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Railway General Knowledge.

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Calthrop

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That's the chap -- Holman Fred Stephens (1868 -- 1931), son of the pre-Raphaelite artists Frederic George and Rebecca Clara Stephens: named after the painter Holman Hunt (most famous for The Light Of The World); Alfred Lord Tennyson was a family friend. One learns that Stephens as a child, was of great physical beauty, with long auburn hair -- thus called in the family circle, "Golden Holly". It does seem an unexpected metamorphosis for such a person: into a seemingly gruff, rather repressed military type -- his interests apparently limited to things military (the Territorial Army, his particular speciality), engineering, and his light railways; had no discernible use for anything "arty-farty". And he was reportedly a rather demanding and not always understanding boss; though with a kind heart which sometimes showed itself.

Your light railway to manage (and no sneaking off to paint bloody sissy pictures).
 
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Calthrop

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Sark Bridge and Lamberton are the only two left. What were the others?

Reference is to points at which the Anglo-Scottish border, crossed by rail routes -- Sark Bridge, WCML north of Carlisle; Lamberton, ECML north of Berwick-on-Tweed.

Others, on now-abandoned routes, were -- starting on North Sea side -- Carham (Tweedmouth -- St. Boswells route); Deadwater (Border Counties line); Kershope Foot (Waverley route); Riddings (Langholm branch); and -- if crossing a wide expanse of tidal water counts -- Solway Junction line's Solway Viaduct between Annan and Bowness.

Open floor if correct.
 

DerekC

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@Calthrop - you have it 100% right as far as main line railways are concerned.

The only possible addition is the 2' gauge line built in 1915 to connect the cordite factory at Eastriggs with the ammunition storage facilities at Longtown, near Gretna. This crossed the River Sark (and therefore the border) about 1/4 mile above its outfall into the tidal Esk. It appears to have closed, along with the cordite factory, by 1920. The whole railway is reputed to have had 125 miles of track and 34 locomotives, which would make it the biggest narrow gauge railway to operate in mainland Britain, I think. It would be interesting to know more about it.

Open floor it is.
 

DerekC

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So were the ng locos electric? Originally it was proposed to use overhead wire on the lines serving the trenches in France, this order was modified in that the O/H wire order was cancelled and the locomotives became petrol electric

@341o2. Did you mean for this to be a question in the quiz? I think answering it might need quite a lot of research!
 

341o2

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no, I gave some info on the aforesaid raliway, which might be better posted in the history & nostalgia section
 

341o2

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What had Manchester to Bury (or to be more precise Bury to Holcombe Brook) and London to Brighton got in common?
 

Calthrop

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Both electrified in -- broadly speaking -- early-ish 20th century, the process involving both overhead, and third-rail, electrification. Manchester -- Bury was on third-rail from its first being electrified: Bury -- Holcombe Brook "overhead", then converted to third-rail 1918 I think, to match Manchester -- Bury. London -- Brighton: overhead electrification commenced at London end pre-World War I, ultimately got as far as Coulsdon North post-Grouping -- Southern Railway then took in hand, third-rail electrification of whole London -- Brighton route.
 

341o2

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Yes, it was initial electrification by overhead, then subsequent conversion to third rail I was looking for

Your floor
 

Calthrop

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Thanks.

The Isle of Wight's railway scene has been since its inception, in various ways more colourful than might be expected in respect of such a small geographical area. One feature of this, was the large number of different rail ownerships / undertakings which obtained on the Island during the first half-century-plus, of its railway era. Excluding the section Ryde St. John's Road -- Ryde Pier Head (LSWR / LBSCR joint, though worked by the Island companies' locos and stock): it is commonly reckoned that there were at various times pre-1923, eight different purely-Island railway undertakings. (Some accounts would seem to imply that all eight functioned independently at the same time: not so -- there were mergers.)

Please name three of the above eight concerns which were active on the Isle of Wight "back in the day". Higher ranking, re "who's the winner", for those not among the generally acknowledged three Island railway companies as taken into the Southern Railway at Grouping in 1923.
 

341o2

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Isle of Wight Central Railway formed of Cowes & Newport, Ryde & Newport and Isle of Wight (Newport Jcn).
Can't help mentioning the Freshwater, Yarmouth & Newport railway as the proposed Solent tunnel is the proverbial stone's throw away from me, what might have happened to the Island's economy if it had been constructed
 

Calthrop

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"Three for the win !"

At the risk of seeming callous as regards the Island's economy: I'm glad that no tunnel or bridge mainland / IOW has ever been constructed -- because of Wight's role as the last significant stronghold in southern England, of the very attractive native British red squirrel -- it's generally reckoned that any tunnel or bridge would furnish a way for the introduced American grey squirrel to reach the island and -- as it has done in most of Britain -- displace the native species.

Your sciurine drey to build...
 

341o2

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Both Tallyllyn nos 3 and 4 shared something three times over throught their existance. what was it?
 

DerekC

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Hmm. 3 and 4 are the ex-Corris locos, I think. As I recall, one (No 4?) was in much better condition than the other on arrival, but turned out to have narrow tyres so kept suffering derailments on the Talyllyn's interesting track - so the other had to be pressed into service - so maybe it was something that was transferred from one loco to the other. Vacuum brake equipment, perhaps?
 

341o2

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Nope, as far as I am aware, nothing has been transferred from one loco to another. Rather retained something
 

Calthrop

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I suppose it isn't so simple as: their respective numbers continued and remained as nos. 3 and 4, through three historical phases -- the line as the property of Imperial Tramways of London; from 1929, in the ownership of the GWR and then British Railways (Western Region); and with the locos on the Talyllyn, after their acquisition by that line?
 

martinsh

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We are talking about passes / summits / tunnels on the Canadian Pacific trans-continental route, aren't we ? Unfortunately, I don't know the names of the others and even Google doesn't help ...
 

Calthrop

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Kicking Horse and Crowsnest? No floor for me on this one, please, "whatever and regardless" -- the original question meant nothing to me; I'd heard of K.H., but had to look up the other.
 

Calthrop

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Shamelessly Googled -- next turn, on no account to be mine -- Eagles Nest Pass ??
 

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