Railway General Knowledge.

[EbbwJunction1]

Actually, it wasn't that obvious after all .... !

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Okay, if I may, I have dreamed up a three-part question

What historic project had to wait until the outer railway ring round Berlin was complete? Fangschleuse, an idyllic tiny station in the woods east of Berlin, shall soon have two trains an hour in each direction, why?
The trains turn round at 'Slubfurt', which is sort of twinned with 'Mainhattan', what are the usual names of these two settlements?

 

[xotGD]

1. The new central station in Berlin
2. It serves the new airport

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Both wrong sorry
1. was many years ago
2. to do with our bright future

 

[xotGD]

1. Building the Berlin wall

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Correct, when the outer ring was complete the DDR no longer needed to run long-distance trains through/near Westberlin, so the border could be fortified
Passenger trains run on most of the outer ring
..
Clue to 3. The two towns have similar names

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Clue to 2. It is to do with €lectric road vehicles, sadly

 

[Nick_C]

Is No2 the location of the new Tesla Factory?

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

2. Yes, it is being built in the woods, thousands of trees are being felled although the final building permission has not been issued yet. The talk is of 12 000 jobs and 500 000 vehicles a year, with a bit of railfreight use

Number 3 should be easy now

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

The two towns sought in part 3 have very similar names, distinguished by a suffix. They are far apart
Fortunately (?) the larger one comes first, alphabetically

 

[Nick_C]

Frankfurt-am-main and Frankfurt-an-der-Oder?

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Frankfurt-am-main and Frankfurt-an-der-Oder?

Correct
@xotGD got one, @Nick_C got two, over to you Nick

 

[Nick_C]

This should be an easy one - Which country in Europe has the lowest amount of railway mileage? (excluding those that have none)

 

[Calthrop]

I'm torn between Monaco (taking it that the country doesn't have to have its own railway undertaking), and Vatican City. Will plump for Monaco.

 

[xotGD]

In that case I'll take Vatican City!

 

[Nick_C]

In that case I'll take Vatican City!

Vatican City it is - 0.3km! Monaco has over 1km as the tunnel runs on their side of the border for quite a bit.

 

[xotGD]

I hardly feel worthy, but here is a question with 10 possible answers:

Which was the first Class 44 to be withdrawn?

 

[Cowley]

I hardly feel worthy, but here is a question with 10 possible answers:

Which was the first Class 44 to be withdrawn?

Was it 44003?

 

[xotGD]

Was it 44003?

It certainly was! Withdrawn in July 76 and cut up the following month.

Your floor...

 

[Cowley]

It certainly was! Withdrawn in July 76 and cut up the following month.

Your floor...

Oh I completely forgot to check back on this and I’m too flustered to think of a question now!
Open floor...

 

[DerekC]

Ok - what is Toronto gauge (in whatever units you like)?

 

[martinsh]

It's slightly wider than standard gauge, but narrower than Russian gauge. I'll guess 4ft 11in

 

[DerekC]

It's slightly wider than standard gauge, but narrower than Russian gauge. I'll guess 4ft 11in

You are so close I think I should give you it. The gauge used now is actually 1495 mm (4ft 10 7/8in) but it seems that some of the early lines were indeed 4ft 11in and some 4ft 10 3/4in. The reasons why seem pretty obscure - some say that it was to prevent main line freight from using the streetcar network. Others that it was something to do with allowing horse drawn road waggons to use the track, which in the 1860s when the first horse-drawn tram line was built was a form of step-rail, a bit like a plateway but with the trams using flanged wheels running on the vertical leg of the angle section.

Your clear road.

 

[martinsh]

Keeping on the subject of unusual gauges, whereabouts in the world can you ride on a railway of 4ft 8in gauge (i.e. not 4ft 8 1/2in )

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Is it a former British colony?

 

[martinsh]

Is it a former British colony?

It is not the normal gauge for this country - just one line

 

[alistairlees]

It is not the normal gauge for this country - just one line

There used to be one in the Isle of Man.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Could it be the Oberweissbacher Bergbahn?

 

[martinsh]

Could it be the Oberweissbacher Bergbahn?

No. Not that one.

Clue : this railway was wholly steam operated until less than 20 years ago

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Sri Lanka perhaps, or somewhere in the Far East?