Railway General Knowledge.

[EbbwJunction1]

Darlington?

 

[Peterthegreat]

Brighton?

Brighton is correct.
Please work out the next question.

 

[Gloster]

When the thirteen Pilot Scheme diesel designs were ordered in the mid-1950s, they were divided into three types: Type A (800-1000hp for freight), Type B (1000-1250hp for mixed traffic) and Type C (2000hp or over for ‘heavy duties’). How many designs were there in each of the three types?

 

[xotGD]

A: 5
B: 5
C: 4

 

[Gloster]

A: 5
B: 5
C: 4

Sorry, no.

 

[RDP]

A: 3
B: 7
C: 3

 

[xotGD]

A: 4
B: 4
C: 3

 

[Gloster]

A: 3
B: 7
C: 3

Correct. Type A was were later to Classes 15, 16 and 20. Type B was 21 to 24, 26, 28 and 30 (31). Type C was 40, 41 and 44.

To you to make the next selection.

 

[RDP]

Open floor.

 

[D6130]

Which early British railway had rope-worked or self-balancing inclines at Weatherhill, Park Head, Meeting Slacks and Nanny Mayor's Bank....amongst other places?

 

[Gloster]

Stanhope & Tyne?

 

[D6130]

Stanhope & Tyne?

Correct....that didn't take long! Your turn to operate the winding engine.

 

[Gloster]

The five Pilot Scheme Warships (D600 to D604) spent almost all of their working life based at Laira, but shortly before their withdrawal three were tried out in a different area? Where?

 

[RDP]

South Wales, based at Landore.

 

[Gloster]

South Wales, based at Landore.

Correct. D601, D602 and D604 were sent to Landore in the summer of 1967 for trials on goods trains, but spent much of their time outbased at Pantyffynnon. They were returned to Laira in the early autumn and withdrawn at the end of the year.

To you to try out a question on us.

 

[RDP]

Open floor (again).

 

[DerekC]

I am looking at a photograph of a very peculiar locomotive developed in the UK in 1910 with the strange wheel arrangement of 4-2-2+4-2-2. What is it?

Edit: Might be more helpful to describe the arrangement as 2B-2B.

 

[DerekC]

A big clue - here's the picture. Now what is it?

 

[D6130]

A Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway first class only steam turbine Managing Director's inspection saloon?

 

[DerekC]

A Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway first class only steam turbine Managing Director's inspection saloon?

It does look a bit like that, doesn't it! I can't work out how the driver got any kind of view of the track ahead. Here's another picture. You have got the idea right - tell me a little more and a possession of the whole line for testing experimental locomotives shall be yours!



I think I got the wheel arrangement wrong - it's a Bo2-Bo2 (and there's a clue in there)

 

[D6130]

Having the seen the second photo, it has much more of a North Eastern Railway look about it....as does the signal in the background. Without disqualifying myself by looking it up, I can only conclude that it must have been one of Sir Vincent Raven's wild experiments to weigh-up whether or not it was going to be worth the cost of electrifying the Shildon-Newport freight route. Therefore - with tongue still quite firmly in cheek - I'm going to suggest that it was a steam turbine-electric loco with traction motors on - or connected to - the four fixed axles. How indeed was the driver expected to see the line ahead without constantly leaning half their body out of the window....as per the photo?

 

[DerekC]

You have the technology exactly right - steam turbine-electric with four 275hp traction motors, I guess one per outside bearing axle. But not the railway - the progenitor was Robert Reid of the North British in combination with a Mr Ramsey. Very little seems to be known about this first version, other than that it was unsuccessful and was rebuilt with mechanical transmission in 1921. Trials lasted until 1927, and it then sat in the back of the works until scrapping in 1940.

Your operational trial.

 

[Gloster]

You have the technology exactly right - steam turbine-electric with four 275hp traction motors, I guess one per outside bearing axle. But not the railway - the progenitor was Robert Reid of the North British in combination with a Mr Ramsey. Very little seems to be known about this first version, other than that it was unsuccessful and was rebuilt with mechanical transmission in 1921. Trials lasted until 1927, and it then sat in the back of the works until scrapping in 1940.

Your operational trial.

A bit of searching under Reid-Ramsay turbine suggests that it was Hugh Reid, Managing Director of North British Loco. His co-patentee was David McNab Ramsay: that is all I can find on him.

 

[Gloster]

A bit of searching under Reid-Ramsay turbine suggests that it was Hugh Reid, Managing Director of North British Loco. His co-patentee was David McNab Ramsay: that is all I can find on him.

EDIT: In Graces’s Guide it says he was born in Perth circa 1873 and an engine fitter in that fair city in 1891: by 1901 he was an assistant manager (loco engineer) living in St Rollox. Later formed the Ramsay Condensing Locomotive Co. and commissioned a second turbo-electric loco from Armstrong-Whitworth.

There seems to be uncertainty about the spelling of his middle name.

 

[DerekC]

A bit of searching under Reid-Ramsay turbine suggests that it was Hugh Reid, Managing Director of North British Loco. His co-patentee was David McNab Ramsay: that is all I can find on him.

You are right - I didn't read the reference correctly. The name Reid is obviously associated in my mind with Robert! In fact there was a Robert Reid, Carriage & Wagon Superintendent of the North British Railway and father of William Paton Reid, locomotive superintendent of the same company from 1903 to 1919. Whether the North British Railway Reids were related to the North British Loco Reids, I haven't been able to find out.

EDIT: In Graces’s Guide it says he was born in Perth circa 1873 and an engine fitter in that fair city in 1891: by 1901 he was an assistant manager (loco engineer) living in St Rollox. Later formed the Ramsay Condensing Locomotive Co. and commissioned a second turbo-electric loco from Armstrong-Whitworth.

There seems to be uncertainty about the spelling of his middle name.

Good bit of detective work. The Grace's Guide entry for the Ramsay Condensing Locomotive Co contains a photograph of what is presumably the Armstrong Whitworth loco - see below. I think we need a steam turbine locomotives thread!!

 

[D6130]

Well then....how do I follow that? Something simple I think....but with a tenuous connection:

Whom did William Paton Reid succede as Locomotive Superintendent of the North British Railway?

....and don't be looking at the lists in your pre-1968 Ian Allan combined volumes!

 

[xotGD]

Nobody - he was first in the role?

 

[Spamcan81]

A committee?

 

[D6130]

Nobody - he was first in the role?

Nae Laddie!

 

[D6130]

A committee?

Not them either!