Railway General Knowledge.

[Ashley Hill]

You are right that in 1975 there was an inspection train

Correct year and type of train.

Hauled by a Warship.

Wrong class.

 

[Snow1964]

Correct year and type of train.

Wrong class.

I would have gone for a weed killing train, with a Hymek, but based on the inspection clue I think a bubble car DMU

 

[Ashley Hill]

I would have gone for a weed killing train, with a Hymek, but based on the inspection clue I think a bubble car DMU

Not a bubblecar I'm afraid.

To be fair I've hardly seen any photos of this move. There are a handful on one site that has nothing to do with railways unless any members know different.

 

[Graham H]

Yes there are some nice pictures, http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~cyberheritage/nostalgia/ilfra.htm on this site which also gives the answer so dont look ! I must admit I gave up and looked on the internet. Amazing how much infrastructure was still there including gates and semaphores. Did anything run between 1970 and 1975 as thats a long time in limbo, I take it track lifting wasnt done by train then ?

 

[Ashley Hill]

Yes,that's the site. I've looked for other shots in the past but no luck. AFAIK nothing ran between closure and this train. I believe lifting commenced shortly after. Once the bridge at Barnstaple was removed about 1977/78 it was game over.

 

[Graham H]

OK, thats all I found too but thought it was a railway site so wasnt the one you saw.

 

[Ashley Hill]

OK, thats all I found too but thought it was a railway site so wasnt the one you saw.

Yes,it was a railway website after all. I haven't looked at it for some time. I tried finding it again for this question and failed. All I could remember was that it wasn't an obvious railway search to find it. At least you found it so others can now view them.
There's now excuse for any wrong answers now! Perhaps you'd like to officially finish it off?

 

[Graham H]

Well in that case it was 25063 that took the last train, an inspection saloon. Strangely in my mind the saloon was dragged both ways so not sure how much the assembled throng could see. In Combe rail members magazine there is mention of an 08 hauled train that was thought to have been used to remove remaining furniture in 1973. Some nice articles in the mag for anyone interested.

As its my first go, heres an easy one. 25063 was also the loco allocated to haul the last train on which other line.

 

[Ashley Hill]

In Combe rail members magazine there is mention of an 08 hauled train that was thought to have been used to remove remaining furniture in 1973. Some nice articles in the mag for anyone interested.

I've never heard of that,the annual retired section reunion is cancelled this year so I've no one to ask. Some years ago I was given a stool by an ex North Devon signalman reputedly from Ilfracombe.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Well in that case it was 25063 that took the last train, an inspection saloon. Strangely in my mind the saloon was dragged both ways so not sure how much the assembled throng could see. In Combe rail members magazine there is mention of an 08 hauled train that was thought to have been used to remove remaining furniture in 1973. Some nice articles in the mag for anyone interested.

As its my first go, heres an easy one. 25063 was also the loco allocated to haul the last train on which other line.

Ah,that would be Hemyock. Clearly 25063 was a popular loco for last trains in 1975.
If correct then open floor.....

 

[Graham H]

Quite correct. Also saw a picture of said loco piloting a failed class 50 around the same time so unfortunate it succumbed to the Swindon razor blade factory as it was quite a celebrity and well travelled over its life.
The article I referred to in Combe Rail Members Mag issue 2 says " On Thursday 8 th February 1973 a class 08 diesel shunter (probably the Barnstaple yard pilot) and two brake vans departed from Barnstaple Junction at 10.15 and proceeded to Ilfracombe and back as an engineer’s Inspection special. The purpose of the trip is believed to have been to collect all remaining loose items such as seats, weighing machines, signs etc. etc. Three detonators and a red hand signal were placed on the track behind the train ¼ mile from Barnstaple Junction. On the return journey the train was to stop at the detonators until authorised to proceed towards Barnstaple. I also saw a comment elsewhere with the same date and that it was assumed to be one of three possible 08's that were outstationed at Barnstaple around that time.

Over to anyone for the next question

 

[444045]

Which train service was the 1st run by South West Trains , when did it happen and which unit was involved ?

 

[Romsey]

Canadian National and Canadian Pacific had parallel running along the Fraser Canyon in BC, in the area of Boston Bar to Hope, with one's line on one side of the river and the other's on the other. Both lines are still there and as far as I know are now unidirectional. So I suppose that it is reasonable to assume that the same thing happened elsewhere and that in some places the two stretches of track were combined into a single line. So my answer is a complete guess, since even if this did happen, I have no idea if it would have been as early as 1917.

For the last ten years years (I think) traffic has moved westbound on the CN line and eastbound on the CP line. This applies between Matsqui Jn/ Mission and Cisco or Kamloops. the idea was to run longer trains as some loops in the Frazer canyon were a bit short and to save all the stopping and starting at crosses. There is a connection between the two lines at Cisco and a new one at Ashcroft at some point in the next few years. Just to confuse first time visitors both lines cross the Frazer River at Cisco. The CP got the easier route through the canyon and the CN had to take the other side of the canyon with heavier engineering works. Highway 1 came last and was initially an tidied up version of the original mule track into the hills.
Both lines are still signalled as single lines to give some flexibility when there are rock slides - there are normally a couple per year.

 

[Bedpan]

For the last ten years years (I think) traffic has moved westbound on the CN line and eastbound on the CP line. This applies between Matsqui Jn/ Mission and Cisco or Kamloops. the idea was to run longer trains as some loops in the Frazer canyon were a bit short and to save all the stopping and starting at crosses. There is a connection between the two lines at Cisco and a new one at Ashcroft at some point in the next few years. Just to confuse first time visitors both lines cross the Frazer River at Cisco. The CP got the easier route through the canyon and the CN had to take the other side of the canyon with heavier engineering works. Highway 1 came last and was initially an tidied up version of the original mule track into the hills.
Both lines are still signalled as single lines to give some flexibility when there are rock slides - there are normally a couple per year.

I had no idea that they were used such as far west as Matsqui Junction. Having had a look on Google Earth, they must be about 4 or 5 miles apart in some places, for instance Chilliwack / Harison Mills. Attached are a couple of snapshots I took from above the line just west of Mission about 10 years ago. Hopefully I didn't wait too long for a train coming in the other direction, deceived by the double track!

 

[Bedpan]

Which train service was the 1st run by South West Trains , when did it happen and which unit was involved ?

There is or was an 00.02 stopping train to Woking, so assuming that SWT took over the franchise at midnight, this could be the first train they ran. as for the date, no idea, but they didn't take the franchise over from anybody else. So to pluck a date out of the air I would guess 3rd April 1995. The unit -absolutely no idea but maybe a 455?

 

[444045]

There is or was an 00.02 stopping train to Woking, so assuming that SWT took over the franchise at midnight, this could be the first train they ran. as for the date, no idea, but they didn't take the franchise over from anybody else. So to pluck a date out of the air I would guess 3rd April 1995. The unit -absolutely no idea but maybe a 455?

You're correct it was a 455. 5871 to be exact. Wrong train and date though.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

You're correct it was a 455. 5871 to be exact. Wrong train and date though.

I seem to recall it being from Twickenham to Waterloo, just after midnight, but cannot recall the date.

 

[Romsey]

I seem to recall it being from Twickenham to Waterloo, just after midnight, but cannot recall the date.

It's a long time ago, but I was working for SWT at that time. Something daft like 0516 Twickenham - Waterloo via New Malden? ( It's over 20 years since I had anything much to do with the SWT/SWR Timetable apart from using it.)

 

[444045]

It's a long time ago, but I was working for SWT at that time. Something daft like 0516 Twickenham - Waterloo via New Malden? ( It's over 20 years since I had anything much to do with the SWT/SWR Timetable apart from using it.)

Something daft is almost spot on as it was 2O01 0510 Twickenham to Waterloo.
I was working in the Control at Waterloo that morning.

All I need now is the date ?

 

[Romsey]

12 February 1996?

 

[backontrack]

I'll go earlier. 4th Feb.

 

[444045]

I'll go earlier. 4th Feb.

Correct answer.

The next question is all yours to ask...

 

[backontrack]

Correct answer.

The next question is all yours to ask...

Thanks

@Romsey's floor, I think.

 

[Romsey]

Identify the steam locomotive that operated in the British Isles but was preserved in South Africa.
The last report of it's status was in 2010, so who knows what has happened ......

 

[Calthrop]

Taking a bit of a flyer -- "British Isles" in a wide sense of the term -- the Jersey Railway's 2-4-0T La Moye ? Jersey Railway being 3ft. 6in. gauge, South Africa's rail system the same: the loco was sold out of service from Jersey, I think earlier than its line's demise in 1936, for shunting work at a power station in South Africa -- did that job for many decades, finally went into preservation in S.A.

 

[Romsey]

Taking a bit of a flyer -- "British Isles" in a wide sense of the term -- the Jersey Railway's 2-4-0T La Moye ? Jersey Railway being 3ft. 6in. gauge, South Africa's rail system the same: the loco was sold out of service from Jersey, I think earlier than its line's demise in 1936, for shunting work at a power station in South Africa -- did that job for many decades, finally went into preservation in S.A.

Well done, you cracked it in one.
I thought I was going to need a clue about about the gauge to get folks on the right lines. It was more or less preserved by the 1970's, just shunting the ESCOM workshops at Rosherville near Johannesburg a couple of times per week.
Over to you to provide something a bit more obscure.....

 

[Calthrop]

With South Africa in the frame as from your question:

What are the linking factors between South Africa; a GWR 0-4-2T; a prominent British historical figure; and a motorway services area in a southerly part of England?

 

[Graham H]

Well theres an m5 service station at Tiverton and an 042 in the museum. Without cheating and looking it up I am guessing theres a Tiverton in South Africa but no idea who the historical figure is

 

[xotGD]

Wild guess: Clacket

Town in RSA called Clacket
Loco named Clacket
Historical figure named Lord Clacket
And the only one based on fact - Clacket Lane Services

 

[Graham H]

Along with Lord Clacket, how about Major De Laize as the historical (wartime) figure ? He must be still alive as I hear of him on the traffic news as its often announced that theres Major De Laize at Tiverton on the M5 though to be fair he must get around a bit as I know he was also at Clacket Lane recently.