For the avoidance of any doubt, it's only smelly buzz boxes that have boring class numbers like "47" and "60". Proper locomotives have exciting class names like "A4" and "9F".
You're a little looser on the dates than I was, I'd thought it was just that weekend 21st-22nd May. Happy to be shown otherwise and pass the baton to you!
Googling to check: you're right and I was wrong -- the actual regauging work was done all on the 21st / 22nd. Fair do's -- not for me to set the next question.
Not that one. The one I am thinking of is on a large island - just not as big as Australia!
That's the one! Russian gauge (originally 5ft) in the north half of the island and Japanese gauge (3ft 6in) in the south half, reflecting the fact that Sakhalin was formally spilt between the two nations in 1905, after the Russo-Japanese war. In a little known wrinkle of WWII history, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan on August 9th 1945 and used the opportunity to take over the rest of Sakhalin (as well as invading Manchuria) - all as pre-agreed by the Allies at the Yalta conference.
(My bolding) -- this was the only 3ft 6in gauge part of the Soviet Railways. I understand that its steam motive power (regular steam ended there, around the late 1970s) was a mixture of Japanese class D51 2-8-2s, and US-built World War II S160 2-8-0s, made on 1520mm gauge for the USSR and subsequently regauged.
Thank you -- but the bottom of my potential "Railway General Knowledge" questions barrel, would seem to have been reached. Open floor, please.
Yes indeed. Any idea of the loco number? (Spoiler: it wasn't my namesake, as she had already been withdrawn by then....but it was the last in Rail Blue livery that was still in service - alongside three green sisters). Anyway, the single line tablet is yours!
Sorry don't know the loco number. It was an educated guess between a 29 and a 20.
Somewhere on the ECML north of York?
Nope.
GW/GC Joint?
Getting closer.....
Brighton main line after electrification?
No- but closest (geographically) yet.
