Railway General Knowledge.

[DerekC]

That's right. It's an interesting story based in a most attractive and slightly out of the way part of the Yorkshire Dales which I fell in love with forty years ago. The line lasted from 1903 to 1933 and was used for the transport of prisoners of war (and military staff) during WWI when reservoir construction was suspended.

 

[DerekC]

Time for another clue. As already discovered, Claro and two of her friends were built by Thomas Green. These three were:

Harrogate - 0-4-0ST, works no 301 delivered 6/1902 to Harrogate Corporation​

Claro - 0-4-0ST, works no 312 delivered 3/1903
Masham - 0-6-2ST, works no 366 delivered 9/1904

I'll give you the other local locomotive:

Leeds No1 - 0-6-2ST, Hunslet, works no 865 delivered 1/1905 to Leeds Corporation

The odd one out was manufactured much further afield, to a standard design for industrial light railways.

 

[martinsh]

I'm guessing it was a Baldwin 4-6-0T but still haven't got a clue as to the name

 

[DerekC]

Not a Baldwin. I think this may just be too difficult unless you happen to have the right book*. The answer is:

Sidney - 0-4-0WT, Orenstein & Koppel works no 1479. Acquired second hand in about 1912 by Arnolds, the reservoir contractors.

There was also "May" and "Progress", a pair of oil burning 0-4-0Ts of very odd design to work in the Carlesmoor aqueduct tunnel, thought to be by Arnold Jung. Also several 3ft gauge locos which worked on contractors temporary lines around the dams, but not on the 2ft gauge main line.

* - "Lesser Railways of the Yorkshire Dales" - Harold D Bowtell - Plateway Press 1991

Open floor.

 

[Calthrop]

Disregarding possible disruptions to existing lines, resulting from conflicts in recent-ish times: which was the last country on the continent of Europe whose public railway system was physically isolated from the continent-wide rail network (a rail link having finally been created)? (Literal physical isolation -- gauge differences not relevant here.)

 

[AndrewE]

Albania?

 

[Calthrop]

Correct. The only link with the wider continental rail network leaves Albania at its far northern end, running to Podgorica in Montenegro. Link opened 1986; has always been freight-only.

Your floor.

 

[DerekC]

Can we declare an open floor?

 

[AndrewE]

Can we declare an open floor?

Please do...

 

[Calthrop]

Which country has had extensive railways -- a good deal of same, active today, I believe -- which however went nowhere near its capital city; and which for a long period, operated a free-of-charge passenger service?

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Was it somewhere where the capital city was changed ... like Brazil?

 

[Calthrop]

Nothing that subtle -- capital city has been the same since before railway times; the railway has just never gone there.

 

[martinsh]

I think this must be Honduras

 

[Calthrop]

No railway ever to Tegucigalpa; but so far as I know, no passenger services "for free" in Honduras. The "answer country" is in the tropics.

 

[Calthrop]

Hint: there was made, specifically to work the free passenger service, a rather lovely 4-4-0 tender loco; which did so for many years. Free passenger service, sadly, no longer runs -- in its latter years, it was diesel-hauled.

 

[DerekC]

Is this in the Caribbean?

 

[Calthrop]

In the language of a few centuries ago: not the Spanish Main, but the South Seas.

 

[martinsh]

Is it Fiji ?

 

[Calthrop]

Is it Fiji ?

Correct !

https.//www.railwaywondersoftheworld.com/fiji.html

Him-fella floor bilong yu.

 

[martinsh]

What do the following lines all have in common ?

Ashover Light Railway
Ffestiniog Railway
Lynton & Barnstaple Railway
West Highland line

 

[DerekC]

All have a station with a café on it? (Of course I was going to say 2ft gauge until I read the last one!)

PS - cafes are/were at:

Ashover Butts
Tan-y-Bwlch
Woody Bay
Rannoch

 

[Calthrop]

A shot in the dark: might it possibly be that all have had running on them during their existence, steam locos built in the USA?

Ashover was worked by ex-World War I Baldwin 4-6-0T's; Ffestiniog has the Alco 2-6-2T Mountaineer, also built for Western Front light railways -- and presumably had in earlier times run occasionally, at least on its lower reaches, the Welsh Highland's Baldwin 4-6-0T; L & B had the Baldwin 2-4-2T Lyn . I can't find anything about any North British or Caledonian locos built in the States; but in World War II, British railways were supplied, were they not, with some US-built locos (class S160??) to help with heavy wartime traffic; maybe some such ran on the West Highland in the war years?

 

[martinsh]

Keep guessing - no-one close so far !

 

[AndrewE]

Keep guessing - no-one close so far !

Have they all used transporter wagons? Normally for taking big wagons on narrow-gauge, but I remember some slate lines used to take even smaller-gauge trucks on their "standard" ng. Something similar could have been done on the WHL.

 

[martinsh]

Have they all used transporter wagons? Normally for taking big wagons on narrow-gauge, but I remember some slate lines used to take even smaller-gauge trucks on their "standard" ng. Something similar could have been done on the WHL.

I don't think any of them used transporter wagons. From memory I recall than one 2ft gauge line (Ashover ?) tried one but found that 2ft was really too narrow a gauge for them to work.

Clue : the only other line in the UK that I am aware of that meets this category is the GW Bala - Blaenau branch, though it's possible there are others

 

[krus_aragon]

The Ffestiniog had their slate waggons carried on other railways' transporter wagons (particularly the GWR's branch to Bala).

Could this relate to locomotives running on the right hand track?

 

[Calthrop]

How about artificial bodies of water flooding sections of lines' routes: created in the West Highland's case (Loch Treig, in the interests of aluminium-related doings) while line in use: railway thus re-routed. Re the narrow- gauge lines: after closure / during temporary spell of closure -- with the Ffestiniog, the CEGB pumped storage scheme, circumvented by the FR's celebrated Deviation; with Ashover & L & B, I think just ordinary reservoirs.

 

[martinsh]

How about artificial bodies of water flooding sections of lines' routes: created in the West Highland's case (Loch Treig, in the interests of aluminium-related doings) while line in use: railway thus re-routed. Re the narrow- gauge lines: after closure / during temporary spell of closure -- with the Ffestiniog, the CEGB pumped storage scheme, circumvented by the FR's celebrated Deviation; with Ashover & L & B, I think just ordinary reservoirs.

A most comprehensive reply - which is correct !

Your liquid inundation

 

[Calthrop]

Thank you !

Which European countries had, respectively, steam locos of the following unusual wheel arrangements -- for substantial lengths of time, and working on regular "beats", sufficient for them to have status of established loco classes of the national railway administrations? (Class designations not required -- just the countries.)

2-4-6-0T

0-12-0 rack tank

4-10-0

 

[martinsh]

Thank you !

Which European countries had, respectively, steam locos of the following unusual wheel arrangements -- for substantial lengths of time, and working on regular "beats", sufficient for them to have status of established loco classes of the national railway administrations? (Class designations not required -- just the countries.)

2-4-6-0T

Portugal (metre gauge mallets in Porto area)

0-12-0 rack tank

Bulgaria ??

4-10-0

no idea