Railway General Knowledge.

[DerekC]

Robert McAlpine?

Right on the button. Robert (later Sir Robert) McAlpine. They started from Spean Bridge and made the first part of the journey by coach and then by boat along Loch Treig, spending the night in a shooting lodge, but then faced a walk of 23 miles across the moor. They tramped all day, got lost, got split up, dark came down and they started to fall into bogs and morasses. One collapsed unconscious. Luckily one of the party managed to reach Gorton Cottage and rouse some shepherds who came out and rescued them. The next day they managed to reach the Inveroran Inn where they spent the night, during which a blizzard came down. The next morning they battled their way through that to reach Tyndrum Station (Callendar & Oban Railway) and transport back to Glasgow. Must have been tough! All in their tall hats and (apparently) with umbrellas!!

Your trackless waste.

 

[A S Leib]

What is the closest capital city not to have direct passenger services to Vienna?

 

[Peterthegreat]

What is the closest capital city not to have direct passenger services to Vienna?

Vaduz?

 

[A S Leib]

Vaduz?

Not quite.

 

[Peterthegreat]

Belgrade?

 

[A S Leib]

Belgrade?

Correct. Schavan-Vaduz is 675 km / 420 miles by rail from Wien Hbf or 526 km / 327 miles by air. That leaves it further away than Sarajevo by air (505 km / 314 miles; 808 km / 502 miles by rail) and further away than Belgrade by air (488 km / 303 miles) and rail (644 km / 400 miles). If counted separately from Rome, the Vatican is 474 miles by air.

 

[Peterthegreat]

Thank you.
Renumbering of the class 45 Peaks was more or less random.
However two locos managed to retain their original number with the addition of the 45 prefix.
Which two were they?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I'm aware of 45 106 being thus; the fact often being mentioned after it was repainted in green shortly before it ignited and was withdrawn - but I have to admit I didn't know there was another one that had the same numbering coincidence...

 

[Peterthegreat]

I'm aware of 45 106 being thus; the fact often being mentioned after it was repainted in green shortly before it ignited and was withdrawn - but I have to admit I didn't know there was another one that had the same numbering coincidence...

45106 was in fact 106 before renumbering. So that is correct. The other one is not very different....

 

[Cowley]

45106 was in fact 106 before renumbering. So that is correct. The other one is not very different....

I’m going to have a go at D22 becoming 45022?

 

[D6130]

I’m going to have a go at D22 becoming 45022?

I'm afraid 45 022 was the new number of D60 "Lytham St Anne's" .....my favourite Peak and the first 45 by which I was hauled.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

In the absence of knowing, I'm going to start the usual incremental guessing game!!

45 011?

 

[Peterthegreat]

In the absence of knowing, I'm going to start the usual incremental guessing game!!

45 011?

Keep going....

 

[Peterthegreat]

I'm afraid 45 022 was the new number of D60 "Lytham St Anne's" .....my favourite Peak and the first 45 by which I was hauled.

Indeed it was!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Keep going....

45 012?

 

[SuspectUsual]

I've just realised I asked the exact same question about a year ago. Clearly everyone else's memory is as bad as mine!!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I've just realised I asked the exact same question about a year ago. Clearly everyone else's memory is as bad as mine!!

Ooh....

Unless looking back disqualifies me...

45 016.

 

[Peterthegreat]

Ooh....

Unless looking back disqualifies me...

45 016.

It is correct.
Even if that answer disqualifies you you still got the other one!
So anagram peaks 45016 and 45106 are the answers.
Back to you for the next question.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Thank you; I'll stick with numbering as a topic, and I don't think this has been asked before:

What, apart from the livery it carries, is unique about 66 734?

 

[Whistler40145]

It was the 2nd 66 to be scrapped?

 

[D6130]

Thank you; I'll stick with numbering as a topic, and I don't think this has been asked before:

What, apart from the livery it carries, is unique about 66 734?

It's the second loco to carry that number - having been imported from Poland, IIRC - to replace the first loco which was written-off following the alumina train derailment above Loch Treig on the West Highland line.

 

[RDP]

In addition to the above it was the 100th class 66 to enter service with GBRf.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

It's the second loco to carry that number - having been imported from Poland, IIRC - to replace the first loco which was written-off following the alumina train derailment above Loch Treig on the West Highland line.

That's exactly what I'm looking for - the re-use of the number.

In addition to the above it was the 100th class 66 to enter service with GBRf.

Now that's something I didn't know, and that's a useful snippet of information which I suspect might come up in a future question at some point. Alas! The 100th of something to enter service with a specific company isn't exactly unique, and the answer I was after had already been offered anyway...


It is therefore for @D6130 to allocate the identity of the next question.

 

[RDP]

In addition to the above it was the 100th class 66 to enter service with GBRf.

That wasn't intended as an answer, just as additional trivia.

 

[D6130]

Next up:

What was the class, type, number and name of the locomotive hauling the overnight Aberdeen-Kings Cross express involved in the 1957 Welwyn Garden City collision?

 

[Cowley]

Next up:

What was the class, type, number and name of the locomotive hauling the overnight Aberdeen-Kings Cross express involved in the 1957 Welwyn Garden City collision?

I don’t know the number, but was it the A3 named Flying Fox?

 

[D6130]

I don’t know the number, but was it the A3 named Flying Fox?

Afraid not....but it was - unsurprisingly - a Pacific (4-6-2).

 

[Cowley]

Afraid not....but it was - unsurprisingly - a Pacific (4-6-2).

It’s annoying because I know I’ve read about it!

 

[xotGD]

I'm guessing that the first two digits of the number were 60. That's all I can offer!

 

[D6130]

I'm guessing that the first two digits of the number were 60. That's all I can offer!

You're not wrong there!

Another little clue: It was named after a racehorse with a Welsh-sounding name.