Railway General Knowledge.

[Peterthegreat]

1957?

Too late.

 

[Peterthegreat]

1905 ?

Too early.

 

[McRhu]

I'm assuming this was an early post-war initiative so I'm going for 1947.

 

[Peterthegreat]

I'm assuming this was an early post-war initiative so I'm going for 1947.

Before that.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

So... somewhere between 1905 and 1947...

I'll go half way between those dates and enter 1926 as my guess.

 

[Peterthegreat]

So... somewhere between 1905 and 1947...

I'll go half way between those dates and enter 1926 as my guess.

Closer.....

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I'm guessing it wouldn't have been until after World War One had been done and dusted... so between 1919 and 1926...

1920, then? Given that it would have taken at least a year to organise after the treaty was signed to formally end the war in 1919?

 

[Peterthegreat]

I'm guessing it wouldn't have been until after World War One had been done and dusted... so between 1919 and 1926...

1920, then? Given that it would have taken at least a year to organise after the treaty was signed to formally end the war in 1919?

Very close.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

1921...???

 

[Peterthegreat]

1921...???

Near enough. It was actually 1922. Initially there were 51 members from 29 countries.
Your turn to found the next question.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Thank you, that was actually going to be my next guess if you'd said "no!" again as I was just going to add one year each time...

Next question ( and I checked the rules - the question can be anything railway general knowledge, not just within the UK... ).

Here is a picture of one of the French class Z50000 suburban trains for the Paris area. What is ( at the time of writing ) unique about the interior of this class of train?

 

[xotGD]

No seats?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

No seats?

They have seats ( and let's please not give the Department for Transport any ideas!! ).

Part of the answer does in fact relate to the seats...

 

[xotGD]

All tip up seats?

 

[Cowley]

They have seats ( and let's please not give the Department for Transport any ideas!! ).

Part of the answer does in fact relate to the seats...

Do they have some kind of swivel seat arrangement to make it easy to transfer from a wheelchair?

 

[Ashley Hill]

Tram type seats that can face either forward or back?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

None of those. The seats are all normal fixed position seats, but there is something about them which also carefully ties in to something else about the interior.

 

[D6130]

Are they all made of recycled and/or recyclable materials?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Are they all made of recycled and/or recyclable materials?

I don't think so - but that wouldn't really be unique given that most trains these days are designed to be 90%+ recycleable.

It is something which everyone who uses these trains would notice instantly when they board one.

 

[Peterthegreat]

They seem to have nulti-coloured seats.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

They seem to have nulti-coloured seats.

They do...

...now think why that might be, and what it might tie up with about the interior in general. I'll try to edit this post from my phone to add a picture that might give more of a clue. ( Success! )

 

[xotGD]

If you sit in "today's winning colour" you get to travel for free?

 

[DerekC]

There is a curiously "randomised" air about it - the lighting is dotted about in a non-repeating pattern as well. I rather like it, although a long journey in one might change my mind! Edit - the ceiling patterns seem to be random colours, too!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

There is a curiously "randomised" air about it - the lighting is dotted about in a non-repeating pattern as well. I rather like it, although a long journey in one might change my mind! Edit - the ceiling patterns seem to be random colours, too!

You're tantalisingly close to the answer.

There's just one element you haven't quite grasped - think what might be the purpose for those colours and lights.

 

[D6130]

There's just one element you haven't quite grasped - think what might be the purpose for those colours and lights.

Is it to do with discouraging anti-social behaviour?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Is it to do with discouraging anti-social behaviour?

Well deduced. That's it...

What you can't see in the picture, because it's a photo and not a video, is that these trains also have mood lighting; the whole interior is designed to keep people calm while they travel. Having said that, if I'd posted a video of it there wouldn't have been much point to the question anyway as it would have been instantly obvious!

The first few seconds of this video show the effects of the lighting, albeit from the outside:

Please relax and set the next question.

 

[Ashley Hill]

What you can't see in the picture, because it's a photo and not a video, is that these trains also have mood lighting; the whole interior is designed to keep people calm while they travel.

Does it work,and if so can we have it on IETs?

 

[D6130]

Does it work,and if so can we have it on IETs?

Yes and no! It would cost too much for the DfT to allow it here!

 

[D6130]

Well deduced. That's it...

What you can't see in the picture, because it's a photo and not a video, is that these trains also have mood lighting; the whole interior is designed to keep people calm while they travel. Having said that, if I'd posted a video of it there wouldn't have been much point to the question anyway as it would have been instantly obvious!

The first few seconds of this video show the effects of the lighting, albeit from the outside:

Please relax and set the next question.

Thanks Peter. Continuing with the French theme:

In which year - in the last 40 years - were there three major rail accidents in France resulting in multiple fatalities?

 

[xotGD]

1984