Railway General Knowledge.

[341o2]

All steam until recently, Mt Washington cog railway

 

[xotGD]

Shimla?

 

[martinsh]

All steam until recently, Mt Washington cog railway

Is correct ! Your histroic monument

 

[341o2]

Which UK city used a track gauge 1/4 inch narrower than Mt Washington, ie 1416mm or 4' 7 3/4" (standard being 1435mm) and why?

 

[SteveM70]

Which UK city used a track gauge 1/4 inch narrower than Mt Washington, ie 1416mm or 4' 7 3/4" (standard being 1435mm) and why?

Im hoping the word “city” is a red herring, because I think that’s the trams in Huddersfield. The reason I was told is that the local coal mines used that gauge and they wanted to be able to transport coal wagons too.

 

[Rutland23]

I think that it might be Glasgow.

|The slightly narrower gauge meant that railway stock ran on its flanges, while the trams used their wheel treads.

Regards

Ian

 

[341o2]

I think that it might be Glasgow.

|The slightly narrower gauge meant that railway stock ran on its flanges, while the trams used their wheel treads.

Regards

Ian

Well, you are right. I chose "city" to eliminate Huddersfield, which had a similar setup. Standard gauge trains could share the tram tracks principally to access the Glasgow shipyards.
Welcome to the forum, and your floor

 

[Rutland23]

Many thanks for the welcome, although I have been lurking for a while.

There was some steam traffic on that particular stretch, but one company used electric traction.

Which company?

Regards

Ian

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

GSW, Glasgow and South Western?

 

[Rutland23]

Not a railway company.

As far as I am aware, the GSWR never had any electrics. (just checked, no they didn't)

Regards

Ian

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Glasgow Corporation?

 

[Rutland23]

Glasgow Corporation would have had electric tramway locos, but not for freight transfer work.

Regards

Ian

 

[DerekC]

It looks from maps as though there was a connection from the Govan goods yard of the Glasgow & Paisley Joint Railway (Caledonian & GSWR) to Fairfields shipyard via the tramway tracks, so I am going to guess that Fairfields owned and operated the locos.

 

[Rutland23]

Your guess is absolutely correct, @DerekC

One of Fairfields locos still exists at Bo'ness at the SRPS

see here, http://www.srpsmuseum.org.uk/images/10014/10014.jpg

Chocks away!, the slipway is yours.

Regards

Ian

 

[DerekC]

Nice picture - thanks. Border crossings are in the news so I thought I would try to be topical!

There are six railway connections between France and Spain (one of which is currently disused), on three different gauges. Please name the crossing points.

 

[Calthrop]

I'll have a shot -- west to east:


Hendaye (France) / Irun (Spain): 1435mm / 1672mm (No. 1)

ditto -- metre-gauge electric line "San Sebastian -- frontier" (No. 2)

Urdos (France) / Canfranc (Spain) -- 1435mm / 1672mm [disused] (No. 3)

La Tour de Carol (France, from direction of Toulouse) / Puigcerda (Spain): 1435mm / 1672mm (No. 4)

La Tour de Carol (France, from direction of Villefranche-Vernet-Les-Bains-Fuilla [metre-gauge third-rail electric west thereof; 1435mm east thereof] and Perpignan); 1672mm in Spain (No. 5)

Cerbere (France) / Port Bou (Spain): 1435mm / 1672mm (No. 6)

 

[DerekC]

That's a brilliant start @Calthrop - you have five out of six. I don't think the metre gauge line from La Tour de Carol towards Villefranche-Vernet-Les-Bains-Fuilla crosses the border. - it's entirely in France, although having looked at it on Google Earth just now, it comes within 30m of it at one place!

What's the missing crossing?

 

[Calthrop]

You've got me totally baffled here -- I'd always in fact thought, "four places": for answer purposes, managed -- tortuously, I thought -- to stretch it to six...

 

[DerekC]

Think a little faster and don't look too far behind you!

 

[Calthrop]

Whiting? snails? lobsters? I remain bemused, I fear.

 

[DerekC]

Oh dear - I fear I have misled you - forget mock turtles @Calthrop. For the extra crossing just think - faster.

 

[Calthrop]

I tend to be mentally stuck in the 1960s: consultation of M.G. Ball's European Railway Atlas has made known to me a quite recently opened 1435mm gauge high-speed line (to whose existence I had hitherto been oblivious) between Perpignan (France) and Figueres (Spain), crossing the border in the Perthus Tunnel: French and Spanish ends thereof, Montesquieu-les-Alberes and La Jonquera respectively.

 

[DerekC]

That's the one - @Calthrop, you have crossed the border the requisite number of times and the plains of Spain are yours.

 

[Calthrop]

Muchas gracias, senor DerekC.

There are two islands, about 225 km. apart. One has belonged to the overseas empire of Britain, the other to that of France. Each island has had in the past, a railway system -- each typical, respectively in a different way, of elements of the respective parent countries' rail scenes. Of these island systems, one has long totally vanished; there is thought to be a small remnant of the other, still active at a low level as a "heritage" operation.

What are the above two islands? (Virtual bonus points for any brief added description of the railways which have served them.)

 

[Nick_C]

St Kitts and Marie-Galante - That on St Kitts served the sugar trade, and now runs as a round-the-island tourist ride (not really a heritage operation IMHO, more about sightseeing). No idea about Marie-Galante, that's simply the first French island I could find the right distance away!

 

[Calthrop]

Resourceful thinking; but I'm afraid, no. With this, you're in very much the wrong part of the globe.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Newfoundland? Sorry, I think Nova Scotia, new Caledonia is an island, there was a railway there, dunno if it still exists

 

[Calthrop]

Again -- sorry, no: still, majorly, not in the right part of the planet.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Maybe we need a clue
Indian Ocean, Africa?

 

[Gloster]

Is one Reunion? (There should be an acute accent on the e.)