Railway General Knowledge.

[SteveyBee131]

As nobody has come up with the correct year (1998) and the prescribed 48 hours has passed, we'll say that @SteveM70 got the right port and so can be harbourmaster and set the next question

 

[SuspectUsual]

Open floor

 

[Calthrop]

I recently visited the Statfold Barn Railway -- not to my taste in all respects; but definitely has an impressive number of steam locos of its gauge of 2 feet / 600mm (some possibly replicas??), from assorted corners of the globe.

Inspired by this: please name one country of each of the four following continents, which has -- or has had -- public railways of the above-mentioned gauge.

Continental Europe; Asia; Africa; North America

 

[xotGD]

Germany, India, Zimbabwe, Canada

 

[Calthrop]

Germany, India, Zimbabwe, Canada

Germany and India, definitely. Zimbabwe -- I take it, the short section within Zim. (then Southern Rhodesia) of the Beira Railway, from the border point at Mutare (then Umtali) to Beira, Mozambique: opened on 2ft. gauge 1898, widened 1900. Public 2ft. gauge in Canada: my knowledge may be lacking -- please could you specify where?

 

[xotGD]

Germany and India, definitely. Zimbabwe -- I take it, the short section within Zim. (then Southern Rhodesia) of the Beira Railway, from the border point at Mutare (then Umtali) to Beira, Mozambique: opened on 2ft. gauge 1898, widened 1900. Public 2ft. gauge in Canada: my knowledge may be lacking -- please could you specify where?

Sorry, Canada was just a guess based in former ties to Britain. I will happily try again and say USA.

 

[Calthrop]

Sorry, Canada was just a guess based in former ties to Britain. I will happily try again and say USA.

It was USA, in my mind: had a number of public 2ft. gauge lines in the state of Maine (last of these closed in 1944); and a few short-distance lines of the gauge, elsewhere.

Your question to set !

 

[xotGD]

As I got the previous question correct based on no knowledge whatsoever, I feel that I should declare Open Floor!

 

[DerekC]

OK. Since we are on a 60cm gauge theme, name the thirteen railways of approximately that gauge which have operated in the British Isles. For the avoidance of dispute:

1) 60cm gauge (for the purposes of this question) includes anything from 1ft 10½in to 2ft
2) Only entries included in my copy of "Encyclopedia of Narrow Gauge Railways of Great Britain and Ireland" count
3) And the Welsh Highland and NWNGR count as one.

 

[SuspectUsual]

The fantastic Cadeby Light Railway was 2 foot gauge (or thereabouts)

 

[Calthrop]

I'm struggling and uncertain, a bit, here. Although @SteveM70 has submitted the Cadeby: surely there are / have been a fair number of -- not meaning this unkindly -- "relatively modern, artificial, for railfans and trippers" lines of the gauge: added to the seven or eight "real, [quasi]-public" lines of the gauge which I can muster, all of these that there have been, would make well over thirteen. Similarly: there have been enough industrial / agricultural lines of the gauge as to -- added to my seven or eight as above -- make way more than thirteen. At all events: [quasi]-public lines which I can think of:

"First-off" -- Ffestiniog "complex": does the Ffestiniog & Blaenau (short-lived on "2 ft", before standard-gauging)-- count? Assuming that it does:

Ffestiniog; Welsh Highland; Ffestiniog & Blaenau; Vale of Rheidol; Fairbourne (as at its beginning); Lynton & Barnstaple; Ashover; Groudle Glen

 

[DerekC]

Oh dear - you have prompted me to check the criteria for inclusion in the book. It says that they are "light railways" - but in fact many of them are not, in the sense that like the Ffestiniog they predate the Light Railways Act of 1896. One common factor seems to be that they all commenced (and many finished) operation prior to WWII, so Cadeby isn't included and neither are "railfans and trippers" lines and lines built for amusement like Hollycombe.

@Calthrop - by hook or by crook you have eight of the thirteen. Can we get the other five? They are or were all in Wales.

 

[Gloster]

Croesor Tramway? (Or is that part of the Welsh Highland?)
Pwllheli Tramway?

 

[D6130]

Penrhyn Railway?

 

[Calthrop]

As "industrials" are seeming to be in the fold -- Dinorwic Quarries two-foot (whose wagons went to Port Dinorwic on the 4 ft gauge Padarn Railway's transporters)?

 

[Calthrop]

Just thought of another -- Leighton Buzzard Light Railway.

 

[DerekC]

So:

Croesor and Portmadoc Railway - yes (although you could argue as the "main line" part it was taken over by the WHR)
Pwllheli & Llanbedrog Tramway - was 3ft gauge, I believe
Penrhyn Railway - yes
Padarn Railway (quarries section) - yes
Leighton Buzzard Light Railway - is not in the book, which doesn't include small industrial lines, although the boundary seems hazy!

So two more to get - both in Wales, remember.

 

[Calthrop]

So two more to get - both in Wales, remember.

Have been unable to resist looking-up, thus hereon disqualifying myself. Have got one of the two, I think; otherwise -- ???

 

[DerekC]

Now what do I do? @Calthrop was way out in the lead with 9 but has disqualified himself. I'll wait until this evening to see whether either @Gloster or @D6130 (who have one each) can get one of the last two.

 

[Calthrop]

Now what do I do? @Calthrop was way out in the lead with 9 but has disqualified himself. I'll wait until this evening to see whether either @Gloster or @D6130 (who have one each) can get one of the last two.

I read my "disqualification" as meaning, from putting forward any further answers to this question; but it would be cheeky of me, now to beg to be adjudged still in the running with my nine -- and presumably thus, to win ! Consider me as "scratched".

 

[D6130]

Leadhills & Wanlockhead Railway?

Brecon Mountain Railway?

 

[DerekC]

Leadhills & Wanlockhead Railway?

Brecon Mountain Railway?

Both excellent 60cm gauge lines but both post-WWII and not included in my reference book. Time to call time on this one. The two others I wanted were:

Gorseddau Junction & Portmadoc Railway (aka Gorseddau Tramway)
Hendre Ddu Tramway

On reflection I don't really know why the Hendre Ddu Tramway is included but not the Leighton Buzzard line. Although the HDT had a long life (1868 to 1940) and served a number of different quarries, it was horse worked for most of its life (one Simplex petrol unit from 1922) so hardly qualifies as a railway.

I am not sure whether @Calthrop has disqualified himself or not, but he certainly won, with nine correct. So - @Calthrop - over to you!

 

[Calthrop]

Both excellent 60cm gauge lines but both post-WWII and not included in my reference book. Time to call time on this one. The two others I wanted were:

Gorseddau Junction & Portmadoc Railway (aka Gorseddau Tramway)
Hendre Ddu Tramway

On reflection I don't really know why the Hendre Ddu Tramway is included but not the Leighton Buzzard line. Although the HDT had a long life (1868 to 1940) and served a number of different quarries, it was horse worked for most of its life (one Simplex petrol unit from 1922) so hardly qualifies as a railway.

I am not sure whether @Calthrop has disqualified himself or not, but he certainly won, with nine correct. So - @Calthrop - over to you!

@DerekC: thanks, but (as upthread), I'll say "open floor, please".

Re my looking-up: I'd heard of the Gorseddau, though it had vanished from my memory-cells when answers being looked for. Hendre Ddu Tramway is new to me -- the list I found via the Net, contained a number of Welsh industrial lines hitherto not known to me. As you say, your book doesn't include small ones of such. Thank you anyway, for a "fun" and thought-provoking question.

 

[DerekC]

Well, since this thread has languished for ten days I don't suppose anyone will mind if I have another go!

Which islands forming part of the United Kingdom have (or had at some time) passenger carrying railways on them?

 

[341o2]

Obvious Isle of Wight, Isle of Purbeck and Isle of Man, and less obvious Isle of Mull.
Add Anglesey, Portland, sheerness, Isle of sheppey
and how could I forget Hayling
Isle of dogs, DLR

 

[Gloster]

Portsea Island. Portland (arguably). Sheppey.

 

[Peterthegreat]

Anglesey, Holy Island, Moncrieff Island, Piel Island.

 

[Calthrop]

Sanda (Orkney) -- short-lived 7-and-a-quarter-in. line, early this century.

Perhaps being a smart-alec; but -- islands forming part of UK: Northern Ireland is part thereof.

 

[Calthrop]

And, just thought: Isle of Grain.

 

[D6130]

Jersey, Guernsey & Alderney......plus the Isle of Bute tramway.