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Railway General Knowledge.

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DerekC

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One might be the W1 4-6-4 ex-LNER ex-High Pressure locomotive (known by us Potters Bar spotters as "Unnamed Streak") - numbered 60700 by BR.

You might also include the Bulleid "Leader" 0-6-6-0T - only one was put into service, the other four being scrapped in various stages of construction.

The ex-LNER Beyer Garratt 2-8-0+0-8-2 ought to be a contender.

Was ex-Caley No 123 (4-2-2) included in BR stock? I have a feeling it may have been, but there could be others of that wheel arrangement too.
 
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martinsh

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For those who have suggested 2-2-2 or 4-4-4 can they please expand on what locomotive they were thinking of.

Leader class not built until 1949 so not acquired in 1948.

No one has suggested 3 acceptable ones yet
 

DerekC

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OK - I am going to go for:

ex-LNER Class U1 2-8-0+0-8-2 Beyer Garratt
ex-LNER Class W1 4-6-4 (some argue it was a 4-6-2-2)
ex-MR 0-10-0 (Lickey banker)

If that's right then open floor as I have pinched one of @xotGD's ideas.
 
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xotGD

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For those who have suggested 2-2-2 or 4-4-4 can they please expand on what locomotive they were thinking of.
Nothing specific - I just thought that they would be uncommon so made a guess!
 

Calthrop

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Please give the origins of the names of the following -- past / present -- long-distance trains:


The Ghan (nowadays, Adelaide - Alice Springs -- Darwin)

Le Mistral (Paris -- Nice)

Orange Blossom Special (New York -- Miami)
 

EbbwJunction1

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My possible answers included in italics:

Please give the origins of the names of the following -- past / present -- long-distance trains:

The Ghan (nowadays, Adelaide - Alice Springs -- Darwin)
This is the name given to the caravans of animals that crossed the continent of Australia, North to South and vice versa.

Le Mistral (Paris -- Nice)
I think that this is connected with the wind that blows from the North Africa coast across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.

Orange Blossom Special (New York -- Miami)
Is this connected with the amount of flowers with orange blossoms that were grown in Florida and taken to New York for sale?
 

Calthrop

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My possible answers included in italics:

Said answers: two largely right, but incompletely or partly so; one, per my understanding, not right.

Name given to the caravans of animals that crossed the continent of Australia, North to South and vice versa: the name is derived from this set-up -- but taken particularly, from the nationality of those animals' handlers; these folk were "incomers" to Australia -- from where? (hence the name -- which features the Australian love of abbreviating / slang-ising things).

Mistral wind: yes, a powerful wind affecting -- and strongly identified with -- the part of France and Europe concerned; but it doesn't do exactly as you have said.

Orange Blossom Special: if I have things rightly, name's significance was kind-of "the other way round" from your suggestion.

I'm perhaps being a bit of a harsh question-setter; but, any amplifications / corrections, in the light of the above?
 

Calthrop

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1. the Mistral blows south from France into the Mediterranean
2. the camel train herders were (reputedly) Afghans

Open floor if these are correct

Both correct. (Way back, when the camels ceased to be needed for work purposes; numbers of them "went feral", finding that central Australia was an environment which suited them -- their descendants now have the status of an outright pest.)

Anyone with a, hopefully accurate, explanation of the name of the O.B.S. ?
 

341o2

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I believe you are basically right in that it linked New York to Miami, a luxury train that ran during the winter months only.
Rather like the Great Western promoting holidays in Cornwall
 

Calthrop

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Re the Orange Blossom Special -- DerekC and 341o2, you're right: 341o2 particularly -- it ran during the (Northern Hemisphere) winter; when Florida's celebrated "always like June" climate was in great contrast to the grim coldness of the north-eastern USA.

Concerning who succeeds to the floor: martinsh is standing aside; EbbwJunction1 was more-right-than-otherwise, but not completely on the button, with the first two, but off-beam with the third; DerekC and 341o2, as above. I'm going to take the easy route for me, and say: gentlemen, is it OK by you to sort out between yourselves, who goes next?
 

DerekC

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I did come across an interesting oddity this week, so I will jump in and hope others won't mind. What Midland Railway locomotive had eight cylinders?
 

xotGD

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I did come across an interesting oddity this week, so I will jump in and hope others won't mind. What Midland Railway locomotive had eight cylinders?
Was it a prototype diesel?
 

martinsh

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It was an experimental 2-6-2 designed by Mr Paget, who was General Superintendent of the Midland (rather than Locomotive Superintendent - who was Mr Deeley). There were two cylinders driving each powered axle, and the last two cylinders did something else completely ! It wasn't a success.

New question to follow shortly
 

EbbwJunction1

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I had no objections to you jumping in, and it was a very interesting question - and, no, I didn't know the answer, either!
 

DerekC

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Here's a picture of the Paget Locomotive. I am interested to know why it was called "Ghost". Was it very quiet in operation, perhaps? It had eight "uniflow" cylinders, the rear two driving a jackshaft which operated the valves. It was kept very secret (this is the only known picture) despite it having existed for ten years. I suspect it spent 99.9% of its time in the back of the Derby shops. Evidently Mr Deeley wasn't a fan, particularly after it failed on the main line and couldn't be moved for seven hours!

Paget_locomotive.jpg

Oh - and sorry, I don't know how 8+8=13 but I will think hard!
 

xotGD

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OK. Please explain, in railway terms, the meaning of the equation below

8 + 8 = 13
Is this something like the 'pulling power' of a double-headed 8F is considered to be the equivalent to a 13F?
 

EbbwJunction1

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These are the two Class 08s that were joined together to make the Class 13s at Tinsley Yard, I think.

Open Marshalling Yard if I'm correct.
 

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