Railway General Knowledge.

[Loppylugs]

No totally the opposite, you would do this when faced with a cornfield meet

Bale out!

 

[341o2]

Bale out!

That would be to join the birdies. LSWR Cavalier is right in that wiping the clock is to destroy the brake pressure

So there are 3 unanswered

1 Shoo-fly. You might find this following a cornfield meet
5 Mudhen. Think locomotive boiler
7 Riptrack. found in a yard and the opposite of what it sounds like

 

[Calthrop]

That would be to join the birdies. LSWR Cavalier is right in that wiping the clock is to destroy the brake pressure

So there are 3 unanswered

1 Shoo-fly. You might find this following a cornfield meet

Shoo-fly pie -- chief content, molasses -- is a "star" of Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine; but that's no help here.

 

[Neo9320]

Shoo fly- is this being sacked?
Rip track- is this the American version of trap points? A road to stop runaways leaving the yard on to the main line?

 

[Calthrop]

5 Mudhen. Think locomotive boiler

"Random ideas" department -- badly-designed / -made type of boiler, prone to getting clogged up with foreign material, given the catch-all title of "mud"??

 

[341o2]

Shoo fly- is this being sacked?
Rip track- is this the American version of trap points? A road to stop runaways leaving the yard on to the main line?

no, what are the consequences of a cornfield meet or crash, how would a shoo-fly help?
Riptrack is short for rip.... track and is the opposite of what is associated with ripping

 

[341o2]

"Random ideas" department -- badly-designed / -made type of boiler, prone to getting clogged up with foreign material, given the catch-all title of "mud"??

You are on the right track with boiler design, think steam

 

[Calthrop]

You are on the right track with boiler design, think steam

Non-superheated?

 

[D6130]

Shoo-fly....breakdown crane?

 

[341o2]

Non-superheated?

That is the answer I have from the Catskill Archive, however Wikipedia and other sources cite the K27 class on the Denver & Rio Grande due to their tendancy to derail. Maybe more than one use? For example other sources indicate the Old Gandy tool co. is an urban legend

Shoo-fly....breakdown crane?

That would be a big hook. Think track

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Shoo-fly: crowbar to heave derailed wagons back on to the track?

 

[341o2]

It refers to the track itself, a temporary length laid to bypass an obstruction so that trains can continue to operate and/or recover derailed vehicles. There is a youtube video - Jeffrey rd Shoofly - how it got its name, I have no idea
Can anyone provide the answer to what is a riptrack?

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Riptrack: maybe a movable stretch that can be relocated after floods, avalanches and the like?

How many answers are still outstanding? May we have some clues please?

 

[341o2]

Time to move on, methinks

A riptrack is a repair track for wagons and coaches.

To summarise

1. Shoo-fly - temporary track to bypass an obstruction
2. Gandy Dancers - track maintinence or construction workers
3. Wipe the clock - Destroy brake pressure for an emergency stop
4. In the hole - Backed into a siding for the purpose of a meet ( two trains crossing)
5 Mudhen - Either a non superheated (or saturated) steam loco, or the D&RGRR class K27 due to their tendency to derail
6.Muzzle Loader. - Steam loco fired by hand, big American steam would have a crew of three, the third man being a coalpasser
7. Riptrack - Repair track for rolling stock in yard
8. Varnish - Passenger train, especially an important one, from the varnished wooden coaches of the era
9. Cornfield Meet - Head on collision.
10. Goat Feeder - a (yard) goat is a switching engine, goat feeder the fireman

Calthrop scored 5 and LSWR Cavalier 3, so Calthrop has the highball regarding the next question (This originates from an old signal with a ball being raised to indicate line clear)

 

[Calthrop]

Thanks. Well, Gol-durn-it, let's have ourselves a bit of nasty socialistic heresy from little ol' Europe ...

Please give the year of nationalisation of the railways of the following countries -- this in context of first half of 20th century.

1) Spain

2) Portugal

3) Italy

4) France

5) Germany

(In most instances above, this concerned "the big companies" -- many lesser, local rail undertakings were unaffected by these nationalisations, and remained independent.)

 

[Gloster]

1 1940
2 1912
3 1922
4 1938
5 1925

(All guesses based on politics except 4 and 5, which are vague memories.)

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

5. 1949 (FRG)?

 

[Calthrop]

1 1940
2 1912
3 1922
4 1938
5 1925

(All guesses based on politics except 4 and 5, which are vague memories.)

4) -- correct: formation of SNCF. Otherwise, not: though you're very close with 1) Spain. And re 5) Germany: two dates, quite close together, either of which I consider admissible -- you're also, very close to one of them.

5. 1949 (FRG)?

Afraid not. My reference re Germany, concerns (as intimated just above), things prior to World War II and splitting-up of the country.

 

[Calthrop]

I'll try and give a couple of "pointers". Re (2) Portugal, @Gloster's date is way too early: in fact, Portugal's nationalisation-date is the latest of all the five; and his date for (3) Italy is rather too late. As mentioned: @Gloster very nearly right for (1) Spain; and for one of the ""candidates" for (5) Germany.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Depends what you mean by nationalisation, I guess.

2. Portugal became a democracy late, 1978? So nationalisation I guess 1982?

 

[Calthrop]

Depends what you mean by nationalisation, I guess.

2. Portugal became a democracy late, 1978? So nationalisation I guess 1982?

This matter is perhaps more complicated and grey-areas-affected than I -- self-confessedly no scholar of "things political" -- had imagined. My understanding of "nationalisation" has been -- as in this country in 1948 -- the amalgamation of different, independent railway undertakings around the country, into a single nation-wide rail-holdings-and-operations body, under state aegis. Nothing, in my eyes, particularly to do with democracy -- a couple of the countries in the list, were the polar opposite of democratic at the time of their nationalising their railways.

As I mentioned when first setting the question: the event concerned, for each country concerned, happened in the first half of the 20th century.

 

[D6130]

1905 for Italy.

 

[Calthrop]

1905 for Italy.

Correct !

 

[Calthrop]

It doesn't seem that we'll get any further with this question. Remaining dates / places not correctly got -- (1) Spain 1941. (2) Portugal 1947. (5) Germany: the country's "kings and emperors" era having ended with its losing World War I; its hitherto different state systems -- of various kingdoms, duchies, etc. -- merging as the Deutsche Reichsbahn , took place, per my understanding: de facto in 1920, de jure in 1924 (either date would have been acceptable).

@Gloster and @D6130, you each got one correct. Would there be acceptable to you, a "tie-breaker" for the two of you -- my naming another European country: the one who gives a date closest to nationalisation date of its railways, to take the floor?

 

[Gloster]

I will pass the baton to D6130. I am starting to deal with the fun and games of moving house, and have not got the time to watch the posts.

 

[Loppylugs]

Anyone wish to restart this as apparently @D6130 is off to Italy this week.

 

[DerekC]

The 4 foot gauge Padarn Railway is well known. What other railway in Wales had approximately the same gauge?

 

[Gloster]

Swansea & Mumbles?

 

[DerekC]

Swansea & Mumbles?

A bonus point for that - I had forgotten that the Swansea and Mumbles' original gauge was 4ft, but it wasn't the one I had in mind.

 

[Calthrop]

The Saundersfoot Railway -- industrial, around the area of that name, including serving the harbour: 1834 -- 1939; predating by a couple of decades, the (public) Whitland -- Pembroke Dock branch, also via Saundersfoot.