhere in North America Mr Calthrop? As in something to do with the kids film?
I don't know really (obviously).

 

[Calthrop]

It is indeed in North America, Mr. Cowley; but so far as I know, it and the film are totally different ball-games.

 

[Cowley]

It is indeed in North America, Mr. Cowley; but so far as I know, it and the film are totally different ball-games.

Well right continent but that's as far as I can get so I'd like to think I've loosened this for someone else .

 

[RJ21]

From having had the tv on in the background last week I am thinking the Alaska Railroad? But the named passenger service wasn't that but it doesn't mean it's not them.

 

[Calthrop]

From having had the tv on in the background last week I am thinking the Alaska Railroad? But the named passenger service wasn't that but it doesn't mean it's not them.

It's "up north", relatively (as it probably would be, unless someone on Mexico's railways had a weird sense of humour) -- but it isn't the Alaska Railroad.

 

[martinsh]

I'm guessing the line to Churchill in Manitoba, Canada

 

[theageofthetra]

There a quite a few heritage railroads in the the US/Canada that run Polar Express winter excursions but most branded them after the film came out. The only one I can think of that has been around for ages is the one that runs in Northern Ontario in North Bay.

 

[Calthrop]

I'm guessing the line to Churchill in Manitoba, Canada

Not this one, but...

There a quite a few heritage railroads in the the US/Canada that run Polar Express winter excursions but most branded them after the film came out. The only one I can think of that has been around for ages is the one that runs in Northern Ontario in North Bay.

Correct -- the other line reaching to Hudson Bay: the Ontario Northland Railway, run by the province of Ontario (always independent from the old Canadian National and Canadian Pacific conglomerates which owned and operated the great majority of Canada's railways). The ONR's Polar Bear Express (year-round) runs between Cochrane and Moosonee. theageofthetra, the boreal wilderness becomes your domain...

 

[EbbwJunction1]

As nothing has been posted for a couple of days, can I offer this two part question, please?

1. What job did all of these people hold at different times?
Eric Campbell Geddes; Harry Gosling; John Pybus; Leslie Hore-Belisha & John Reith

2. They are individually the first from their respective groups to hold the post. What are the individual groups called?

 

[EbbwJunction1]

I thought that this would have gone quite quickly, but it's obviously more difficult than I thought.

I know that two out of the five are more famous for other posts that they held. However, the post that we're looking for has a very important connection with the railways, and is still in being today.

It's difficult to give clues, because once I start doing so, I'll probably give the game away! Does this help?

 

[theageofthetra]

They were all Ministers of Transport?