@martinsh -- you have it (very brief "connected" episode was the infamous World War II "Death Railway"). Open floor, as requested.
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@martinsh -- you have it (very brief "connected" episode was the infamous World War II "Death Railway"). Open floor, as requested.
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DerekC
Established Member
OK - a less sombre subject from me.
How is the name Percy linked with the date 4th August 1936?
How is the name Percy linked with the date 4th August 1936?
Or birth date of the author, or maybe more likely the build date of the loco that inspired the story?
Sorry everyone for not posting a question, I made a cheating guess at the last minute before going away & should have said "open floor if correct!"
DerekC
Established Member
You are heading in precisely the right direction
But not quite there yet!
krus_aragon
Established Member
And/or was the engine Percy named after a friend of the Reverend? (A frieverend???)
DerekC
Established Member
Interesting idea, but not that.
I hadn't ever wondered who the engines were named after.
The link relates to an event early in Percy's working life (just read the story to my grandson).
I don't know anything about Percy's episode -- was never much of a fan of the "Railway Series" -- but for some reason there comes to my mind the summer-1936 happening on the Somerset & Dorset, between Wellow / Midford and Bath -- driverless runaway empty-wagons train, happily nobody hurt and quite an element of farce. (Recounted, I'd thought, in Rolt's Red For Danger; but I can't seem to find it in the edition that I have.) Only: Wiki says that this event took place on July 29th 1936; you cite August 4th.
DerekC
Established Member
That's spot on! It is on p136 of my copy of Red for Danger, which quotes the date of 4th August. The incident took place at Braysdown Colliery Siding and involved a heavy freight headed by an ex S&DR 2-8-0 overrunning signals and approaching head-on a "Jinty" 0-6-0T on a short empty wagon train, standing "wrong road" (presumably in course of a shunt). The crew of both locos baled out, but not until the Jinty driver had opened his regulator full in reverse gear. The Jinty ran nearly all the way to Bath without hitting anything, losing most of the wagons on the way!
Awdry converted this into a head-on confrontation between Gordon and Percy, caused by "Percy failing to whistle to let the signalman know he was there" (sounds more like a failure to comply with Rule 55 to me).
Your road.
Thanks ! Now found it in my RFD -- p. 136, as yours -- chapter "Other Men's Responsibilities", to which I seemed blind when looking yesterday. Re dates, I'd definitely back Rolt against Wikipedia...
Question: two metre-gauge railways, geographically at as pretty well totally-opposite corners of France, as it's possible to be. One long-closed, one still active today. A steam locomotive from the former has been preserved, and is stationed on the latter; on which it does some working of steam tourist trains. Please identify the two rail undertakings concerned. "Bonus points" for details re the loco.
krus_aragon
Established Member
For a brief moment, I thought we were talking about a metric version of Brunel's broad gauge.
For a brief moment, I thought we were talking about a metric version of Brunel's broad gauge.
In the World War II era, the Nazis dreamed of and drew up plans for, three-metre-gauge main lines spanning the Eurasian continent; but those folks were altogether a bit strange...
DerekC
Established Member
Am I allowed to consult my copy of Minor Railways of France by W.J.K Davies?
DerekC
Established Member
Well, with a bit of research in Minor Railways of France and a lot of guesswork - I think the railways involved might be the Reseau Breton (closed) and the Chemins de Fer de Provence (open). I recall reading somewhere that the latter runs steam hauled trains in the summer, but that's as far as I can get.
You're absolutely right with the railways involved -- at the north-western and south-eastern, very extremities of France. The preserved loco is one of the Reseau Breton's lovely 4-6-0Ts, built 1904 -- 1909: works some summer steam tourist trains on the CF Provence (they also have a Portuguese Mallet 2-4-6-0T on those duties).
Question was, re the railways -- the loco, as said, just "bonus". Your floor.
Question was, re the railways -- the loco, as said, just "bonus". Your floor.
DerekC
Established Member
I haven't anything just now so --- Open Floor
DerekC
Established Member
Well, since nobody else has come up with anything...
When, in which country and on what line was the combination of iron rails and flanged wheels used for the first time? (within five years will do for the date)
When, in which country and on what line was the combination of iron rails and flanged wheels used for the first time? (within five years will do for the date)
DerekC
Established Member
Would you like to be more specific about which UK country?
Not Prussia . but you do have the right century!
Ah. Let’s try for somewhere around Leeds then?
Peter Mugridge
Veteran Member
England... Surrey Iron Railway...?
DerekC
Established Member
Not England - and about ten years earlier than the Surrey Iron. And more importantly we are looking for an edge railway (plain track with flanged wheels) whereas the Surrey Iron Railway, despite its name, was a plateway (plain wheels with flanged track).
Hint - we are looking at an area where a lot of railway history was made and some of the earliest locomotives were built.
DerekC
Established Member
I think I ought to give it to you. It was the private railway from the Dowlais ironworks to Merthyr Tydfil. It was opened in 1791. The gauge was probably about 3' 6'' and it used iron rails made at the works, said to be the first all-iron edge rails in the world. Up to then railways had had wooden tracks, often with iron protecting plates fixed to the top of the wooden rail. The Pen-y-Darren was opened in 1802, but by that time Benjamin Outram had persuaded owners that tramroads with plate rails were far better, so the P-y-D was built as a plateway and the Dowlais ironworks lines were converted to plateways also, to allow through running. It's a really interesting piece of railway history. Ironically, in around 1832 once George and Robert Stephenson had demonstrated the superiority of the edge railway for locomotive haulage, the P-y-D owners and the Dowlais ironworks started to convert their lines to standard gauge edge railways and at one point had some kind of compound rail, with a standard gauge edge track on the outside and a plateway on the inside. I imagine they had trains with an edge rail loco hauling plateway wagons. I have no idea what they did at junctions!!
Your track (configuration and gauge to taste)
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Thanks -- but as said, it came to me out of nowhere, plus a little bit of suggesting from your Post #8365. I'm not even all that interested in this aspect of the railway hobby -- which you plainly are, and are highly knowledgeable about it. I'll say, open floor please.
Open floor so..
In Britain’s railway history which locomotive name has been used the most times?
Unofficial names do not count and it has to be the exact same name.
Loco names as in like ‘City of London’, ‘Lord President’ etc..
In Britain’s railway history which locomotive name has been used the most times?
Unofficial names do not count and it has to be the exact same name.
Loco names as in like ‘City of London’, ‘Lord President’ etc..
Great question. City of London..? (Only joking)
What about ‘Great Eastern’?