Railway General Knowledge.

[Gloster]

There is also a Great War soldier half-way down Paddington’s Platform 1, if I remember correctly.

 

[xotGD]

I have just discovered that there is a statue of George Stephenson outside Chesterfield station.

 

[Trackman]

Ken Dodd Lime Street station.

I have just discovered that there is a statue of George Stephenson outside Chesterfield station.

Robert Stephenson was at Euston, it’s been put in store.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Prinz Ernst August, on a horse, on a huge plinth, watches the main entrance to Hannover Hauptbahnhof.

 

[341o2]

Sir John Betjeman at St Pancras.

One that never was, at Tywyn one of the old miners was working on leftover slate, to inquisitive visitors, he was making a plinth to erect a statue of Sir Henry Haydn Jones

 

[DerekC]

After a "never was", a "maybe". There is a plan to erect a statue of Thomas Brassey at Chester station (but insufficient money currently).

 

[Ashley Hill]

Isn't there a Gresley statue at Kings Cross? I seem to remember some controversy about a duck.

 

[Loppylugs]

Isn't there a Gresley statue at Kings Cross? I seem to remember some controversy about a duck.

Mallard !!

 

[EbbwJunction1]

There's a very sad plaque on the platform building at Ongar (Epping & Ongar Railway) Station:

“Father Thomas Byles of St Thomas’s Catholic Church Ongar left this station on 10 April 1912 to join RMS Titanic on her maiden voyage. He died assisting and comforting others after the ship struck an iceberg. 26th February 1870 – 15th April 1912. OHMS.”

I found it to be very moving.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Thanks for the statue information, I shall look out for them.

OK, a 'proper' puzzle question just occurred to me: outside the Hauptbahnhof, Main Train Station, of a provincial city in Germany stands a 'stuffed and mounted' steam engine. The name of the town has a slightly different english version, and a popular british locomotive paint colour, not black, carries the name of the city. What is the name of the city, in English or German?

 

[xotGD]

Brunswick?

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Brunswick?

Correct, Braunschweig/Brunswick Green. I wonder if that paint colour was as good as 'Improved Engine Green'.

Over to you.

 

[xotGD]

On the 18th March 1958, which locomotive worked a special demonstration train from London Liverpool Street Station to Norwich and back, carrying a large headboard proclaiming the “First 2,000hp Diesel London Norwich. Progress by Great Eastern"?

 

[Loppylugs]

That's got to be D200

 

[xotGD]

That's got to be D200

Indeed it was.

Over to you...

 

[Loppylugs]

Thanks @xotGD,

Late in 1963, a diesel loco hauling a freight managed to crash into a Wyman's bookstall.

Points for a) Naming the class of diesel.
b) Naming the unfortunate station.
c) Knowing the exact number of the loco involved. (Will give clues later if necessary).
Extra bonus d) What do you think the proprietor said to the driver (any reasonable printable answer accepted!)

 

[Loppylugs]

Let's narrow this down a fair bit. A hydraulic on the Western Region.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Hymek?
Reading General?
"Can you not look where you are going?"

Was the bookstall on the track, or did the train derail?
I think the Watercress Line has a restored WHS kiosk.

 

[Loppylugs]

I think it's time to reveal all and seeing as @LSWR Cavalier is the only one to have a go I pass the floor to him.
It was indeed a Hymek, no. D7049 which crashed through the Clevedon branch buffers at Yatton and came to rest against the bookstall.
Comments were **!!** -**! or words to that effect !

 

[D6130]

There's a seated statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel on Paddington Station in London.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

@Loppylugs Thanks very much, reminds me of the story "Thomas comes to breakfast"

The Howl Heart of Wales Line has 29 stations, only 12 start with Llan, one of these has the suffix 'Road' and three had or have the suffix 'Wells'.
Please name all of the Llan stations, extra point for getting them in the right order.

Is the Howl a light or a heavy railway?

 

[Calthrop]

@Loppylugs Thanks very much, reminds me of the story "Thomas comes to breakfast"

The Howl Heart of Wales Line has 29 stations, only 12 start with Llan, one of these has the suffix 'Road' and three had or have the suffix 'Wells'.
Please name all of the Llan stations, extra point for getting them in the right order.

I claim to love this line: am embarrassed to find that without referring to the "crib", can think of only eight -- including a junction station with the main line, which is probably cheating -- and order, I think, only approximate.

Llanbister Road, Llangunllo, Llandrindod Wells, Llanwrtyd Wells, Llangammarch Wells, Llandovery, Llandeilo, Llanelli. (Will now consult the map, and feel thoroughly ashamed about those "not in head" when required.)

Is the Howl a light or a heavy railway?

If this is a serious question -- it has me a bit bemused, I fear.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

@Calthrop yes it is a serious question with an unusual answer.

 

[Gloster]

Is part of it a light railway. I think it is normal heavy rail at the south end, although I am not sure where it changes to light rail (Pantyffynnon?, Llandeilo?). And is it true light-rail, or a sort of half-way house?

There is also Llangennech.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

I'm including Church Stretton, although I'm not sure whether it is actually classed as a HOWL station?

Those that I can think of are Sugar Loaf; Builth Road; Pontarddulais.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

@EbbwJunction1 gets points for imagination, Church = Llan. But not all the Llan stations have been named yet.

Unusually there is no Llanfair, fortunately perhaps, for someone would maybe have dreamed up an extended name to rival Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychweryndrobwllllantisiliogogogoch

 

[D6130]

@EbbwJunction1 gets points for imagination, Church = Llan. But not all the Llan stations have been named yet.

Llanwrda, Llangadog, Llandybie.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

All the Llan stations have been guessed, @Calthrop got the most. Llanfair-ym-muallt / Builth Road could also be a 'Llan'. I think the Howl is a 'light' railway (= simple) but able to take heavy trains

 

[Gloster]

I think that it is operated under light-rail regulations, but the infrastructure was built to mainline standards and continues to be maintained to such standards. So you can have ten coach loco-hauled passenger trains or lengthy steel trains having to come to a stand before crossing open level-crossings or crawling over HP points.

 

[Calthrop]

If "the next go" were adjudged to be mine [or "if not, not"] -- I'll decline with thanks.